Rani Taj – The British Kashmiri Dhol Queen

We have seen her videos in people’s facebook and orkut profiles and we have seen it on youtube and pretty much everywhere. We have posted our own comments in her appreciation and we have read a lot of other people talking about her. But.. we have also seen plenty of Dhol Players.. havent we… and some of us have already seen girls playing Dhol. At girls College there are plenty of them who compete at National level. So what makes Rani this hip with everyone…

Well there are a number of things, first being her style. She has blonde colored hair and she wears Punjabi Salwar Kamiz and all the traditional accessories that make her look like a transcendental and post modern music player. She has the looks that you cant ignore… and then there is her persona. In one word she is “cool” and the way she carries herself with utmost confidence makes her an elite.

Looking at all those videos, leaving comments is all we can think of i guess.. i dont think anyone would have guts to go and talk to her in real life.. she seems power goddess of some kind. That’s how girls should be.. confident.

The video that made her a celeb is her mixing Rihana’s Rude Boy on her Dhol.. the biggest kick is that it seems she wasnt even planing to kick it up.. that some firend just said.. Oye.. im gonna play this song in my car and see what you can do with Dhol.. indeed in the beginning she is trying to follow the rhythm as if she is listening to the song for the first time. Well.. it might be true and not just my speculation. Thats pretty much her style and attitude i guess…

I dug out some info about her, going to her blog which is full of Youtube videos which really do not relate to her at all. But this is what i could gather. She was born in 1993 in Birmingham, England, but she has Pakistan lineage to her as both her parents hail from the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Her parents moved to UK back in the 60′s. Her real name is Shahanara Taj and Rani is her nick which has stuck to her as her professional name now.

She started playing dhol when she was 9 and this happened due to her seeing the Dhol performance in a Visakhi Mela. G. Mall of the Dhol Blasters and Harjit Singh of the Azaad Dhol Group are her Gurus in Dhol Playing. Thats pretty much it… but man.. isnt that enough.. She is “cool” as i said before.

Dhol playing is a male domain, but she is causing all kind of Bhangra ripples in this domain now. I spent quite sometime searching about her and decided it was a good idea to post this as an article at PP and maybe others would find it useful. if any member from UK knows her, or meets her… dude… get her to make a Puppa for Punjabiportal.. that will be like “cool”

And finally the video that made her famous
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