We needed a builder for some construction work in the house. The builder was an Amritdhari Sikh. After talking to him, we found out that he was from a Hindu Nai family. He organizes Gurmat camps for children where they are taught Sikh philosophy. He told us about a big farmhouse in a very big farm near Patiala, where he had done some work in the house. My wife replied that the house belonged to our relatives. He did not believe her and said that how could that be because our son is such a handsome Sardar (turbaned Sikh) and the family in that house are Lalas (the word Lala is sometimes used by Sikhs in Punjab for non-Sikhs). My wife said that the house belonged to her real sister and that they were JattSikhs. The builder said then how come nobody in that house wears a turban?
Pandit Rao Dhrainvar is a professor in the Punjabi university Chandigarh. He is from a Hindu Brahmin family from Karnataka. He has translated Sri Guru Granth Sahib in the Kannada language. He is dedicated to the Punjabi language and culture. He can read and write Punjabi very well. He teaches the Punjabi language to South Indian doctors in Chandigarh who cannot speak or understand the language. He believes that a physician should be able to understand and speak the language of the patient to properly treat them. He has also helped with the efforts to put up Punjabi signboards in Chandigarh. At one event, he walked out during Gurdas Mann’s performance of his song, “Apna Punjab hovey, ghar di sharaab hovey;” saying that it is not proper to associate that land of Punjab with alcohol because this land belongs to the Gurus. He has inherited property worth millions of rupees. However, he has a very simple life and has dedicated his life to spread the humanitarian message of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, which promotes universal brotherhood.
Lakshami Narayan Bhikhi is a Punjabi writer whose articles are published in the Punjabi newspapers. He is from a Hindu Vairagi Sadh family. He is bearded and wears a turban. His children are also maintaining this form. His children sing Punjabi songs beautifully and are well-versed in Punjabi culture. I had the opportunity to listen to their songs and really admired them.
After living for a long time in America, visiting many countries of the world, and having an opportunity to interact with many communities in the world, I have developed some concepts from my observations. These are my four conclusions in the context of losing one’s culture, heritage, and value system:
1. Out of all countries of the world, India qualifies for the number one position.
2. Out of all states in India, Punjab has taken the lead.
3. Among the Punjabis, the Sikhs have lost the most.
4. Out of all of the communities in Punjab, the JattSikhs stand out.
I talked to several people in Punjab, to people outside Punjab in India, and in the foreign countries; so far, nobody has disagreed with my observations. There is almost a consensus that the JattSikhs deserve an Olympic gold medal in the field.
Can my impression about the JattSikhs, the leading community of the Punjabis be supported by the facts? If we take pictures of three generations of all of the communities in the world, then the unique achievement of the JattSikhs will become obvious. No other community has undergone such a change in appearance as this community has. We can see the change in norms among them. A norm represents the look of the vast majority (90% or more) and what becomes the generally accepted look. According to this, the grandfather is turbaned with full beard, the father is turbaned with trimmed beard, and the grandson is clean-shaven. This degree of change is unseen in any other community in such a short time (in about 30 years).
Our women are not much far behind in this field. We have to go out of Punjab to see this degree of change in the women, where our new centers of community are evolving. I think that Vancouver, BC, Canada, can be considered a city with the highest concentration of Punjabis, particularly the JattSikhs, outside the Indian subcontinent. If we put together photographs of a grandmother, a mother, and a granddaughter, then we can see the degree of change in appearance. The grandmother is wearing a Punjabi suit with her head covered with a chuni, the mother is wearing a western dress and has a hairstyle, and the granddaughter is wearing a miniskirt with very short haircut.
Some writers from Punjab may say that they saw Punjabi weddings, parades, and other social gatherings and all the women there were wearing Punjabi suits, and therefore the Punjabi culture is well-preserved and is flourishing there. They should understand the difference between the special occasions and the routine. If they want to see the routine life, then they should see what happens after the wedding ceremony in a Gurudwara Sahib. Usually, it is followed by a party in a banquet hall. It has become almost a custom for the boy and the girl to show their life stories through photos and videos on a big screen there. These photos and videos are closer to reality than the wedding ceremony. The granddaughter (third generation) shows a very different picture here then on the formal occasions. They want to prove that they are very modern and liberated women. Shortening of the hair and lessening of the clothes help to project such an image. This is topped by a couple of shots with the girl holding beer cans or whisky bottles. This not only shows that alcohol is being wrongly associated with modernism and women’s liberation, but also shows the growing popularity of drinking in our women.
As far as the dresses worn on formal occasions, they generally do not show the reality. When we saw the Ellensburg Rodeo and Parade for the first time, we got a very different impression about the life of the people of the Yakima nation. In the parade, they are dressed with colorful feathers and are riding well decorated houses and appear very buoyant and cheerful. However, a very different picture about the life of Native Americans (American Indians) emerges when you visit an Indian reservation. You may see many obese people and depressed alcoholics there. A very sad and pathetic picture emerges.
Today, the western imperialists have launched a cultural invasion under the garb of “globalization.” This is even more dangerous than the economic invasion and exploitation. During colonialism, the colonialists invaded us with their armies and physically enslaved us. Then, the imperialists enslaved us mentally with their economic invasion. However, under globalization, they have launched a cultural invasion and have looted our culture, heritage, value system, family relations, and social structure. They have enslaved our souls. At least we were aware of our physical and mental slavery and struggled against those. However, not only we are denying the reality of our cultural slavery, but we feel that we are adopting a new and higher culture after losing our original culture. This is only the half-truth. It is true that we have lost our original culture, but it has not been replaced by a new culture; we have only become victims of consumerism.
Dr. Sawraj Singh, MD F.I.C.S. is the Chairman of the Washington State Network for Human Rights and Chairman of the Central Washington Coalition for Social Justice. He can be reached at [email protected].
By Dr. Sawraj Singh
