Punjabi Kissa Kursi Ka grabs netizens' fancy

PHAGWARA: India's first political spoof and its title Kissa Kursi Ka (KKK), that became part of the political lexicon, might not have seen the light of the day during the Emergency. But, this one does.
Sung by a well-known Punjabi lyricist and singer Debi Makhsoospuri, a music video - Kissa Kursi Ka - is going viral on the Internet, racking up more than 7,000 hits, days after being posted on YouTube.
The song released two weeks before the state goes to polls mocks the raft of state's political leaders many Punjabis despair.
In a radical departure from brash music videos that extol lissome lasses and brave men, the lyrics of this song are an eclectic mix of humour and sermons, taking swipes at leaders across parties.
With ubiquitous electronic beeps, Punjabi pop sounds and melodious dhol beats , the song starts with a punch: "Haye kursi Haye kursi...ki ki rang dikhayee kursi. Leader aidde bin nahi bachde...damroo naach rachaye kursi wadde bandeya noo hai kursi wang mashuk pyari."
Forty-seven-year-old Makhsoospuri, who started writing as a lyricist for Kuldeep Manak at the age of 20, said that protest music and political satires are seeing a revival with websites like YouTube helping the artists upload their works.
"Who had expected Kolaveri Di to become so popular. When I was writing this song, I only wrote it for the consumption of masses who would be choosing their chief minister on January 30 in Punjab. My inspiration were the dramatic events, which included an old man contesting elections at the age of 84; a man's live-in relationship with a foreign-origin lady and dissidence among contestants," said Makhsoospuri. The singer-lyricist, however, has refrained from directly mentioning the names of political leaders in the song.
"Kal aik mantri ji mandar jaake arz guzaari…jad tak meri jaan na nikle haye rabba na jaaaye kursi," says a part of the song, alluding to the visit to a temple by the chief minister before filing the nomination papers.
Another stanza takes potshots at the Congress party: "Donga zakhm 84 wali kursi ne si laaya, bhole bhaale loka de in farak dila ch paaya."
On one Punjabi songs website, a promo version of the satire was edging towards 23,000 hits and 16,200 "likes".
The full version of the song will be released early next week.
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