Amar Singh Chamkila

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Amar Singh Chamkila
Background information
Birth nameDhani Ram
Also known asChamkila
Born(1960-07-21)21 July 1960
Dugri, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
Died8 March 1988(1988-03-08) (aged 27)
Mehsampur, Punjab, India
GenresPunjabi duets, solos, folk, religious
Occupation(s)Singer, musician, composer
Instrument(s)Vocals, tumbi, harmonium, dholak
Years active1979–1988
LabelsHMV
Spouse(s)Gurmail Kaur, Amarjot

Amar Singh Chamkila (21 July 1960 – 8 March 1988) was an Indian singer and musician of Punjabi music. Chamkila's vivid language, high-pitched vocals, and novel compositions accompanied by tumbi made him popular. His music was influenced by the Punjabi village life in which he grew up.[1] On 8 March 1988, at the height of his popularity during the insurgency in Punjab, India, Chamkila and his second wife Amarjot were killed along with two members of their band in an assassination which remains unsolved.[2]

Chamkila was an influential Punjabi artist and live stage performer, often called the "Elvis of Punjab". His first recorded song was "Takue Te Takua", and his hits include "Pehle Lalkare Naal" and the devotional songs "Baba Tera Nankana", "Tar Gayi Ravidas Di Pathri", and "Talwar Main Kalgidhar Di". Though he never recorded it himself, he wrote the song "Jatt Di Dushmani", which has been performed by many other Punjabi artists.

Early life

Amar Singh Chamkila was born as Dhani Ram on 21 July 1960 into a Dalit Sikh family in the village of Dugri near Ludhiana, Punjab, India.[3] His aspirations of becoming an electrician were unfulfilled and he eventually found work at a Ludhiana cloth mill.[4]

Career in music

With a natural aptitude for music, Chamkila learned to play the harmonium and dholki. In 1979, Chamkila approached Surinder Shinda for the first time on a bicycle with his best friend Kuldeep Paras.[5] When Shinda heard the 18-year-old Chamkila sing, he finally found the protégé he had been looking for. Chamkila would go on to play alongside Punjabi folk artists such as K. Deep, Mohammad Sadiq, and Shinda. Chamkila wrote several songs for Shinda and accompanied him as a member of his entourage before deciding to pursue a solo career.[5]

Adopting the stage name Amar Singh Chamkila – Chamkila in Punjabi means "one that glitters" – Chamkila first partnered up with the female vocalist Surinder Sonia,[5] who had previously worked with Surinder Shinda. Sonia had felt sidelined after Shinda took Gulshan Komal to a tour in Canada, after which she was instrumental in pushing Chamkila to record his debut album. The pair recorded eight duets and released the album Takue Te Takua in 1980 with music produced by Charanjit Ahuja. The cunningly worded lyrics, which he had written himself, became hits across Punjab.[5]

In 1980, Chamkila felt he was being significantly underpaid by Surinder Sonia's manager (her husband) and decided to form his own group. Chamkila established short-lived stage partnerships with Miss Usha Kiran, Amar Noorie, and others.[6]

For the most part, he continued to write his own lyrics, the majority of which were boyish and suggestive yet fluent commentaries on extramarital affairs, alcohol, and drug use. The couple's appeal grew not only in the Punjab but also among international Punjabis abroad. Around this time, Chamkila was rumoured to be receiving more bookings than his contemporaries. The biography Awaz Mardi Nahin by Gulzar Singh Shaunki found during its research that at the height of his popularity Chamkila had performed 366 shows in 365 days.[7]

Assassination

On 8 March 1988 at approximately 2 PM, having arrived to perform in Mehsampur, Punjab, both Chamkila and his wife Amarjot were gunned down as they exited their vehicle.[2] A gang of motorcyclists fired several rounds, fatally[8] wounding the couple and other members of the entourage. However, no arrests were ever made in connection with the shooting, and the case was never solved.[9][10] It has been alleged that Sikh militants were responsible.[11][12] This theory was refuted by Chamkila's close friend and lyricist Swarn Sivia, who investigated the murder independently. Sivia revealed that three Khalistani militant organisations targeted Chamkila due to his controversial songs. Acting as a mediator, Sivia facilitated a meeting between Chamkila and a delegation of five Khalistani leaders at Darbar Sahib Amritsar where Chamkila apologised and vowed to change the themes of his songs. Following that, Chamkila performed some timeless songs on Sikh history, including "Sathon Baba Kho Laya Tera Nankana". Sivia remained skeptical that Khalistan militants were responsible for his murder, saying, "Throughout my life, I have continued to investigate who was behind his killing."[13]

Legacy

Influence

Indian film composer Amit Trivedi called Chamkila "a legend, the Elvis of Punjab."[14]

