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In this era of bloodshed, the death of music did not seem to matter very much. No scholar came forward to document what was happening and bring the sorry situation to the notice of the concerned authorities at the state and national level. The need of the hour was sensitivity, concern and compassion towards this great cultural heritage. But all Punjab got was more security personnel.

The folk tradition is not a codified genre. Even the most modem of ustads do not write down either the poetry or the melodies they compose. Instead, folk music is transmitted from guru to shishya; a student may spend years training under a master. This old- fashioned human element may turn out to be folk music's saviour. All the folk practitioners I met were unanimous in their view that folk music would never die. "Till we are alive we will continue the tradition" said Sharief Idu. In spite of a conscious move to look for alternative occupations, the children of folk performers nonetheless cannot distance themselves from the virsaa or legacy of their ancestors.

The advent of the electronic media and the fast-growing popularity of private and international music channels brought about a new breed of "star" performers, who, taking off from traditional folk, innovated and invented a new style which came to be known as Punjabi Pop. Punjabi Pop sounded the death knell of the traditional artiste. What survived well was the dhol since the bhangra and the giddha became the leitmotif of the State.

Ethnographers and sociologists have documented folk communities and folk literature; likewise the crafts, songs and dances have been well-documented. Folk instruments were taken to be adjuncts to folk music and never made the focus of an exclusive study. As a result, by the time this research commenced, several had already passed into history. Following leads often led to the realisation that due to the westward migration of people, Punjabi folk music in its pristine form is preserved more in the less-developed West Punjab (now Pakistan).

At the Lok Virsaa ('Folk Heritage") Museum, set up single-handedly by the remarkable Aksi Mufti in 1972 at Islamabad, seminal work has been done to preserve forms and instruments. Some dedicated band of musicians and musicologists have realised the value of documenting their rich musical heritage. At the Lok Virsaa Museum collections of languishing instruments, costumes, and objects of material culture are on exhibit. This has contributed greatly to their preservation and study. Curiosity and questions about them increase. In Punjab, one finds scattered collections of folk instruments but nothing comparable to Mufti's institution.

In Eastern Punjab, probably the prosperity of the Green Revolution, the modernisation of agriculture, and the great Punjabi diaspora have led to a gradual decline of folk songs. Most of the performers interviewed recalled that the 1960s and 70's were the heyday of folk performers, and pre-Partition Punjab in the feudal period constituted the golden period of Punjabi folk culture. That was when the folk performer found generous patrons to support him and his clan. The local feudal chief was known to shower the performer with magnanimous rewards of grain, cattle and even land and ornaments of gold and silver. The feudal past gave ample patronage to the folk performer as social and cultural gatherings always included folk performances. In those days before television and cinema, fairs, festivals and melas were the villagers' source of entertainment and the folk performer was ruler of entertainment.

The advent of the electronic visual media had a great impact on the people of Punjab, particularly the youth. Folk songs and dances, once an essential part of Punjabi weddings with suhaag, ghoris and sehras have been replaced by remixes of old traditional compositions set to a disco rhythm. Disco has replaced the traditional giddha and what passes for dance today is crude gyration.

After the removal of terrorism, there emerged a new class of Punjabi artistes who innovated on existing melodies and rhythms and emerged as icons of Punjabi Pop. Daler Mehendi, Sukhbir, Bhupi, and the old stalwarts of popular Punjabi folk, Gurdas Mann and Hans Raj Hans also re-invented themselves to fit the requirements of the 90's. (In this they were quite successful despite their advancing years.) Mann and Hans are still rooted in tradition but are blending folk with the razzmatazz and glitter of disco.

The advent of sophisticated recording technology has opened a door for folk performers- although ease of recording is not an unmixed blessing. As Kirpal Bawa, a long-established singer in Punjab, remarked: "Now almost every household is producing a performer."

It goes without saying that many of these performers haven't a clue about traditional gayaki. It doesn't matter, they are doing brisk business. Folk singers who pride themselves on authenticity and quality deride these "instant" singers as "Ludhiana Mandi'. If the newcomers are hurt by the sneers, let it be said that they are crying all the way to the bank. They are easy to recognise: flashy, gaudy, Bollywood look-alikes ... they ape the dance numbers from hit Hindi films.

An interesting case is of Parveen Toombi Wali. Aside from the toombi, she plays the gender card-she is the first woman toombi player. She obviously needs the gimmick since most of those who have heard her voice describe it as raucous.

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