Bhangra

From Free net encyclopedia

Bhangra (Template:Lang-pa, بھنگڑا, Template:IAST) is both a lively dance which is from the region of Punjab, now divided between North India and Pakistan, and the musical accompaniment to the dance. A variety of popular music, also called Bhangra, has developed from these traditions and has a keen youth following around the world.

Music of India: Topics

Bhajan	Bhangra
Filmi	Ghazal

Timeline and Samples

Genres

Classical (Carnatic and Hindustani) - Rock - Pop - Hip hop

Awards

Bollywood Music Awards - Punjabi Music Awards

Charts

Festivals

Sangeet Natak Akademi – Thyagaraja Aradhana – Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana

Media

Sruti, The Music Magazine

National anthem

"Jana Gana Mana", also national song "Vande Mataram"

Music of the states

Andaman and Nicobar Islands - Andhra Pradesh – Arunachal Pradesh – Assam – Bihar – Chhattisgarh – Goa – Gujarat – Haryana – Himachal Pradesh – Jammu – Jharkhand – Karnataka – Kashmir – Kerala – Madhya Pradesh – Maharashtra – Manipur – Meghalaya – Mizoram – Nagaland – Orissa – Punjab – Rajasthan – Sikkim – Tamil Nadu – Tripura – Uttar Pradesh – Uttaranchal – West Bengal

Bhangra is a fusion of music, singing and the beat of the dhol drum, a single stringed instrument called the iktar (ektara), the tumbi and an instrument reminiscent of an enlarged pair of tongs called chimta. The accompanying songs are small couplets written in the Punjabi language called bolis. They relate to harvest celebration, love, patriotism or current social issues.

Today the word Bhangra is more associated with the style of dance pop music derived from the above mentioned musical accompaniment. The dhol's smaller cousin, the dholaki, is sometimes used instead of or in addition to the dhol. Additional percussion, including tabla, is frequently used in bhangra.

Bhangra has always been popular amongst Punjabi people all over the world, but it has enjoyed a resurgence over the last ten years or so. Its raw traditional sound is often supplemented with contemporary musical styles. In its more recent history, bhangra has been fused with disco, reggae, techno, house, rap, ragga and now jungle. In fact, these new styles have been so successful that modern bhangra is now being re-exported back to India. Most of this tends to come from the UK Desi scene, a subculture found amongst the South Asian diaspora.

Both collegiate and non-collegiate Bhangra competitions are held throughout the world, especially in the Punjab (India), United States, Canada, and the UK. Some competitions in the United States include: