Feature
The crew that never fails to impress: Pure Bhangra dances their way into hearts yet again
by AROMA KUMAR
April 20, 2018
Bhangra, Burahhhhh and Butter Chicken!!
What happens when an open community event is celebrating Punjabi culture; more specifically Punjabi food, is organised in Dubai? That’s right. South Asians – ‘desi’ being a cooler term – arrive from every corner of Dubai and form a melting pot of love in celebration for the culture. That’s how serious our commitment is for anything remotely Punjabi.
To spark a sense of nostalgia and do away with homesickness, Truckers UAE organised an event with a twist – the very first Indian-themed, Truckers Punjabi Edition that celebrated the Punjabi harvest festival of Baisakhi. The event showcased all facets of the vivacious culture with a modern touch – from food and clothing to the high-energy Bhangra and Gidda (Punjabi folk dances).
More than 1,500 people arrived to be part of the peppy culture making it one of the most popular Truckers event to date.
Organized at Burj Park from the 6-7th April; the audience witnessed an up-close spectacular view of the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall water fountain. The event hosted numerous clothing stalls that sold authentic to fusion Punjabi wear and accessories. More than 20 booths were serving a variety of cuisines among which Punjabi food vendors were the busiest.
“The food is simple, authentic and fresh. It is not too fancy nor too dull.” – A visitor to Punjabi Truckers
Pure Bhangra, an immensely popular bhangra dance crew in Dubai set the stage on fire with back to back live performances that had the audience pumped and dancing to the beats.
Check out their video to get an idea of how spectacular they are.
Founded by Hardeep Singh (affectionately called Hardy) in 2011 as a college production; Pure Bhangra is among the top UAE dance crews that also feature Monster Crew and the Nrithyaganas. It now consists of 25 crew members ranging from kids and university students to adults. When questioned on why he formed a bhangra crew, Hardy remarked that upon realising that “there is no other bhangra group in the region”; he decided to form a professional dance crew in the Middle East.
Sarabjeet Kaur, a flight attendant in Emirates and a member of Pure Bhangra explains how she takes time out of her busy roster and devotes it to bhangra. “Whenever I get the weekends off, it’s always devoted to practice. It’s my passion for bhangra that motivates me to give up on rest.”
“About bhangra, the special thing is that, it’s always a moment that someone will enjoy and want to be happy. When you’re happy you cannot do contemporary or any other dance form. Bhangra is something that’s everywhere now; Bollywood movies don’t go without a bhangra song. Every second song has a toll beat in it. All the clubs play Punjabi songs.” – Hardy Singh, Founder of Pure Bhangra
Pure Bhangra has now reached almost a cult following in Dubai on their respective handles of Instagram and YouTube. They achieved this solely through their social media platforms and “without any print or radio advertisements.” They can be seen performing in various countries and host workshops for beginners all over the UAE.
As Hardy rightly said it, “staying happy and dancing bhangra is the basic essence” of being a Punjabi (or just the basic essence of life).
Check out our tour of the Punjabi Truckers and do not forget to follow Pure Bhangra.
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