Editor’s note: The interviews used for this story were conducted in May 2022.

As soon as you enter the Shan-E-Punjab Arts Club in Surrey, BC, it feels like you have entered a vortex of sound and color.

Dozens of young women in traditional clothing Salwar Kameezwear golden old-fashioned jewelry, clap rhythmically and sing melodic poems while laughing.

Jasmine Kaur Sidhu, a trainer at the club, leads a group during training gidda — the folk dance of Punjabi women from India and Pakistan — and sing Bolivianthe corresponding songs and poems.

Sidhu, a gidda A student at the club before becoming a trainer, she says the dance and verses helped her gain a better insight into the Punjabi language without having to attend a formal language class.

“I have learned so many new words. I have learned more about my culture. I have changed as a person,” said Sidhu, who adds that learning gidda And Bolivian brought her closer to her extended family.

“There are so many Bolivian you can sing about them,” she said.

Jasmine Kaur Sidhu (second from right) in 2022. Sidhu was a Giddha student at the Shar-E-Punjab Arts Club before becoming a trainer. Now she helps others learn the vocabulary and emotions behind Giddha and Boliyan. (Kiran Singh/CBC)

Sidhu helps others learn the vocabulary and emotions behind it gidda More and more Punjabi-Canadian women are trying to strengthen their identity by returning to their culture and traditions.

“Giddha really helps them socialize and join a small group where they can see who they really are,” she said.

The use of cultural assets – such as pakhi (a decorated hand fan), Pooh (a traditional stool) and Subscribe (an embroidered scarf) – as a prop is another fun way the dance conveys the spirit of Punjabi culture, she says.

Giddha students at the Shan-E-Punjab Arts Club. Giddha instructor Jasmine Kaur Sidhu says the dance has evolved into something that helps Punjabi-Canadians rediscover their roots and strengthen their identity. (Shan-E-Punjab/Instagram)

An opportunity for women to express themselves

Giddhawhich focuses on grace, flexibility and strength, emerged as a way for women to celebrate happy occasions.

But with the introduction of Bolivianit developed into a medium through which women could express themselves, for example by venting their anger at their in-laws, husbands or careless brothers, or by talking about love and romance in a society where they would not normally do so.

“Back then, it was a way for women to vent their frustrations and be a kind of satire on what was going on in their lives,” Sidhu said.

Kamaljit Neeru, a legendary Punjabi singer, says while gidda is a place where women can feel completely free, Bolivian offers them a medium through which they can vent their worries and outrage in a satirical way without having to worry about public opinion.

Punjabi singer Kamaljit Neeru, here at her home in Surrey in May 2022, says Boliyan provides a medium for women to express their worries and grievances in a satirical way. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Many Bolivian Include comments about personal relationships and address specific family members using Punjabi words unique to each relationship.

“In English we have only one word, ‘aunt’ or ‘uncle’, but in Punjabi we have maasi (mother’s sister), we have bhua (Father’s sister), we have daadi (Paternal grandmother), we have chachi (younger aunt on my father’s side), we have Mama-Maami (Mother’s brother and his wife). Every relationship is unique,” said Neeru.

Some Bolivian are also written as short performances that depict various scenes such as wedding rituals or family disputes and offer insights into the past.

Neeru gives the following example, which sums up a complicated scene – about a seasonal festival celebrated with song and dance – in just four lines:

ਸਾਉਣ ਦਾ ਮਹੀਨਾ,
ਬਾਗ਼ਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਬੋਲਣ ਮੋਰ ਵੇ
ਅਸਾਂ ਨੀ ਸੌਹਰੇ ਜਾਣਾ,
ਗੱਡੀ ਨੂੰ ਖਾਲੀ ਮੋੜ ਵੇ

It is the month of Sawan,
Peacocks sing in the gardens.
I don’t want to go back to my in-laws,
Come back with your empty ox cart.

Giddha students at the Shan-E-Punjab Arts Club. (Shan-E-Punjab Arts Club/Instagram)

Preserving the past and reflecting the present

But the traditional dances and verses also change over time.

Sidhu, who says she is observing a gradual increase in the number of gidda students, says the dance is gaining momentum on social media.

Jas Malkeet, who studied gidda And Bolivian for her doctoral program at Punjabi University in Patiala, India, says that when human behavior, relationships and vocabulary change, so does Bolivian.

“Many other things that have nothing to do with our old culture are now popular,” said Malkeet.

Jas Malkeet (second from left) and her friends perform Giddha and sing Boliyan at her son’s wedding in 2022. (Kiran Singh/CBC)

Specific Bolivian Information about experiences in Canada has also surfaced.

“Women go berry picking, and now berries are added Bolivian,” said Malkeet, giving an example of a line:

“That is not the case, but that is not the case ਬੇਰੀਆਂ” (“Don’t wear your turban so nicely today, I’m going to pick berries.”)

Neeru says Bolivian have always reflected the present and it should stay that way.

“We should change with the times. If we don’t, we will be left behind,” said Neeru.