During the 1980s, a young and energetic Singer ruled the Punjab Music industry for a short period but became an icon forever. Amar Singh Chamkila, or Chamkila (which means “that glitters” in Punjabi), was one of the leading singers of his time and perhaps the most popular Punjabi singer who ever lived. His popularity not only grew at an exponential pace, but it also threatened the careers of other legendary Punjabi Singers of that time.
Early life and beginning of the music career
Born on July 21, 1960, to a family belonging to the Scheduled Caste Chamar community, Chamkila’s real name was Dhanni Ram. He was born in the village of Durgi in the district of Ludhiana, Punjab. He was the youngest child of Kartar Kaur and Hari Singh Sandila. Chamkila wanted to be an electrician in his younger years but failed in the venture. For some time, he reportedly worked in a cloth mill.
From the beginning, Dhanni had an aptitude for music but apparently did not see it as a career at first. At the age of 18, he met his mentor, the legendary Punjabi Singer Surinder Shinda, for the first time. By that time, Dhanni was already fluent in playing the harmonium and dholki. When Shinda heard him singing for the first time, he knew he had discovered his ‘shagird’ or protege.
Dhanni was hired to help Shinda in the concerts and write songs for him. For some time, he worked for Shinda but slowly moved away as he felt he was not being appreciated enough. By that time, he had already worked with folk music legends, including K Deep and Mohammad Sadiq.
Chamkila’s struggle to find the right partner
Dhanni joined hands with female folk singer Surinder Sonia who had previously worked with Shinda. She stopped working with Shinda after he started working with Gulshan Komal, and Sonia felt sidelined. Sonia and Dhanni released their first album ‘Takue Te Takua’ in 1980. Music producer Charanjit Ahuja gave music for the songs. Dhanni had written songs himself, and his words made the album an instant hit across the state.
Within months after the release, Dhanni decided to part from Sonia as he felt he was being underpaid by Sonia’s manager, who happened to be her husband. This was the time when he finally adopted his stage name Amar Singh Chamkila. With the birth of Chamkila, the music industry of Punjab changed forever.
For some time, Chamkila struggled to find the right female partner. He joined hands with Amar Noorie, Usha Kiran, and others, but things did not work out.
Amarjot Kaur’s entry into the life of Chamkila changed everything
Chamkila’s colleague and famous Punjabi singer Kuldeep Manak suggested he should approach Amarjot Kaur. When her name was suggested to Chamkila, she was not a well-established singer in the industry. The chemistry between the two struck the right chords, and they formed a permanent association thereafter.
Chamkila was known for writing suggestive and boyish songs. The double-meaning lyrics, close-to-heart music, and catchy beats of the songs made the duo famous overnight. Even at a time when it was extremely difficult to get national, let alone international, exposure, Chamkila’s music started to make rounds in every possible corner of the world. Gulzar Singh Shaunki, in his book ‘Awaz Mardi Nahin’, which is Chamkila’s biography, mentioned that at the peak of his career, Chamkila did 366 shows in 365 days.
It was the time when his popularity started to threaten his fellow singers. At the same time, Punjab was going through insurgency, and the Khalistan movement was at its peak. The pro-Khalistani, as well as religious leaders, disliked the majority of his lyrics. As per reports, he was getting threats from Khalistani terrorists who tried to extort money in the name of protection.
Amidst the hate and threats, the popularity of Chamkila and Amarjot continued to rise at an incredible pace. They were regularly booked for wedding parties and other events. Reportedly, Chamkila and Amarjot used to charge Rs 4,000 per performance in the 1980s. If we compare the currency price from 1980 to 2022, it will make around nine lakhs per performance. The actual amount that Chamkila earned during his short-lived career is unknown. However, his fame and the high fee were one of the reasons the anti-social elements targeted him.
Chamkila’s strategy to create a cult following worked perfectly
Chamkila did not limit himself to paid programs. One of the reasons he gained such popularity was his free appearances, especially in rural areas. He created a cult-like fan base by performing for free in open-air concerts that are known as Akhade in Punjab. Chamkila, Amarjot and their crew picked up their instruments, a harmonium, a dholki and a Tumbi (Chamkila played Tumbi, a one-string Punjabi instrument) and went to places to perform without taking a single paisa. Hundreds of people would listen to their music and enjoy a few hours of relaxation amidst the growing insecurity in Punjab. The demand for their music rose, and the duo recorded around 100 songs together. It is believed that they had about 100 more songs in their kitty that were never released.
From taboo topics to religious songs, Chamkila sang everything
Chamkila was known for writing bold and controversial songs. He would touch the taboo issues such as sex, drugs, social inequality, extra marital affairs and tried to give a social message using his music. A unique blend of traditional folk music and modern instruments at events popularized his style further.
Though the religious leaders were unhappy with the lyrics and they also warned him, his three devotional songs, Baba Tera Nankana, Talwar Main Kalgidhar Di Haan and Naam Jap Le, created a soft corner towards him. Reportedly, he was called by a five-member committee at the Golden Temple to seek forgiveness for his alleged offences with the lyrics. However, the religious leaders expressed happiness with the song ‘Talwar Main Kalgidhar Di Haan’ and suggested that Chamkila shift his focus to devotional songs.
His song ‘Baba Tera Nankana’ talked about the partition. In the song, he questioned Baba Nanak why he did not bring Hindu and Muslim on the same platform and teach them there was no difference between them. “Paani vand le zaalima dharti maa roi”, a line from the song’s last stanza, roughly translates to, “The cruel divided waters and the Mother Earth cried”. The song’s main line is “Satho baba kho leya tera Nankana”, which translates to “They snatched Nankana from us”. Nankana Sahib is one of the most revered holy sites for Sikhs that is now located in Pakistan. First Guru of Sikhs, Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born in Nankana Sahib.
The other devotional song Talwar Main Kalgidhar Di Haan, was an imaginary conversation between the sword and arrow of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
There is one more song, ‘Ni Tu Narkan Nu Jaave Sarhand Di Diware,’ that talks about the murder of two of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s sons, 8-year-old Zorawar Singh and 5-year-old Fateh Singh who were buried alive into walls on the orders of Mughal tyrant Aurangzeb. The song talked about cursing the “wall” that it will suffer in hell as it allowed the sons of Gobind Singh Ji to be buried in it.
Chamkila is still popular
In 2007, one of his unreleased songs on folk hero Jeona Morh called Kaadha Soorma was remixed and released by Punjabi MC. Imtiaz Ali is also making a movie on Chamkila’s life, with Diljit Dosanjh playing the role of Chamkila and Parineeta Chopra playing the role of Amarjot Kaur.
Chamkila’s death and conspiracies around it
Chamkila was threatened and attacked multiple times, but he escaped safely. However, on the fateful day of March 8, 1988, Chamkila and Amarjot were gunned down by motorcycle-borne assailants with AK47s.
As per the statements of the eyewitnesses, at around 2 PM, Chamkila, Amarjot and others reached Mehsampur, Punjab, to perform. As they got out of the car and started walking to the stage, masked assailants came on a motorcycle and emptied their magazines on the duo. The villagers who heard the gunfire rushed to the spot and tried to chase the assailants, but they escaped.
To date, it is unclear who killed them and why they were killed. There are a few theories behind their assassination. The first theory suggests the Khalistani terrorists killed them as they denied paying protection money. The second theory suggests Amarjot’s family killed them in the name of honour. The third theory suggests their rivals gave a bounty for their murder. The real reason, however, remains a mystery.
