Videshis' jig on desi tunes

LUDHIANA: William Congreve, a famous poet from the 17th century wrote 'Music has charms to soothe the savage breast.' This charm was proven at Koshish- the cultural fest organized by Punjab College of Technical Education (PCTE)- on Thursday when African and Asian students sang 'boliyan' and performed 'giddha'. An African student also played an Indian tabla to provide instrumental beats.
For the onlookers, this confluence of culture was difficult to believe. Nyakake Bridget of Uganda said she had been fascinated with Punjabi culture, particularly the costumes, ever since she came to Punjab and so she did not miss a chance to flaunt a Punjabi dress on ramp.
And next was her attempt at the even more fascinating song and dance part of this culture. Unable to figure out the words, she insisted classmates to teach her 'boliyan' and picked up the words gradually. Another student from Zimbabwe, Tsitsi, said she just crammed most of the words of the traditional song without understanding what they meant.
Kenzangwangmo from Bhutan said her friends even played a prank on her while she rehearsed for her performance but she loved every moment of the musical expression.
Another Bhutanese, Dechen Wangmo, had almost given up as she couldn't understand the words and wasn't able to match steps.
"But, then I let my moves go with the music and there I was matching every step with others,'' she gleamed. Karma Deki, who is from Bhutan, dressed up as a Punjabi 'jatt'. "I was nervous that people would miss the real touch of Punjab if I perform 'giddha' on stage but the appreciation from judges and audiences was unbelievable, she said.