Prof. Anjali Gera Roy is Associate Professor in Dept of Humanities & Social Sciences at Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. The paper presented by her in the M.B.Emeneau Centenary International Conference on South Asian Linguistics is titled "Folk's kool Turn". The paper analyzes the transmutation of folklore in the electronic age by illustrating the Bhangra resurgence of the last two decades.

Stating the circumstances leading to such transmutations Prof. Roy says that, Bhangra, which was originally a harvest ritual, transformed from Rural to Urban settings and became an indispensable ingredient of all traditional ceremonies. Also Bhangra developed into a secondary setting of stage performances.

She asserts that though the stage reduces this participative ritual to a spectacle, it disembeds life world of the ritual form and facilitates its de territorialization. According to her the paid performer of the stage violates the concept of Oral authorship and claims individual authorship for the performances. The professional performer and the audience participate in a relation of commodity exchange as producers and consumers bringing in electronic gadgetry, stage effects and other elements that enhance stage effect.

Explaining the impact of electronic media on Bhangra, Dr. Roy brings in Ong's distinction between primary and secondary orality in contrast with live and recorded performances being blurred with increasing use of the same. She also gives a brief introduction of employing sound recording technologies to Bhangra, emphasizing that the satellite technologies of the 90's are intertwined with too many factors to reduce Bhangra mutants to a form of techno determinism.

 Scrutinizing the current music industry, Dr. Roy observes that Bhangra is Re contextualized with glamorized Bollywood glitz and even though music video builds the performance in a fictionalized setting, it diminishes the audience participation of the 'cool' media by filling in the gaps. She asserts that the features of music albums like objectification of female body and mixing of genres have hurt the purist sensibilities.

The factor that the improved telecommunication and duplication technologies, privatization and entry of trans national music channels have equally contributed to the revival of Bhangra is stressed in this paper.

In conclusion, she traces the movement of bhangra from the sacred culture to popular culture through globalization and back again to sacred culture and observes that such movement leads to much anxiety amongst the folklorists.

In the discussion that followed the presentation, Dr. N. H. Itagi, enquired whether there is any relationship between Bhangra and Sufi Sangeet. Prof. Roy replied that 'Bhangra' originated from the mixture of 12 genres among which Juli was a kind of music performed in mazaars, so there maybe a connection with this sufiana kalam . Commenting on the paper Mr.R.S. Rangila, explained the origin of Sufi Sangeet, which was an Iranian version of Bhakti in India . He further went on to define 'Bhangra'. Dr. K.M. Chander, expressed his concern about adulteration of folk-songs, even Karnatic folk-songs. Sharing his views, Prof. Roy replied that people in diaspora look to remix "bhangra' as a mirror of their tradition, quoting Bali Sagoo's words, "This is my roots". She explained the distinction between hybridity and pure forms saying that pure forms are hybridized through contact. Martina Ghosh queried on the time of origin of Bhangra, emphasizing that why it was necessary to mention Alexander's period in the paper to which Prof. Roy answered that his was the time when the pure forms were traced back to. Prof. Venkat Rao, observed that the cultural theorization in remix music suspense the question of originality. Dr. K. Narayan stated that we should not take anything as sacred or something else as the fixed form comes from literature. Prof. Roy commented that remixes are no originals but variations.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the session, Dr. P. P. Giridhar observed that Prof. Roy had elucidated culture items in Bhangra by illustrating sacred and profane; and pure and hybrid forms.