The beats of the Bhangra – the combined beating of the drum, dholak and tabla infused with the sweet melody of the sarangi and the flute – is an instant mood-lifter for many. The music and dance form is all about spreading happiness, and this is what Pure Bhangra, a Dubai dance group helmed by Hardeep Singh, has made its mission. Though Singh was born and brought up in Dubai, Bhangra is his passion. Like they say, you can take a Punjabi out of Punjab, but not Punjab out of a Punjabi. “Growing up in Dubai, I saw an assimilation of different cultures, how the sharing of different ways of life brought happiness to all. That made me think that even my culture has a lot to offer, and why not do something about that?” says Singh, who was recently in Delhi for a Bhangra workshop.
Singh spoke to his friends – eight of them – who agreed to join him and formed the group Pure Bhangra in November 2011. Today Pure Bhangra has 20 members, and performs the world over. The group performed at Asian Football Cup (2019), Truckers Baisakhi Mela (2018) and Global Village Dubai (2018) among others. “Truckers Baisakhi Mela was organised in association with Dubai Truckers. It was a moment of great pride to celebrate a Punjabi festival with loads of food and celebrations at Burj Park in Dubai. A large number of people coming from diverse cultural backgrounds attended the mela and enjoyed our traditions,” says Singh.
Elaborating further, Singh says, “We started with a wish to establish the roots of Punjabi culture in the Middle-East. But in our hearts we are pure Indians and represent our country wherever we go.”
Stressing that Pure Bhangra is also about trying to connect with the Indian community globally, Singh says, “Bhangra transcends cultures and boundaries. Our journey till now has been amazing, we have received boundless love.”
His high points was sharing the stage with one of the biggest stars of the Punjabi Music industry, Diljit Dosanjh, and getting featured in a music video with Gupz Sehra, another renowned Punjabi music star, that was shot in Dubai. “We even had a small performance in Hindi film Happy New Year,” Singh adds, shyly.
Pure Bhangra holds regular workshops across the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and is now planning to branch out into tier B cities as well. It also holds classes on Bhangra Basics, Bhangra Intense Workshops, Fitness Bhangra, Dhol Bhangra and Dhol Workshops. “A number of corporates too have evinced interest,” he says. In UAE, the workshops are held under the name PB MAX.
“Our workshops are open to all irrespective of age, gender or cultural background,” says Singh. “Bhangra is the most amazing dance form of Punjab. Both Bhangra and Gidha engage, inspire and connect various communities,” he adds.