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Dhadi (Punjabi: ਢਾਡੀ (Gurmukhi), Dhādi), also spelled as Dhadhi, is one who sings ballads using Dhadd[1][2][3] and Sarangi,[4] the folk instruments of Punjab. According to Kahn Singh Nabha's Mahan Kosh the definition of dhadhi is "One who sings ballads of warriors playing Dhadd".[1][3] Dhadis are a distinct group performers emerged in the time of Sikh gurus.[2][4][5][6]
The word Dhadi can be translated in English to be a minstrel or bard. The word is used several times in the Sikh religious text, Guru Granth Sahib, in the meaning of humbleness. In his compositions, Guru Nanak Dev Ji called himself a Dhadhi of God.[5][6] The word is also appeared in the writing of the third, fourth and fifth Guru and Bhagat Namdev.[5]
Dhadi refers both to a genre of Punjabi music and the performers who play it: a distinctly composed ensemble of ballad-singers. After briefly sketching the long yet hazy background of the art, this article reconstructs its more certain and recent history so far as it can be gleaned from the oral accounts of living dhadi performers. Taken with evidence of recordings—some of the Punjabi industry’s earliest—and the memories of older audience members, a picture is presented of the dhadi genre in its heyday of the early 20th century. The focus is on the dhadis who performed popular ballads; their prominent personalities, geographical distribution, compositional forms, narrative themes, performance manner, and other aspects of the genre are described. The article concludes with biographical sketches of two contemporary dhadis and a selection of texts of dhadi compositions.
- ^ a b Nabha, Kahn Singh (1930). Gur Shabad Ratnakar Mahan Kosh (first ed.). Amritsar: Bhai Chatar Singh, Jeewan Singh (later ed.).
- ^ a b Hardial Thuhi (2008). Punjabi Lok Dhadi Kala. Unistar Books Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 9788171424849.
- ^ a b "'Dhadhis' add zing to poll campaign". News in English. Bassi Pathana. The Tribune. January 5, 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
- ^ a b Michael Nijhawan (2006). Dhadi Darbar. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. p. 286. ISBN 9780195679670.
- ^ a b c "Importance of Dhadi tradition". www.esikhs.com. Retrieved 14 Mar 2012.
- ^ a b "DHADHIS". www.sikh-heritage.co.uk. Retrieved 13 Mar 2012.