Samajweekly
– Harminder kaur Bhogal
Maan’s song, “Sunoh Punjabi Dosto” once again refuelled the controversy, that has already diminished his fame in last few years. The song uses very expressive lyrics complimenting a highly emotive video through which he vents his personal distress, anger, feelings of betrayal by his own brethren, whom he refers as ‘Punjabi Dosto’. Through the song and videography, Maan asserts his right to show his own truth. In absolute control of the picturisation, his team has carefully chosen the actors for their skilful craft and drafted a plot elevating Maan’s innocence whilst depicting opposite of Punjabi viewers or his former fans.
The child actor’s innocence will swoon any one and that ultimately is the goal, to sway the audiences to think in a single dimensional perspective, that is his own with no consideration of anyone else’s emotions or feelings. The sentimental lyrics of the song, compelling plot and adept performance by mummers in the videography may make majority of the viewers feel sorry for him, for an analytical mind however the song appears as a projection of Maan’s self-obsession where nothing else matters except his own pain.
One wonders whether Maan has become self-obsessed with his own reality, an untutored or untrained eyes would grieve with him and feel his hurt that he so fervently expresses in the song.
Why is he feeling this way? Status of Punjabi:
Understandably or not, his is a reactionary response to condemnation and criticism that he has received over the past few years. To make matters worse, during a radio interview in the western front, Maan promoted the ideas of one language in India, that was Hindi.
His statement created an irritation and annoyance amongst Punjabi diaspora and Punjabis living in Punjab concerning the position of Punjabi language, specifically for the Sikhs- whose hostility towards the singer remains at the centre of the video – needs to be understood.
Just like faith of people, language plays an intimate part of people’s identity. There are hundreds of languages spoken in India, each one is beautifully rich with its own unique sets of history, culture and beliefs. In a democratic country, no language can be given precedence over another, and India’s constituency doesn’t endorse or advocate such a notion. For Sikh Punjabis the least, the Guru Granth Sahib is composed in the Gurmukhi of Punjabi script. The closest example is Arabic being the language of Quran. It is inconceivable to think that Arabiccan take a second or third place in its own territory. Sikh scriptures were composed by no other but the Gurus and for the Sikhs in particular, Punjabi is the language of the ‘Gods’, per say.
His ‘one nation and one language’ socio-political statement didn’t just stop there, during his stage show in Edmonton, Punjabi mother tongue supporters tore down their tickets outside the arena to show their allegiance to the mother tongue. During the show, couple of members of the audiences stood up with a sign to oppose Maan’s comments made earlier. Maan from the stage churned out expletives in return and that left majority of the Punjabis around the globe shocked and angry. This did not win him any favours, since that time, Maan has been hit back on social media and support for him has diminished considerably, with less people going to see him live on a global stage.
Maan’s peculiar relationship with Mast.
In his musical video, Maan emotionalises his pain further, where in the lyrics, he mentions his peer or Guru otherwise known as Mast, referring to him as Sai (status given to someone Godly, or spiritually enlightened). One wonders whether Maan just doesn’t seem to get it or has no one ever sat him down and talked to him or even entered into a discourse with him? Why are people unforgiving where this Sai or Mast is concerned.
Apparently, Sai is another addition to India’s expansion of Godmen and their followers, their bases otherwise known as Derawaad have mushroomed all over Punjab especially since its partition in 1947. Apparently, Maan’s Sai or Mast is often seen as semi naked or wearing salwar (female garment) smocking beedi. In another video Maan dances for him wearing his regalia with ghungarroo (ankle bells) whilst Sai showers over his head sacksful of notes. Sai has thousands of followers, and he can help emerging singers become successful, if singers win his favours. It all depends on what the singers can offer and touching his feet is just a start.
Tellingly, Maan expressed his fondness and his veneration for Sai in his interview talks and even during his live shows. But why are people angry?
The answer to his questions lies in the Sikh values and the ethos as well as principles and practice. The Sikh faith rejects Derawaads and self-proclaimed god men. Monotheism is central to the Sikh faith and the Gurbani is the manifestation of the written Word. The paradox is that Maan wants both, in other words he wants ‘his cake and eat it’. In his lyrics, he expounds the Sikh Gurus’ teachings, he preaches the words of the Guru but in the same vein edifies his own chosen Godman the Sai.
Many of Maan’s hard-core fans followed his footsteps and became this Sai’s disciples too. This seems more problematic in the times when Punjabis already facing drugs as a state issue; more youngsters following Maan tend to follow Sai as well who further glorify drugs of some sort as a means to reach God. Moreover, the inconsistencies of both evoking Gurbani and then idolising Sai irks people, but Maan still doesn’t get it.
Friends with Butcher of Punjab
And then to run salt in the wounds of Punjabi Sikhs, Maan’s photo has been roaming around on the internet for good part of a decade, in which he stands proudly with KP Gill who is labelled as the ‘butcher’ of Punjab’s Sikh youth. During the insurgency of 1990s, KP Gill , the then DGP of Punjab, was responsible for the mass killings of innocent people, under the garb of eliminating ‘terrorism’?
Thousands of young Sikhs were murdered on false charges, many tortured and countless killings took place under fake encounters, this was to prove that there is a terrorism in the state and that terrorists were being eliminated.
It is said that the Central Government awarded many of the culprits with promotions and medals of honour whilst the innocents were incarcerated, killed and their entire families in some instances wiped off.
People are angry for reasons more legitimate than he can ever imagine in his life. Perhaps they no longer recognise the man that Maan has become. He is no longer one of them, his vision has become myopic over the years. But one thing for sure, Maan has the resources to hire actors, directors and even producers who will apply their technical dexterity, professional prowess to craft apt visuals to suit his requirement But it’s the people of all disciplines who must exercise their rights to speak and write, create quality content to help espouse the real truth nothing but the truth to assure that Maan’s blinkered lens gets a wash out.
‘ਸਮਾਜਵੀਕਲੀ’ ਐਪ ਡਾਊਨਲੋਡ ਕਰਨ ਲਈ ਹੇਠ ਦਿਤਾ ਲਿੰਕ ਕਲਿੱਕ ਕਰੋ
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