Bhinda at his home in one of the oldest localities of Jalandhar; (below) at a recording studio in the city with singer Tara Singh, who is singing one of Bhinda’s songs. (Express photo)
HIS harmonium, a few ordinary school notebooks, and his pen. Bhinda Bawakhel says he doesn’t require much. Often he sleeps next to his harmonium, sometimes with his head resting on it. His morning can’t begin without tea sitting next to the instrument.
Today, like every day, he has got up at 8 am, and done an hour of riyaaz. Then, his shirt tucked into his jeans, his hair coiffed, the silver earrings in his lobes gleaming, the 27-year-old is ready for his first meeting of the day.
In walks a budding singer, who doesn’t want to be named, at 10 am. The youngster expresses his wish to become a singer, and requests Bhinda to give him one of his songs. Over the next couple of hours, Bhinda, a veteran of Punjabi film music after 10 years in the business, asks him to sing some songs. Seven songs later, Bhinda sifts through his notebooks and picks out not just one but two songs. The youth is apologetic about not having any money. Bhinda waives off the amount and, over WhatsApp, shares his own compositions for the two songs. As the grateful singer leaves, the lyricist has only one condition: don’t forget ‘Bhinda’ when the songs are a hit.
The 27-year-old also lets it drop why he is so happy to give away the numbers. The lyrics to them are “sad romantic” — his “favourite”.
Last Saturday, the Punjab State Department of Tourism and Culture announced a ‘Sabyacharak (Cultural)’ committee headed by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to check Punjabi songs glorifying vulgarity, promoting weapons, drugs etc. FIRs can be filed against the offending parties. Bhinda says he is “happy”, for he believes a majority of youngsters who like Punjabi music are looking for romantic, emotional love songs — and not the “vulgar” kinds the panel is targeting.
Bhinda’s own long resume includes a hit song from comedian Kapil Sharma’s debut film Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon (2015); Sada haal, sung by noted Bollywood singer Kamal Khan; Saadi Facebook di ID te lagga password tere naa da (“a song inspired by social media”); hit number Dil sadha lutiya gaya; Jatt di yaari afeem vargi (meaning a Jatt’s friendship is like opium); a song on the plight of lyricists; and at least one featuring weapons.
Bhinda says he was forced to write the last song, “on the demand of a famous singer”. “But now I am not going to sell such songs.”
According to Bhinda, that is the tragedy of writers like him. Born Bhupinder Singh, before he adopted the pen name, Bhinda says he grew up in the narrow lanes of Basti Baba Khel, one of the oldest localities of Jalandhar, reading the works of the late legendary Punjabi writer Shiv Kumar Batalvi, and songwriters such as Gulzar and Javed Akhtar. Now, all he reads is what comes on social media over his phone. His songs are about “what is happening in today’s society”.
These tend to be “light romantic” and “sad romantic” songs, keeping in mind his “main audience” of college-going youth, “who like light words, not the heavy Urdu ones of the old poets”. Often, Bhinda has to just produce what the singers want, including change his lyrics as per their demand.
I wrote all my sad romantic numbers when I was in love with a childhood friend. Now I’ve only sad numbers as her parents have fixed her marriage elsewhere, says Bhinda Bawakhel
Sitting next to his harmonium in his 125-sq-yard single-storey house that he shares with a large joint family, the lyricist gives the example of one of his songs. “I wrote Court Marriage after seeing the ill-effects of it in the family of a friend. His father committed suicide after his daughter got married in court against their wishes… I start writing after 11 pm, and continue till 3-4 am. Sometimes I go off to sleep next to the harmonium.”
Around 2 pm, a studio calls up regarding a song Bhinda recorded there three days ago; he records “dummies” of most of his songs. “A good singer had enquired with them regarding a song, and they had sent one of mine,” he says later.
The youngest of three sisters and two brothers, Bhinda says he wanted to become a singer right from childhood. While his father Gurcharan Singh, a factory worker, could ill afford his passion, he never stood in the way, Bhinda adds.
“I was in Class 5 when I started writing… just a few lines. Then I started bunking school along with a friend to see live programmes of famous singers. Finally I decided I had to take formal training from Kulvinder Kally (who would become his ustad).”
When he first went to the Jalandhar-based Kally, who along with his wife sings songs for Punjabi films, the singer told him to concentrate on his studies. “But I persisted, so the ustad asked me to come to him every morning at 8 and said he would teach me for an hour,” says Bhinda.
But Kally lived 15 km away. “I didn’t have money for a rickshaw. Then I found out that an acquaintance went to work there at 4 am every day. I would hitch a ride on his motorcycle, spend four hours idling around on the streets, and reach the ustad’s place dot at 8.”
Later, Kally ensured Bhinda finished schooling and did his graduation in music. He says he is hoping to do post-graduation too.
Along the way, Bhinda moved to writing lyrics. However, he keeps dabbling in singing. “In writing there is very less money while singers earn crores from a single hit track,” he says. His highest earnings, of Rs 1 lakh, have been for the song he wrote for Kis Kisko Pyar Karoon, he claims. Most of his songs sell for around Rs 30,000. “Sometimes I manage to sell two-three songs in a month. Sometimes months pass and no song is sold.”
It was his mother Jinder Kaur who suggested he take on a pen name, Bhinda says. “She said there are many Bhupinders and I should go for something unique like Bhinda Bawakhel, which also represents the name of our locality.”
Around 4 pm, Kally calls up about a marriage show Bhinda is managing for him. “The ustad is abroad these days in connection with one of his shows there,” he explains.
A little while later, there is a call again from a music studio. Some singer wants to meet Bhinda regarding a song. He rushes over. The singer, who doesn’t want to be identified, says he likes the song but wants a portion of the lyrics changed to reflect how “social media is helping lovers, who can now hold chats sitting amidst family members”.
It’s 9.40 pm by the time Bhinda finishes.
On his way home, the 27-year-old sighs, “I wrote all my sad romantic numbers when I was in love with a childhood friend. Now I’ve only sad numbers as her parents have fixed her marriage elsewhere.” For a long time, he adds, he couldn’t write at all. “But then my songs healed my soul.”