ulta pulta
Political tunes
Jaspal Bhatti

Whenever there is a whiff of elections, suppliers of kurta- pyjamas, loudspeakers, flags, posters and taxi-drivers are the happiest people around. They know that Goddess Lakshmi would be smiling on them.

And if that wasn’t enough, even the feeblest of Punjabi singer has a song on his lips in the hope that he would be summoned to one political rally or the other. And then he is likely to whisper tenderly to his wife, "Hun dekhna sohniye, jitho marzi wanga ghadwa le mitre da na chalda`85."

Sometimes the leader’s speech is so lacklustre that the crowd simply comes to listen to the singer. And, interestingly, sometimes the singer is so out of tune that the crowd leaves the rally ground even before the star politician arrives. That’s the power of music.

I have often wondered that why don’t Punjabi folk singers — the biggest crowd-pullers in political rallies — launch their own political party. Imagine Hans Raj Hans as Chief Minister with Sardul Sikander, Harbhajan Mann, Gurdas Mann and Daler Mehndi in his Cabinet.

Some of the best lyricists could be made Ministers of State. When Punjab doesn’t get aid from the Centre to bail out its farmers, Hans Raj Hans could sing soulfully Dil tote tote ho gaya... And when Dr Manmohan Singh dishes out a wonderful economic package, Daler could jump with joy singing, Bolo tara ra ra... It would be really a hasda gaunda (happy and singing ) Punjab.

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