New Delhi: Legendary Punjabi Singer Amar Singh Chamkila was born in a Dalit Sikh family in the village of Dugri near Haryana. His real name was Dhani Ram. He used to work in a cloth mill before he became a singer. Having an interest in music, he learned to play Dholki and harmonium in 1979. He approached Surinder Shinda and sang in front of him. Surinder was impressed by his singing and made him sing with the Punjabi Folk artists. Before making his solo career he assisted Surinder and wrote songs for him.
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Chamkila decided to form his own group in 1980 as he thought he was under paid for his singing. Then he adopted the stage name ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’. He developed his stage partnerships with other singers and started doing his shows. He used to write his own lyrics for the songs.
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He was regarded as one of the most influential singers of Punjab at that time and his live stage performances was loved by the audience. His music was influenced by Punjabi village life and their culture and lifestyle. Some of his best known songs are ‘”Pehle Lalkare Naal” and his devotional songs “Baba Tera Nankana”, ” Tar Gayi Ravidas Di Pathri” and “Talwar Main Kalgidhar Di”.
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Why was he shot dead?
The legendary singer was gunned down by unknown assailants when he was 27. He was with his wife and the members of the band when the incident took place in 1988. However the reason behind his killing was never known. According to sources, no arrests was ever made in connection with his killing. It was also alleged that he was killed by Sikh Militants.
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One of his friends said during an interview to Indian Express, “He preferred recording his songs during the monsoon. The rest of the year was filled with two or three marriage performances per day. At the peak of his career, he attended an astonishing 411 programmes in just 11 months. His sudden emergence had a profound impact on other popular singers of his time. His immense popularity overshadowed theirs, so much so that people would solely demand performances by Chamkila.”
