SherePunjab Bhangra (SPB) was formed when a group of friends were spotted performing for a Diwali event in late 2001. The venue’s in-house F&B Manager at that time was attracted by the vibrant energy of the dancers, and decided that they were a must have at future functions. They were approached and, despite initial reservations of being hired as professionals, became a regular feature in the local bhangra scene in 2002. The rest, as they say, is history.
From those simple beginnings, SPB were engaged to perform at family functions like weddings, parties, as well as a couple of dinner and dance functions. Yet, fundamentally they were just a group of 5-6 youth with limited experience in the Bhangra realm, with little local resources to expand their knowledge. To overcome this, bhangra competition DVDs were ordered and shipped from the USA with members researching moves and studying the art of a successful performance. With the onset of YouTube, their bhangra journey took an exponential growth.
In a very short time, they were in touch with some of the best in Bhangra and able to actively research them while developing an SPB style of their own. Adding to that, SPB boasts being the first local bhangra group to have fielded females when the bhangra circuit in Singapore was still generally all-male, and bringing in people actively from all races. In the last 15+ years, SPB has formed a variety of diverse teams with a current alumni base of over 50, and a further current 19 active members.
In true SPB spirit, the focus of the team’s performances is centred on the traditional art form of the dance with splashes of modern elements, and fun moves to keep the audience enthralled!
SPB has also become a regular feature at Singapore’s Esplanade Theatres for almost any event where Bhangra is needed, including Christmas celebrations, dance festivals and Holi. They have also performed at various community events including Chingay, and have had the pleasure of performing for the President at the Istana on 2 separate occasions!
Facebook post by then President of Singapore, Dr Tony Tan, praising SherePunjab Bhangra!
While they constantly push themselves to achieve the pinnacle of Bhangra excellence in Singapore, SPB has also provided opportunities for beginners to learn the ropes. The group has been holding free weekly open sessions that welcome anyone, of any age. The open sessions enables SPB to share their passion while continuing to grow the next generation of Bhangra dancers for the team.
While many in the bhangra scene know of SPB’s success, SPB’s work has not gone unnoticed by the mainstream media. Both the Berita Harian and Today newspapers have featured SPB’s energetic and enthusiastic bhangra instructors and the phenomenon of Bhangra aerobics!
SPB coverage by TODAY newspaper.
SPB coverage by Berita Harian.
To find out more about the open sessions or to contact SPB, check out their contact details below.
Born Rajvinder Singh, “Rajay”, as he is affectionately known, has come a long way in his pursuit of the arts. Not only is he an established musician, he is also a much sought after craftsman who gives his work willingly for charity auction. We had a chance to catch up with Rajay to find out more about his journey that will surely inspire many.
Rajay and his older brother, Harpinder Singh, were fans of the bhangra music scene in the 1990s and early 2000s. With artists like Malkit Singh and Sukhwinder Singh as well as groups like B21, Apna Sangeet and Punjabi MC pushing out great songs with amazing dhol beats, the brothers rallied their courage and asked their father to let them take up playing the dhol. While there was some resistance at first, eventually, their father bought them a dhol to share in 1997. Their father’s only requirement – be the best and play to a level that people would respect you.
The brothers had no musical training or teachers to guide them. All they had were their discmans and their dhol, and that was enough for them to slowly learn by listening to bhangra songs and practicing tirelessly to get the beats right. They were fortunate to also have an uncle who was active in the local neighbourhood Community Centre and Resident Committee activities. The brothers would be asked to perform at these events, which was where they built up the experience of playing in front of large audiences.
One night in 2008, while Rajay was dreaming as usual about Bhangra, he had a vision of himself performing with a dhol that shone like a beacon. The dhol had lights emanating from it and he knew that this was the beginning of a major evolution to his performances. His engineering background came in handy (Rajay currently works as a System Engineer at Singapore Technologies) as he quickly ruled out flourescent bulbs and made a trip toSim Lim Tower where he found strips of Light-Emiting Diodes (LEDs) that could be fixed onto the dhol along with a 12V battery. And so it was on Diwali night in 2008 that Singapore, and even the world, first saw “Lightning Dholi Rajay” give his inaugural performance at the then DXO club at the Esplanade.
When asked how he came up with “Lightning” as his moniker, he shared how he was inspired by his secondary school hockey club days where his team from Yuhua Secondary were called the “High Flyers”. No other school had a nickname and he felt that the pride his team had was something intangible that no one could take from them. Similarly, he felt that being just another great dholi was not enough and that creating an exciting persona would raise his profile in the scene.
Over the years, Rajay has performed with pretty much all the bhangra groups in SIngapore, but the first was Bhangre de Sitare (BDS). Together, they have performed at various events and venues, including at the National Day Parade in 2001.
Rajay with dholis from various bhangra groups at YOG 2010!
Rajay’s first overseas gig as a dhol player came in 2006 when he performed in Bangkok, Thailand. The year after, he performed in Bali, Indonesia, and since then, Rajay has performed at destination weddings, corporate events, percussion or drumming festivals and awesome parties and concerts all over the world in countries like Chile, China, Australia, India, Myanmar and even Guam!
Rajay performing in Guam!
