The new 'pub'lic sound

"Tanu kaala chashma lag da ...." "... kajra re"... " deedar de" .. where would you expect to hear these songs?

A. From a Punjus car in Delhi with CDs sticking out on the rear window

B. From an auto rickshaw in Mumbai

C. From the happening pubs in Mumbai.

Its unlikely that your answer would be C. But surprise, surprise its true. If one goes to pubs like H2O in Bandra, the queen of suburbs in Mumbai, one would hear these songs. Its a new trend in a city which sweared by English songs while drinking, but sweared in chaste Hindi after the drinks. Yes there are dudes like Nikhil Chinnapa who say they would puke if pubs play Bhangra music and have gone underground to create some new type of sound. And yes there are some DJs who would refuse to play such songs unless the clock ticks past 11:30 pm or such sacred time. What has started this trend?

If one analyzes the standard clientele of the average pub or disc, its usually the wannable starlet types, or BPO workers smoking away the labour arbitrage or frust MBAs who are reluctant to pay cover charges when couples enter free. Obviously the starlets would find it better getting dance practice for the jhatkas and matkas from Hindi music rather than trance music. The BPO workers represent a generation that during its teens listened to Backstreet Boys, Boyzone and other such boy bands. So they are content with the occassional 50 cents , Superstar and other such hip-hop interspersed with Dus Bahane. That leaves the confused MBAs who listened to rock music during engineering (98% of Indian MBAs are engineers) . They cant go head banging in a disc.Plus years of lack of interaction with the fairer sex makes them gravitate to Hindi music's jhankaar beats with an intensity thats unparalleled.

Plus any DJ worth his tatoo can make extra money when the P-Series of the world make remix albums like Cute Kitten Mix or Barking Hyena Mix. Especially when the Raghavs of the world have attained global fame mixing bhangra beats , nonsensical English and whatever they could lay their hands on. So everybody is following the moolah and consumers do not seem to be complaining.

Tere Music mein aisa khoya jiya , .... ( Raghav you rock dude)...