Chamkila was an influential Punjabi artist and live stage performer, often called the "Elvis of Punjab". His first recorded song was "Takue Te Takua", and his hits include "Pehle Lalkare Naal" and the devotional songs "Baba Tera Nankana", "Tar Gayi Ravidas Di Pathri", and "Talwar Main Kalgidhar Di". Though he never recorded it himself, he wrote the song "Jatt Di Dushmani", which has been performed by many other Punjabi artists.
Amar Singh Chamkila was born as Dhani Ram on 21 July 1960 into a Dalit Sikh family in the village of Dugri near Ludhiana, Punjab, India.[3] His aspirations of becoming an electrician were unfulfilled and he eventually found work at a Ludhiana cloth mill.[4]
With a natural aptitude for music, Chamkila learned to play the harmonium and dholki. In 1979, Chamkila approached Surinder Shinda for the first time on a bicycle with his best friend Kuldeep Paras.[5] When Shinda heard the 18-year-old Chamkila sing, he finally found the protg he had been looking for. Chamkila would go on to play alongside Punjabi folk artists such as K. Deep, Mohammad Sadiq, and Shinda. Chamkila wrote several songs for Shinda and accompanied him as a member of his entourage before deciding to pursue a solo career.[5]
In 1980, Chamkila felt he was being significantly underpaid by Surinder Sonia's manager (her husband) and decided to form his own group. Chamkila established short-lived stage partnerships with Miss Usha Kiran, Amar Noorie, and others.[6]
For the most part, he continued to write his own lyrics, the majority of which were boyish and suggestive yet fluent commentaries on extramarital affairs, alcohol, and drug use. The couple's appeal grew not only in the Punjab but also among international Punjabis abroad. Around this time, Chamkila was rumoured to be receiving more bookings than his contemporaries. The biography Awaz Mardi Nahin by Gulzar Singh Shaunki found during its research that at the height of his popularity Chamkila had performed 366 shows in 365 days.[7]
On 8 March 1988 at approximately 2 PM, having arrived to perform in Mehsampur, Punjab, both Chamkila and his wife Amarjot were gunned down as they exited their vehicle.[2] A gang of motorcyclists fired several rounds, fatally[8] wounding the couple and other members of the entourage. However, no arrests were ever made in connection with the shooting, and the case was never solved.[9][10] It has been alleged that Sikh militants were responsible.[11][12] This theory was refuted by Chamkila's close friend and lyricist Swarn Sivia, who investigated the murder independently. Sivia revealed that three Khalistani militant organisations targeted Chamkila due to his controversial songs. Acting as a mediator, Sivia facilitated a meeting between Chamkila and a delegation of five Khalistani leaders at Darbar Sahib Amritsar where Chamkila apologised and vowed to change the themes of his songs. Following that, Chamkila performed some timeless songs on Sikh history, including "Sathon Baba Kho Laya Tera Nankana". Sivia remained skeptical that Khalistan militants were responsible for his murder, saying, "Throughout my life, I have continued to investigate who was behind his killing."[13]
Amar Singh Chamkila, a biographical drama film based on Chamkila's life, was released on Netflix on 12 April 2024.[18] It is directed by Imtiaz Ali and stars Diljit Dosanjh as Chamkila and Parineeti Chopra as his wife, Amarjot Kaur.[19]
Chamkila's studio recordings were released by HMV as LP records and EP records during his lifetime. Though several compilation albums have been released since his death, the following CDs compiled by Saregama comprise nearly all of Chamkila's studio recordings:
Amar, who had entered the United States last December and sought asylum, died at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma after being removed from life support, according to an ICE statement. The Seattle Times initially referred to the detainee as Amar Mergensana, based on a statement from the Northwest Detention Center Resistance (NWDC Resistance), which first reported the death Sunday.
Amar a Muerte is a Mexican telenovela that combines elements of drama, romance, suspense, and fantasy. The plot revolves around the life of a man named Len Carvajal, who dies in a car accident but returns to life in the body of a young man named lvaro. As Len/lvaro tries to understand his new reality, he finds himself tangled in a complex web of interpersonal relationships and family conflicts.
