Sangam city gels with Bhojpuri songs

ALLAHABAD:It is time to bid adieu to popular Bollywood numbers and make way for Bhojpuri songs belted by singers from the countryside. The trend is fast catching up in the Sangam city. In fact, the penchant of denizens for Bhojpuri songs has raised an interesting debate on whether Bhojpuri culture has occupied the centrestage in the city which, otherwise, has nurtured its own distinct culture.
Talking to TOI, Guddu, owner of a DJ group shared that he has been flooded with requests for playing Bhojpuri songs in parties including marriages this season."The youngsters are specially fond of moving their feet on Bhojpuri tunes. Even during Holi, Bhojpuri numbers were in great demand," he said.
Agreeing with the fact that Bhojpuri culture has penetrated into the heartland of UP, AU student and a native of Gorakhpur, Rajiv Kumar said the reason for this is the richness and vibrancy which the Bhojpuri songs carry, besides the sweet aroma of soil and its humility.
There's another reason for Bhojpuri songs seeping into the city's culture. Localities like Allapur are home to immigrants from eastern UP who act as the protagonists of the Bhojpuri culture. Similarly, a vast chunk of students from eastern UP pursuing education at AU also act as the brand ambassadors of the Bhojpuri culture.
Talking to TOI, AU teacher Dr Himanshu Tiwari said the Sangam city itself has been the cultural and educational capital of the state for over a century. But with city making progressive strides in recent years, there has been an influx of people from the eastern parts of the state. This is how the Bhojpuri culture too is coming into the city and gradually getting rooted into the Ganga land.
But not everyone is pleased with this trend. Elders especially view it as an onslaught on city's own traditions which make it distinctive. Claiming that the city has its own dialect and it should not be encroached by the Bhojpuri style, they fear the expansion of Bhojpuri songs and ethos may soon lead to a cultural clash.
Dinesh Khare, an elderly person, said, "There is a need of preserving the richness and uniqueness of Allahabadi culture, whose biggest protagonist is Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, who conquered the silver screen with his unique Allahabadi style of dialogue delivery."