Preserving Punjabi folk music is my passion : Minu Bakshi

Bakshi has been appreciated by many for her attempt at preserving Punjabi folk music and giving traditional songs a modern twist

Come time for traditional celebrations and festivals and Minu Bakshi’s songs top everyone’s playlist! Author, poet and singer, Bakshi’s love for singing and writing has a lesser known backstory to it. While Bakshi often sang ghazals before 2003, she truly emerged as a force to reckon with, for being responsible in preserving Punjabi folk music when her children were getting married. “When my daughter was getting married, I started searching for traditional songs for people to dance at during her functions, but found very few of them. Then I decided to sing and record some songs as my private collection for my daughters wedding and the DJ played them and people enjoyed. When my son got married, I recorded four more songs for my daughter in law. These eight songs got so popular so fast that they were being played at every wedding in Punjab. So then we converted it in to albums,” says Bakshi. This compendium of Punjabi folk music consisting of 8 CDs is Bakshi’s most ambitious project to date.

It was after this album that Bakshi started her journey in to preservation of Punjabi folk music. Bakshi’s love for authenticity lead her to tour smaller villages in Punjab to research on the musical instruments like Tumbi, Sarangi, Chimta, etc that are used in Punjabi folk music. She even gives artists hailing from these villages, a chance to make music with her. “The need to revive Punjabi folk music came from the dearth of availability of traditional songs in a modern format for festivals. Log bolte the karwachauth aa gayi ab kya kare, kya gaye, kya bajaye? Kisi dhol wali ko bulalo and all that. So to fulfill this need, I embarked upon the journey to preserve Punjabi folk singing and soon it became my passion,” says Bakshi.

Apart from being a source of authority on Punjabi folk music, Bakshi’s love for urdu poetry has lead her to author several books in the past few years, that have earned her praise from connoisseurs of Urdu poetry and critics as well. Talking about her pull towards Urdu poetry, Bakshi says, “if the introduction of my Urdu poetry to audiences in India and abroad, contributes even in small measure to the preservation and appreciation of this beautiful and most romantic genre then I will feel that my objective has been achieved”.

Another integral influence in Bakshi’s life has been that of Spanish culture, dating back to when as a student she finished her Mphil from JNU and proceeded to Spain to enhance her knowledge in the Spanish language. Bakshi has been invited to sing Spanish folk songs of legendary Spanish Poet, Federico García Lorca’s compositions for an upcoming event in the Capital. Feeling like she has come a full circle, she says, “I realized it was a chance of a lifetime to interpret a poet whom I’ve admired since my student days in JNU where I was doing my masters in Spanish. The embassy recently sent me an old recording dating back to 1930s to practice these Spanish folk songs. I’ve since been practicing for a lot many hours during my day. This is the first time ever that an Indian artist will be singing folk songs of Spain on such a level. I feel humbled that I have been asked to represent my country in this collaboration,” she signs off.

Author tweets @FizzuBuddha