Len Carvajal is one of the 20 richest businessmen in the world. At 60 years old he decides to marry Luca Borges (Angelique), a woman 30 years younger than him and with a beauty that stuns men. The wedding turns into a tragedy when, surprisingly, the famous millionaire is murdered in the middle of the celebration. At exactly the same time, in a sinister Texas prison, El Chino Valds, a dangerous murderer sentenced to the death penalty, is executed in the electric chair. And, precisely at that same moment, while he is driving his vehicle, Beltrn Camacho, a professor at the National University of Mexico, falls into a ravine. The three deaths occur at the same time at 1 p.m.
When Len the millionaire is declared clinically dead, something unexpected happens, his soul is reincarnated in the young and handsome body of Chino Valds, the ferocious hitman. And so, the great tycoon literally returns from the dead, totally unrecognizable, to find out who murdered him and why. As you will see, it is also the story of a crime. And revenge, because Len is going to discover that Luca, his beloved wife, and Johny Corona, his trusted man, planned it all while rolling around in a bed.
Len Carvajal, now in the body of a murderer, will get himself hired as a bodyguard in his own house to take revenge on her wife in the most effective way: making her fall in love with her to the point of desperation, so that she suffers the ravages like him. of her heartbreak. But her revenge becomes complicated when he understands that he loves her as strongly as he hates her. His return will also help him discover that the life of his three children is not as perfect as he believed. And each one, Eva, Valentina, and Guille, has their own hell, a hell that not all the money in the world would solve.
In turn, the soul of Chino Valds, the murderer executed in the electric chair, will reincarnate in the body of Professor Camacho, a man with a boring life, a wife, and a small son, sick with cancer. Chino Valds left some outstanding debts from his past life since he has stolen a huge amount of money from an important cartel, and in the world of drug traffickers that is paid with blood.
This is a love story that will lead us to discover the mysteries of life after death. A story about second chances, the possibility of redemption, the dark labyrinths of revenge, and the relationships between power, ambition, and our true purpose in the world. A story where we understand that death has a plan for everyone.
Actor Amitabh Bachchan on Saturday shared on Twitter a black-and-white photograph in which he appears to be solemnly bowing his head in respect. The image did not accompany any words but came hours after his estranged friend Amar Singh died from a long illness. The actor is recuperating from COVID-19 in a Mumbai hospital along with his son Abhishek Bachchan.
Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, 64, a prominent politician who had a falling-out with the Samajwadi Party leadership in 2010, died in Singapore, where he had gone in March for surgery for a kidney-related illness.
The reaction from Amar Singh's old friend - Mr Bachchan- however, came much later. Before tweeting, the actor shared the same photograph on his blog with a Hindi couplet - but without mentioning Amar Singh.
Mr Singh, who is often credited for bringing Mr Bachchan's wife Jaya Bachchan into politics, used to be seen with one of Bollywood's most prominent families in public functions before 2010. He would call Mr Bachchan his elder brother. The rift in their relationship came after Mr Singh was expelled from the Samajwadi Party.
"...she is not a mass leader, she dislikes people. If photographers take her snap, she snatches away the camera. If any smelly person comes near her, she says 'keep this dhoti prasad away from me'. She belongs to the elite class," Mr Singh had said.
Mr Bachchan's warm gesture in February this year, however, brought about a change of heart in the ailing leader. After receiving Mr Bachchan's message on the death anniversary of his father, Amar Singh released a video expressing "regret" over his behaviour towards Mr Bachchan and his family.
"If not anything, he was elder to me. I should have been sober to him. I realise, I must express regret for the harsh words I used (against them). In my mind, more than hatred, I had disappointment towards his behaviour. But it seems, he never had any disappointment, nor bitterness in him (against me)," he had said.
The amar of the Amar Kabal is the key to their near immortality. The word "amar" means "seed" in the language of the Amar Kabal. The amar is a seed about the size of a walnut, and is located at the back of the seedperson's neck, often obscured behind their hair, which they keep rolled up behind their neck. When a member of the Amar Kabal dies, the amar pops out of their neck. If the amar is planted, the person is reincarnated as old as they were the first time they died. It is customary for the Amar Kabal hold a first death ceremony for young seedpeople, around age twenty. During the ceremony, the seedperson is killed so they will be reborn at the peak of their ability after each future death.
The amar is hardy, and can lie dormant for years, but will eventually perish if if goes unplanted for too long. The intentional destruction of an amar is seen as a grave crime in the culture of the Amar Kabal. The Amar Kabal will stand united against anyone who intentionally destroys an amar and will carry out the punishment of death to the person involved in the crime.
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