The recent, unfortunate murder of a popular, Punjabi singer, Sidhu Moose Wala, made the headlines of various national and international news channels. It has also shocked his fans, driving them into anger and sorrow.
In his songs such as “Jatt Da Muqabla”, “Issa Jatt” and many others, he has always represented the Jatts (upper caste), to which most of Punjab's landlords belong.
The symbol he hailed i.e., hitting his thigh and raising his finger in the air, is a symbol of feudal pride. He never upheld the Punjabi culture of the masses, but only glamourised feudal, landlord practices.
Songs like "Tochan" have done nothing good for women, but showing them as subordinate to men, and as a big hurdle in the way of a mard’s pride.
Moose Wala was booked for allegedly promoting gun culture and violence through his songs "Panj Golian" and "Sanju". Not every person with a gun is a liberator.
Even though I have criticised Sidhu Moose Wala throughout this, I must acknowledge that he has a huge fan base. He is popular among the Jatts of Punjab and Haryana, where he has always been celebrated as a hero.