British Indian musician Panjabi MC cites Chamkila as one of his musical influences.[15]

Mehsampur is a 2018 Indian mockumentary film based on Chamkila's life, produced and directed by Kabir Singh Chowdhry.[16]

Jodi, a 2023 Indian Punjabi-language film, was inspired by the life of Chamkila.[17]

Amar Singh Chamkila, a biographical drama film based on Chamkila's life, was released on Netflix on 12 April 2024.[18] It is directed by Imtiaz Ali and stars Diljit Dosanjh as Chamkila and Parineeti Chopra as his wife, Amarjot Kaur.[19]

Discography

Chamkila's studio recordings were released by HMV as LP records and EP records during his lifetime. Though several compilation albums have been released since his death, the following CDs compiled by Saregama comprise nearly all of Chamkila's studio recordings:

Posthumous albums

  • The Diamond (2014)

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Elvis of Punjab". The Times of India. 24 July 2016. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Who was Amar Singh Chamkila, Punjab's highest-selling musician killed at 27, played by Diljit Dosanjh in new film?". DNA India. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  3. ^ Kalra, Virinder S. (2015). Sacred and Secular Musics: A Postcolonial Approach. London: Bloomsbury Academic. p. 151. ISBN 978-1-4411-2132-5. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  4. ^ Barnala, Puneet (12 March 2023). "ਅਮਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਚਮਕੀਲਾ: ਛੋਟੇ ਜਿਹੇ ਪਿੰਡ ਦਾ ਧਨੀ ਰਾਮ ਕਿਵੇਂ 'ਚਮਕੀਲਾ' ਬਣ ਕੇ ਗਾਇਕੀ ਦੇ ਅਰਸ਼ਾਂ ਤੱਕ ਪਹੁੰਚ ਗਿਆ" [Amar Singh Chamkila: How Dhani Ram from a small village became 'Chamkila' and reached the heights of singing]. BBC News Punjabi (in Punjabi). Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d Sidharth Banerjee (24 July 2016). "The Elvis of Punjab | Chandigarh News – Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  6. ^ Correspondent, BizAsia (3 August 2020). "Music Review: G.O.A.T by Diljit Dosanjh". BizAsia | Media, Entertainment, Showbiz, Brit, Events and Music. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2022. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  7. ^ Shaunki, Gulzar Singh (2004). Awaz mardi nahin: Jiwani Amar Singh Chamkila. Samana: Sangam Publishers. p. 128. OCLC 651954588. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  8. ^ Kappal, Bhanuj (27 May 2018). "Who killed the 'Elvis of Punjab'?". mint. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  9. ^ "The unsolved murder mystery of Amar Singh Chamkila". www.indiatvnews.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  10. ^ Khan, Murtaza Ali (25 January 2019). "In search of Chamkila". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  11. ^ Roy, AnjaliGera (5 July 2017). Bhangra Moves: From Ludhiana to London and Beyond. Routledge. p. 162. ISBN 978-1-351-57400-6. Archived from the original on 28 June 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  12. ^ Sandhu, Amandeep (5 December 2022). Panjab: Journeys Through Fault Lines. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 978-93-5492-859-8. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  13. ^ Brar, Kamaldeep Singh (31 March 2024). "The Chamkila story: From Dalit labourer Dhani Ram to a music icon". The Indian Express. Amritsar. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Right on track". The Hindu. 27 June 2012. Archived from the original on 10 March 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023. I was on a reconnaissance trip for a film called Chamkila, which I was working on. I had to go to Punjab to look for a new voice that would suit Chamkila. He was a legend, the 'Elvis of Punjab', so someone to suit that voice and stature of performance. There were many auditions for singers
  15. ^ "Panjabi MC – Bio". Archived from the original on 3 September 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2012. PMC took inspirations from people such as James Brown, KRS1, Dr Dre, Spike Lee and Bob Marley, which were his influences from the western world and from his own cultural background he was influenced by Kuldip Manak, Surinder Shinda and Chamkila who are some of Indians greatest legends.
  16. ^ Ramnath, Nandini. "'Mehsampur' movie (sort of) resurrects slain Punjabi singer Amar Singh Chamkila". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  17. ^ "Based on Chamkila's life, Diljit Dosanjh's film Jodi releases 'after unforeseen difficulties'". The Indian Express. 6 May 2023. Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  18. ^ "Imtiaz Ali reveals why he chose to release Diljit-Parineeti starrer Amar Singh Chamkila on OTT". DNA India. 31 March 2024. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  19. ^ "Amar Singh Chamkila teaser out. Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra in Imtiaz Ali's next for Netflix". India Today. 30 May 2023. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
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