Jarnail Rattoke: Keeping Punjab's Folk Flame Alive
While the mainstream chases trends, artists like Jarnail Rattoke preserve the folk foundations that give Punjabi music its soul.
Not every important artist in Punjabi music aims for the charts. Some, like Jarnail Rattoke, serve a different but equally vital function: preserving the folk traditions that form the foundation of everything Punjabi music is today.
The Keeper of Traditions
Folk-oriented artists like Jarnail Rattoke maintain a connection to Punjabi music's roots — the vocal styles, the lyrical forms, the emotional registers that define the genre's identity. Without artists committed to this preservation, the traditions risk being lost as the mainstream moves toward increasingly globalized sounds.
Why Preservation Matters
UNESCO's Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage recognizes that oral traditions, performing arts, and cultural expressions need active preservation. Folk music is specifically listed as a form of intangible heritage that communities must consciously maintain.
When Jarnail Rattoke performs traditional compositions or creates new songs in folk styles, he's doing more than entertaining — he's preserving cultural heritage for future generations.
The Ecosystem Needs Diversity
A healthy music ecosystem needs artists at every level — from chart-topping superstars to folk preservationists, from experimental innovators to traditional keepers. Each plays a role in maintaining the genre's vitality and depth. Artists who stay close to the roots provide the raw material that innovators draw from.
Explore Punjab's folk roots on ApnaMusic.
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