A Punjabi wedding play-list

Every time I think of the big, fat Punjabi weddings back home, I am drowned in nostalgia of lots of ‘Bhangra‘ music, an endless supply of ‘tandoori‘ chicken and the wide variety of alcohol that can put any liquor vendor to shame! Punjabis are loud, boastful people but extremely fun to be around and good at heart! ( Yes, I am a Punjabi and yes, I am shamelessly praising my kind!)
Punjabi weddings are never quiet. From day 1 of the celebrations, temperaments run high throughout the day when the younger ones are scolded for not getting things right and the tent wala for his delay…the ladies are fretting over the misfit dresses and also giving the halwai incessant instructions. At sundown, there is a lull, for the brief period when ladies are getting ready and the men are busy laying out the stock of booze for the evening.
Thereafter starts the loud blaring music of the DJ and everyone dances, everyone! The one to begin is usually a male relative who thinks himself to be a reincarnation of Michael Jackson and is Hell-bent on teaching the others too. As he pulls up unwilling dancers on the floor, the youngsters decide to take over and a little rhythm then prevails on the dance floor. In a short while, coaxing,cajoling and even physical pushing and pulling gets everyone on the floor, dancing away to peppy numbers and folk songs.
A wide variety of numbers are played at weddings but a few are indispensable. Following is a playlist of some melodious, funny, weird…but all worth mentioning songs:

Munda aapne viah vich
First they will pull the reluctant groom to the dance floor and then play this song and even expect him to shake a leg or two. Well, the crux of the song is that the groom is so happy that he is dancing on his own wedding function. Weird you say? Weird doesn’t even begin here!
Whatever.. the song is fun to dance at!

London Thumakda
Every family in Punjab has a relative in Ing-land and this song is played especially for the likes of them. The NRIs, flashing their grins and gold watches step forth in style and try to dance with elan. Soon, the spirit of their soil seeps in and the hip gyrations and pelvic thrusts take over. God bless the makers of Queen for this song!

Ae meri Zohra Zabein
The sure shot way to get all the senior citizens of the family to sway to music is to play this song which talks of a woman’s everlasting beauty and her beloved’s perennial youth. The moment this song is played, all the moms-dads,nana-nanis and dada-dadis are instantly demanded on-stage and all youngsters clear the area as if even being on the floor while the song is playing would age them. A decade later though, they will be more than happy dancing to it. I personally love the song!

Kawa kawa kawa
A beautiful song from the movie ‘Monsoon Wedding’ is yet another all-time favourite that somehow crawls into every playlist. The moment the sentence comes ‘main udd ja naal hawawan’, all the intoxicated guests are doing the ‘flying step’ i.e flapping their arms in vain attempts to ~~fly~~ dance!
For the sober ones sitting and watching, it is a delight and a pretty amusing one to watch!

Gurr nalon ishq mithha
Who has not danced to this song? The song was an instant hit when it was released and can be heard in various mixed and remixed versions. This one is a hot favourite of the 80s generation(that’s mine!) and is one of the ‘once more’ songs in the DJ’s playlist. I still remember how we girls used to swoon over the handsome Jas Arora in this video. Do you?

Aaj Blue Hai Paani
Talking of dance numbers, it would be injustice if I miss out on Honey Singh. We might love him, we might hate him but we just can’t ignore Honey Singh! The song that has become the latest national anthem for little kids and teenagers is ahem ahem…a wee bit inappropriate for them but then,everyone is humming it and swaying to it…so let us do it as well!

Mehndi laga ke rakhna
Ever since DDLJ was released, this song has seen many a wedding functions and sangeets and why not? The melodious, foot-tapping number had the entire nation in awe of Raj and Simran-the perfect couple.

Sajna ji
This song from Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd is for the women gang to take over every time it is played; actually coming to think of it, it is played each and every time by most DJs . The dance steps are pretty easy to follow:
-pull your husband to the dance floor(whether he can dance or not)
-Treating him as your fulcrum, revolve around him with one hand on your waist and the other constantly pointing at him.
Simple,right? Absurd? Yes but who cares? Crazy dancing is super-fun!

Saada chidiya da chamba
I know of no comprehensible reason why this song is played by DJs. Do they get a sadistic pleasure out of it? Maybe it is to cater to the aunties who simply have to have an excuse to shed a cascade of tears as if they love the bride more than the mother herself and as soon as the song changes, they are back to their chirpy,gossiping self. Beats me why they do it! This one does leave the bride and her mom in tears and the bride’s father with a lump in his throat. As soon as the environment becomes emotional, the DJ is given a look and told to change the song who shrugs his shoulders and complies as if saying,’You only told me to play it!’ I am still to catch hold of the one who bribes the DJ to do so.

Emotions definitely run high in Indian weddings, whether Punjabi or South Indian or from anywhere in India. We are sentimental people. Amongst this overdose of emotions and temperaments is the essence of Indian values. Weddings are family affairs and a time of togetherness and celebration.
Every ceremony has a relevance and a deeper meaning attached to it. No doubt, a wedding in the family is like a festival.
Depicting one such wedding full of festivities is the following video of Anushka Manchanda and Allu Arjun-combining together amazing dance steps and foot tapping vocals. Just imagine a wedding where the two team up to lead you to the dance floor…difficult to resist shaking a leg to it! Right?