How to put a boli in the giddha

Reading a boli and putting a boli are two different things. On paper, a boli is a few rhyming lines. In a giddha circle it is a small performance of about half a minute, with a voice, a rhythm, a moment of suspense and a burst of dancing at the end. This page explains the performance, step by step, for someone who has never done it. In Punjabi, one does not "sing" a boli but "puts" it: ਬੋਲੀ ਪਾਉਣੀ (boli pauni).

The shape of a boli in the circle

The circle claps. The dancers stand in a circle or a half-circle and keep a steady clap. Nobody dances yet. The clap is the only instrument that giddha truly needs; a dholki is welcome, but not necessary.
The leader steps in. One woman takes a step or two forward, sometimes raising a hand to show that she is about to begin.
She sings the lines. She sings the boli line by line, clearly and without hurry, over the clapping. The tune is simple and close to speech. The words matter more than the melody, so everyone must be able to hear them.
The last line arrives. The final line, often called the tod or toda, carries the point of the boli. The leader sings it once, usually stretching the last word.
Everybody takes it up. The whole circle repeats the last line again and again. The clapping doubles in speed, two or three women come into the centre and dance, and the others cheer them on.
The circle settles. After a few rounds, the dancers go back to their places, the clap returns to its steady pace, and the next woman steps in with her boli.

If you are putting a boli for the first time

Pick a two-line boli. The "baari barsi" pattern is the easiest. Our baari barsi boliyan page has twelve.
Learn it by heart. You cannot read from a phone while clapping. Say it aloud ten times at home; say it while walking, so that the words fit a steady beat.
Know what it means. If you understand each word, your face will do the acting for you.
Sing lower and slower than you think. Nervous singers start too high and too fast, and run out of breath before the last line.
Look at the person it is for. A boli for the bhabi is sung to the bhabi. That look is half of the fun for the circle.
Do not worry about your voice. Giddha is not a singing competition. A clear, cheerful boli from an ordinary voice gets the loudest response.

What the rest of the circle does

A boli succeeds or fails with the circle. Keep the clap steady while the leader sings, and never speed up early. Listen for the last line, and be ready to repeat it loudly. Call out encouragement, such as "Shaava!" or "Balle!", as the dancers come in. If the leader forgets a line, the circle simply claps on until she finds it, or somebody who knows the boli quietly supplies the word. Nobody stops the giddha for a mistake.

Answering a boli

Giddha is a conversation. A good circle does not sing a fixed list from top to bottom; each boli answers the one before it. If one woman praises her brother, the next may praise the bhabi. If the women of the mother's side tease, the women of the father's side reply. This is why experienced singers carry many short boliyan in their memory, and why a made-up boli, however simple, is prized: it can answer exactly what was just sung. Our nanka mel boliyan are arranged as such an exchange.

For a stage performance

A stage item of giddha usually lasts five to eight minutes and holds six to eight boliyan. Arrange them so that the mood rises: a greeting, a few light ones, one tender one in the middle, and the liveliest at the end. Give each boli to a different leader. Rehearse the entry and the exit as carefully as the boliyan themselves. For school groups, our boliyan for school functions page has a ready plan.

Common mistakes

Starting before the clap is steady. Wait for two full rounds of clapping.
Swallowing the last word. The rhyme sits on the last word. Sing it clearly, or the circle cannot repeat the line.
Choosing a boli that is too long. Long boliyan need a strong memory and a strong voice. Earn them slowly.
Teasing that hurts. A boli is sung before a crowd, and the person it names cannot reply in the same moment. Praise people, and laugh at situations.

To understand the patterns behind the words, read what a boli is. For the meanings of words you will hear again and again, see the glossary of words in boliyan.

Start with a two-line boli