After performing all over the world, Diljit Dosanjh brought his electricity Dil-Luminati visit to Delhi. During the concert, the singer proudly raised the national flag and sang his greatest hits to the Delhi crowd. At one point, as Diljit draped the flag around his shoulders, he took a moment to explain the significance of his famous catchphrase, “Punjabi Aa Gaye Oye.” He told the audience that his connection to Punjabi stems from his mother tongue, as it was the first language he heard and learned from his mother. However, he emphasized his deep respect for all the various languages of India.
Diljit later posted this heartfelt moment from his Delhi concert on Instagram. In the clip, he was seen telling the crowd in Punjabi, “When I was born, my mother spoke Punjabi, Punjabi. The first word I learned was Punjabi. Our nation has many languages, and I respect them all. Whether you speak Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, or Hindi—I respect you all. But since my mother speaks Punjabi, I also speak Punjabi.”
He then pumped up the crowd by shouting his famous line, “And that’s why I say, ‘Punjabi aa gae Dilli oye!’” before launching into his Amar Singh Chamkila song, “Main Hoon Punjab,” sending the audience into a frenzy.
Earlier, during a podcast interview with Raj Shamani, Diljit was asked why he chose to represent Punjab proudly at the world stages rather than the rest of India. He explained, “Punjab is a small part of India, and I come from a very small region where regional music is made. In the past, regional music was not that big, but now it is global. So that feeling you get when you come from a small town is different. At the Indian level, there are great singers. I can’t sing as well as Sonu Nigam. Regional music has reached Coachella in India, that’s why I have that voice of going from a small place to a big place today.”
Diljit first used his signature line during his historic Coachella performance last year. Thinking about it, he said, “When I went to Coachella, my friend told me ‘don’t you realize it was the first time Punjabi was spoken in the world.’ That thought was concentrated in my mind and it came out on stage, I didn’t say it carefully.”
On the film front, Diljit has exciting projects lined up, including Border 2 and the sequel to No Entry.
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