In addition to his solo gigs and performing with bhangra groups, Rajay also played with dhol groups. The first was when he formed the Singapore Dhol Squad by gathering dholis from various bhangra groups together.
Rajay has had many highlights in his performing career, especially after having performed with many famous singers and groups, including RDB, PBN, Mika Singh, Pritam SIngh, Sukhwinder Singh, Sukhbir Singh, Badshah and Punjabi MC! However, among them, a standout memory was when world-renownedDholi Gurcharan Jit Mall of UK-based Dhol Blasters gave him a dhol in 2002 during a bhangra night organised by Apna DJ, DJ Bobby!
Rajay with Gurcharan Jit Mall.
Rajay’s performance in Manila in July 2012 with Navi, the world’s best Michael Jackson impersonator who acted in a film as Michael in 2017.
Regardless of his fame or success on the stage, whenever Rajay felt down or had not performed his best at a show, his father Amar Singh had been there to offer advice and support. His father also shared wisdom and when Rajay complained that some performances were nowhere near perfect, his father told him, ”The day you do a perfect show, that will be your last, because nothing you do after will ever compare.”
Rajay and his Dad.
After all these years, Rajay’s passion for the dhol has not wavered. In fact, he has been giving classes to budding dholis since 2005! However, not every student treats their teacher well. In 2011, a student attempted to patent a lighted dhol and tried to sue Rajay. Imagine the heartache Rajay must have felt and the torture of being prevented from doing what he loved. Thankfully, the legal matter was not pursued by the ex-student and Rajay did not allow that experience dampen his spirit!
Rajay has also been coaching the Singapore Management University’sSamba Masala team for about 4 years. Working with the university students makes Rajay proud that our culture is being celebrated and presented on the big stages around the world. Believe it or not, they have 10 girls playing the dhol!
If you thought all of that was enough to keep him busy, you’re in for a surprise! Rajay is also a passionate pyrographer! Since 2007, Rajay has been making pieces of art under the banner of Inferno Woodwerkz.
As an art student in secondary school, Rajay was fascinated by the play of light and shadows on objects, and how artists could interpret such play into their drawings. As he explored further into various artistic techniques, he discovered pyrography where people use of a solder to burn lines into wood to create carvings. Eventually, his interest grew into a serious project for his O Levels art examination!
While Rajay did not continue pyrography immediately after school, it was five years later when he thought of revisiting his interest to help raise funds for the then Singh Sabha Youth Wing. Rajay went back to his tools and managed to craft a piece that raised $3,000 during Vesakhi in 2007!
From then, Rajay had only done a few pieces for similar causes for various activities in the community. Then in 2013, with some encouragement from his wife, Mareenjeet Kaur, Rajay took it up seriously and has since been regularly providing pieces of art for auction at various fund-raising and charity events, including raising funds for patients suffering from “Butterfly skin syndrome” and events organised by Moshi Moshi Bollywood. A lot of time and effort goes into each piece, with each A2 size Balsa wood piece taking about 3 hours a day for 3-4 weeks to complete! Rajay also shares how lapses in concentration or tiredness could lead to burns from contact with the soldering iron or even singeing his beard!
It seems that Rajay’s talents are limitless. There are many lessons we can learn from his experience and his dedication to the arts. His desire to excel and to share his talent with everyone with a smile and a lightness in his step truly embodies the spirit of Chardi Kala! All the best Rajay and we look forward to your next great endeavour!
To follow Rajay on his journey in the arts, follow him on his facebook pages:
We are fortunate to have institutions that take care of our community’s interests. Among them is the Young Sikh Association. It not only organises events and spearheads initiatives with the wider Singapore community, but also provides platforms for youth to step up and lead such efforts. Among these efforts is a recently published book Sikh Voices Volume I: Traits of Future Sikh Leaders.
Launched on 11 November 2017 at the Sikh Voices Conference, the book comprises essays written by three generations of Sikhs who share their thoughts on what it would take to be a future leader of the Sikh community in Singapore.
Set to be an annual publication, the inaugural book was edited by Alisha Gill and Malminderjit Singh. The duo built the idea for the book after identifying a gap in thought leadership and strategic analysis on community issues and worked hard to present essays by writers from a variety of backgrounds. One of their aims was to produce a resource for our community to understand the demands and hopes placed on the leaders in our community. While the book may have focused on leadership traits, the arts and artists were not left out of the mix. Internationally renowned poet and scholar Professor Kirpal Singh shared six traits that he believes are vital for an effective leader (honesty and forthrightness, awareness and courage, knowledge and wisdom). Entrepreneur Harveen Singh Narulla argued that future leaders will need an appreciation of the arts — “the arts give us meaning and context, and provide depth and enjoyment to our lives”. He also reminded readers that the Sikh Gurus were themselves deeply involved in the arts.
We at Afsana are hopeful of our community’s future and of our community’s appreciation and support for the arts. We hope that more members of our community continue to explore the arts and share with us their endeavours to showcase their creative energies for all to benefit!
Facebook post by then President of Singapore, Dr Tony Tan, praising SherePunjab Bhangra!
SPB coverage by TODAY newspaper.
SPB coverage by Berita Harian.
Rajay performing in Guam!
