The importance of Punjabiyat & being a Punjabi
Reviewed by Khushwant S. Gill

Punjabiyat: The Cultural Heritage & Ethos of the People of Punjab
by Jasbir Singh Khurana
Hemkunt Publishers. Pages 248. Rs 795

Literally translated, the word Punjabiyat means Punjabi-ness or the essence of being Punjabi. The sub-title of Jasbir Singh Khurana's book further elaborates it as the cultural heritage and the ethos of the Punjabis. But don't look for an in-depth socio-cultural study here. What brings value to Khurana's work is the 'matter-of-fact', everyday cultural items and 'artifacts' that go to make up what it means to be a Punjabi.

From these cautionary lines of Baba Farid:

to the escapades of that pesky little Jugni:

At the heart of the Punjabi ethos lies a humour-tinged, even sardonic pragmatism. And it is of the slow passing away of these small jewels of our culture that we have increasingly started to lament.

At weddings, we wonder who among us is going to sing that plaintive ditty when that old, revered aunt or grandmother is no longer with us. Looking around at your siblings and cousins, you are hard-pressed to find somebody who knows something about the countless little customs and traditions that form an integral part of the ceremony.

The tales imbibed at our grandmothers' feet are no longer music to the ears of the generations of today. And will be less so as time moves on. So, it's all the more important that books such as Khurana's are read and kept in the house as a ready reference.

A brief look at its chapter headings illustrates this focus on folk culture - out of eight chapters, six are given over to festivals, folk music and dance, romantic legends, proverbs, folk beliefs, superstitions and handicrafts.

There's a foreword by Kuldip Nayar who voices misgivings at the sorry state of Punjabi in Pakistan, where Urdu has been enforced vigorously at the expense of the local language. He comes down heavily on the Indian Punjab too where people have 'mongrelised' the language and don't give it its due. The chapter on the people of Punjab deals with the subdivisions in the Punjabi language and makes for interesting reading.

But that's the good news. On the flip side, this is a quick skim, or skate, over the Punjabi way of life and very sketchy in description. For instance, it lists the various dialects of Punjabi, but provides very few examples to illustrate these. The history and geography is glossed over and, at best, rendered in school-textbook fashion. Some of the maps are informative, but they interrupt the reader's flow as they are fold-outs.

The Appendices fill out the sketchiness of the main body to some extent and deal with eminent Punjabis, songs and proverbs, sayings and ditties. And by including personalities from both sides of the border, they also point to the catholicity and inclusiveness of the Punjabi ethos, a concept which in reality goes beyond the narrow chauvinism which many, especially many of us Punjabis, have come to associate it with. For a non-Punjabi this book is a quick introduction to Punjabiyat, a dynamic part of India's vibrant national culture.

For a Punjabi, what gives this book its value is its ability to pique your interest to know more about all things Punjabi — phulkari, or Waris Shah or folk music. It reminds you about how much you don't know, or how much you've neglected to know about yourself.

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