Giddha Pao Kuriyoo!
Is it just me or are we seeing Giddha increasing in popularity these days?
Giddha was the folk dance of choice for our Grandmothers and Mothers. It allowed them a platform to get together with other women, and through boliyan talk openly about their daily lives. I asked my Mum if this was a form of therapy for them, and she said “yes”. It was a release for these women to be able to have this time for themselves and openly release supressed feelings in a joyful manner.
We see a great number of young women in Universities joining the “Bhangra” team and peforming these rather masculine dances at Bhangra competitions. Where is our traditional Giddha? I found this video which shows a performance by the UC Davis Giddha Squad at a competition this year. It was nice to see that these girls decided to create some uniqueness to the monotony these Bhangra competitions have began to display. Hopefully this will be a continuing trend and we will see more incorporations of Giddha for women at University levels. There is a sense of elegance and femininity that Giddha has, and which Bhangra lacks for women.
I look forward to the day when young girls are able to immerse themselves in Giddha and learn Boliyan and truly appreciate what our culture has to offer. Maybe we will see a Giddha Academy some day? I am hopeful.
With Teeyan season upon us, we can take the first step in going and attending these events in our areas. In the California we have these events scheduled annually and it’s become larger every year. Please make sure to attend if you know of Teeyan happening in your area. It would be a great way to take your Grandmothers, Mothers, Aunts, Sisters, Daughters, and Friends out to spend an afternoon together. (And it’s a great workout!)
How do you all feel about this subject? How can we begin to make a progressive change towards incorporating Giddha into the lives of younger women?
4 Responses to “Giddha Pao Kuriyoo!”
By Reema on Jul 8, 2008 at 8:54 pm | Quote
I’m so glad you brought this up Anandica!
The bhangra scene seems saturated while there definitely seems to be a space just waiting to be filled with giddha. Some teams have already formed, but I’d love it if giddha took a different route than bhangra has taken.
Giddha’s function (in addition to its elegance)- as a means of communication, expression, and maybe even documentation- is so important. Simply competing to award a prize for the ‘best’ giddha seems to miss the entire point of giddha, though it might have some preservative value.
I’d love to see not only traditional giddha and boliyan preserved, but giddha as a means of expression and creativity for today’s generations and issues in the diaspora. While boliyan about in-laws are still relevant, they’re less so as families move away from the traditional extended-family living structure towards nuclear-family living.
With this shift, it would be fantastic to see boliyan about dealing with things like balancing work, household, and family; boliyan about love in the context of today’s dating/marriage scene; boliyan that express and release the frustration of overworked, under-appreciated, and isolated mothers; etc.
We should write our own.
(It would then be fascinating to compare today’s boliyan to older boliyan and see how our lives are transforming…)
By baingandabhartha on Jul 9, 2008 at 7:55 am | Quote
Giddha certainly needs help to become more popular here in the US. Although I think that women can perform bhangra with equal vigor and zeal, I do not find any visual appeal in women slappin their thighs and doing other masculine moves. I have judged at bhangra contests before and I find it very hard to give points to all girls bhangra teams or to mixed teams. It just doesn’t do it for me.
Giddha is tough-you have to be able to sing, carry a tune and make sure everyone can hear you, and dance at the same time-very vigorously. There is no dholi to guide you. The team is judged on not just the dancing but also the quality of the singing and the depth of the boliyaan. Hope it takes off in the US.
By P.Singh on Jul 9, 2008 at 1:41 pm | Quote
Modern boliyan for the working woman - here, I’ll give you all a start:
Naley hoo kar ke, naley haan kar ke,
Kam tu thakee ayee mutiare, bhande saaf kar de
By karenjit on Aug 30, 2008 at 3:29 pm | Quote
I would love to learn the giddha i have always been fascinated with it. i love the dance and the boliyaan. I only wish there was a class that i could go and learn from in Coventry UK. If anyone knows then please let me know.