Panjabi Aa Gaye Oye*: Two Concerts, Twenty Years of Memories, and a Feeling I Can’t Explain
Updated: Sep 22
*The Panjabis are here
More than two decades of listening to Diljit Dosanjh, and somehow I had never seen him live.
I think back to dancing with my sister-in-laws to Alrhaan Kuaariaan all those years ago. His music is woven into those memories: family, laughter, dancing and the joy of being together. I’ve been a fan ever since.
So for my first-ever concert to be Diljit Dosanjh at Wembley Stadium felt extraordinary. To witness him become the first Panjabi artist to headline that iconic venue, surrounded by tens of thousands of people, was something I’m still trying to put into words.
The atmosphere, the community, the sheer joy of hearing those songs live. And through it all, an overwhelming sense of pride.
Born in London, twice removed from my family’s roots in Panjab, India, I have experienced that connection through language, music, clothing and the things we share across generations. Standing in Wembley, hearing our language fill that enormous space, I felt those roots so strongly.
Growing up between cultures has often meant feeling pulled in different directions. Many of us learned to hide parts of our heritage to be accepted in spaces where difference wasn’t always celebrated. At times, it felt almost like leading a double life: one at home, another outside it. We became used to judging how much of ourselves we could comfortably bring into a room.
I’m proud to be able to speak, read and write my mother tongue, Panjabi. It is a connection I treasure. Seeing Diljit Dosanjh show up so wholeheartedly as a proud Panjabi man means more than I can explain. His language, his clothing, his pagh, his humour, all of it belongs on that stage. His example has given so many of us a sense of permission to be fully ourselves, wherever we are.
One moment at Wembley will stay with me forever. Diljit Dosanjh asked us, on the count of three, to shout together: “Panjabi aa gaye oye!” To hear an entire stadium answer him was momentous. I felt that roar through my whole body: all that joy, belonging and pride finding a voice together. It felt as though its vibrations could reach our ancestors, carrying our gratitude to them and to the Panjabi musicians who paved the way. Standing there, I felt part of a story that began long before us and will continue long after.
There is another layer to what this night at Wembley meant. Just over a century ago, in 1924–25, Wembley hosted the British Empire Exhibition. People, cultures and resources from colonised countries were displayed as part of a spectacle celebrating imperial power. The original stadium was built for that exhibition.
To think that, on this same ground, a Panjabi artist was now headlining, singing in our language, wearing his pagh with pride, and bringing people together to dance and celebrate, feels profoundly significant. A place once used to tell an imperial story was filled with our voices, telling our own.
For me, that gives “Panjabi aa gaye oye” an even deeper resonance. Here we were, carrying our ancestors’ language, memories and spirit into that stadium, celebrating with a freedom and visibility they might scarcely have imagined.
Diljit Dosanjh has been paving the way for years. Through his music, his films and his performances, he has taken Panjabi culture onto stages that once felt beyond our reach. He is making Panjab’s name shine around the world, while widening the possibilities for South Asian artists who will follow. His success shows how language and heritage can be at the very heart of an artist’s international appeal.
I thought, too, about what this means for our children.
I’ve often worried that the thread of our Panjabi language might weaken with my generation, that my children would grow up feeling further removed from their roots. But seeing them truly embrace their Panjabi identity has given me so much reassurance and joy. Artists like Diljit Dosanjh help make that connection feel alive, current and full of possibility. What I once feared might fade, I now see them carrying forward in their own way.
They are growing up seeing a proud Panjabi artist command some of the world’s biggest stages while remaining so recognisably himself. What a beautiful thing to be able to imagine more for yourself because someone has shown you it can be done.
We left Wembley so blown away that we booked tickets to see him again in Manchester on 20 September.
Absolutely no regrets.
Seeing him closer, feeling that presence, that aura, was something else. Another magical performance, and another evening I didn’t want to end. After waiting all those years to see him, suddenly twice in eight days felt entirely reasonable.
Alongside the epic performances, it is his warmth, humour and humility that stay with me. He can make a huge crowd laugh, dance and then share a moment of reflection. That ability to bring people together feels especially precious in a world where there is so much division.
Diljit Paaji, thank you for the music that has accompanied more than twenty years of my life. For the brilliant films, the laughter and the unforgettable performances. For being unapologetically yourself, and for encouraging so many of us to feel proud of who we are.
You have struck a chord in so many hearts, including mine. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I’ll keep listening, remembering these two evenings and watching you shine. Onwards and upwards.
Panjabi aa gaye oye!
Author: Isher Dhiman
Comments