You can take a Punjabi out of Punjab but not Punjab out of a Punjabi!
Hardeep Singh, a.k.a. Hardy Singh, is a living example of this. This Dubai-born lad’s heart beats to the beats of drum, dholak and tabla and his dance group, Pure Bhangra, spreads joy across the world with some desi Bhangra moves.
His love for his culture and the hard work he has put into Pure Bhangra got him a place among the Sikh Group’s Top 100 Most Powerful and Influential Sikhs Under 30 in the world.
‘The Sikh Group’ is a global organization which consists of ‘The Sikh Directory,’ ‘The Sikh Awards,’ ‘The Sikh Charity,’ and ‘The Sikh 100.’ The Group is growing from strength to strength each year, highlighting Sikh excellence throughout the world via various projects. Their website contains all the details about their activities.
In fact, Hardy Singh is the only Sikh from the Middle East to be included in this list, which is quite an honor for this young man.
Bhangra beats can uplift anyone’s mood and with Pure Bhangra, Hardy Singh has made it a mission for himself to spread happiness through music and dance. Speaking about his mission, he says, “Growing up in Dubai, I saw an assimilation of different cultures, how the sharing of different ways of life brought happiness to all. It made me think that even my culture has a lot to offer, and why not do something about that?”
In November 2011, Singh and 7 of his friends joined hands and formed this group. Today, they have 20 active members who perform cultural events the world over. Over the years, this team has had more than 100 members who have either moved out of Dubai or pursued a different direction in life.
The Pure Bhangra group has performed at Asian Football Cup (2019), Du Arena Yas Mega Mela (2019), Dubai Festival City Diwali Celebrations (2019), Al Seef Diwali (2019), Truckers Baisakhi Mela (2018) and Global Village Dubai (2018). One of the high points of Hardeep Singh’s live performance career has been sharing stage with music heartthrob Diljit Dosanjh for his event “Holi with Diljit Dosanjh” in 2018.
About performing worldwide, Singh says, “Truckers Baisakhi Mela was organized in association with Dubai Truckers. It was a moment of great pride to celebrate a Punjabi festival with loads of food and celebrations at Burj Park in Dubai. A large number of people coming from diverse cultural backgrounds attended the mela and enjoyed our traditions.”
Pure Bhangra started with a “wish to establish the roots of Punjabi culture in the Middle-East.”
As for Bhangra form of dance, Singh says, “Bhangra transcends cultures and boundaries. Our journey till now has been amazing, we have received boundless love. In our hearts we are pure Indians and represent our country wherever we go.”
Hardy Singh holds workshops in Delhi, Dubai and Muscat. He also takes classes in different types of Bhangra dance, wherein even corporate are known to show interest! His social media presence on Instagram and YouTube is proof that this talented dancer is also winning a lot of hearts with his mission.
Among the more recent honours Hardy Singh has received is the “Silver Play Button” on YouTube. It is honours like these that push the Pure Bhangra team to keep spreading awareness about the Punjabi culture.
