“When he walked onto the stage, I was there wearing my pag (turban) and he locked his eyes with mine,” says Simranjit Bedi, who, along with his wife Sarina was in the front row at the Coachella Valley Music and Art Festival on 15th April to watch their favourite artist Diljit Dosanjh perform.
“He (Dosanjh) pointed to Simranjit. He pointed, and he saluted to him! It was wild!”Sarina.
The Punjabi singer acknowledged the fellow Punjabi making ‘everyone go crazy’ around them. The couple, up front and centre, stood out amidst the vast roaring crowd of fans as the singer emerged from amidst a fog to blasting music.
Many Punjabi fans ‘proudly’ wore turbans on this historic Coachella evening in Indio, California. Simranjit was in the front row, and numerous others were at the back amidst hundreds of South Asians and other attendees.
“When he (Dosanjh) saluted, he felt that my people are here.”Sarina
The affinity salute made the special evening unforgettable for the Indian American couple, and they believe that the singer felt supported by ‘his people’ as the Coachella stage was a significant first for him. “That made him feel at ease, after which he dove right into it, bringing out his enormous energy,” says Simranjit.
Waited for Four Hours to Get the Best Spot!
“We were front and centre of the Sahara stage as we had stood waiting for four hours to get that spot!” says Sarina, who felt that the long travel, desert heat, and the crowds – especially being 7 months pregnant – were fully ‘worth the blast’.
The Bedis flew from Colorado to California and drove from Los Angeles to Indio to see their favourite singer on the powerful Coachella stage. They ensured that they arrived at the festival well in time before their beloved Dosanjh performed. The couple who play his songs on a loop at home, wanted a vantage position for the best experience.
The celebrity singer started with his popular song G.O.A.T. In a black kurta and tamba, he was a force amidst pyrotechnics, lightning-quick visuals on the screen, fireworks, and choreographed bhangra dancers.
Simranjit says, “He was dancing throughout and singing. He saw the crowd and kept us captivated.” Sarina describes fondly how Dosanjh interacted, “He took off his sunglasses, jacket, and gloves, throwing them into the crowd! Everyone was very excited. There were some people near us who caught one of his gloves! He saw the crowd, and he was there with us.”
Dosanjh sang many of his popular songs in the 40-minute performance, including Vibe and Patiala Peg and the crowd knew them well. Simran is sure that it was not only the fans that felt high from the up-tempo, “Every single one was shouting the lyrics back at him, vibrating the whole space. He was singing, and we were singing – we were just connected. Definitely, he feels a high from those moments.”
Dosanjh commands immense popularity among the global Indian diaspora, and his electric performance drew fans from different parts of the world.
The Bedis met desis who had flown in from many US cities and abroad and even ran into a few friends whom they hadn’t met in years. Simran says, “There were people from everywhere! Detroit, Toronto, Australia. One person came all the way from Mumbai!”
A Proud Moment For Us!
Fans of the singer felt very proud when the singer chose to speak in Punjabi when introducing his music to an international audience. They saw it as a validatory nod to their culture. The South Asians felt bonding at the event that became larger than a music concert for them.
“The biggest thing, the common thread everyone talked about, was representation. It felt like a very emotional thing for everybody in the audience.”Sarina
Sarina further adding, “I was in tears watching Diljit in his element.”
“We were in this moment that we never thought would happen in our 20-30 years– for us to be live on stage at a mainstream American festival - this representation was unfathomable.”Simranjit
The couple spoke about how Dosanjh was also ‘very aware’ about the significance of the moment not only for him but also for the community. Being closest – ‘intimate setting’ – to the stage, they noticed that he was soaking it all in, “Many times Diljit would take a step back and look around, look at the crowd, and just watch. It was a surreal moment for him too!” says Sarina.
There were many non-desi music lovers at the concert, some waiting for the acts to come after Dosanjh and many who came to hear him. A few shared with the Bedis that they found his music ‘energetic and nothing like they had experienced before’.
The fans yearned for more when the electrifying and historic performance closed. The applause was thunderous when the star bowed to them. Simran felt that the ‘gratitude he had’ is ‘intertwined with culture and religion’. She says, “He was thankful to God for the moment. It became a spiritual moment.”
The resounding sentiment among fans was, “He represented the diaspora in a tasteful and humble way,” says Sarina.
(Savita Patel is a San Francisco Bay Area-based journalist and producer. She reports on Indian diaspora, India-US ties, geopolitics, technology, public health, and environment. She tweets at @SsavitaPatel.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)