Families try to preserve traditions in domestic activities
Throughout the 33 years of his tenure as a Punjab Government employee, there wasn’t one day when Balkaur Singh from Ludhiana didn’t wear kurta and chaddra (sarong-like garment) to work. People mocked at him, called him an attention seeker, but none could deviate him from his decision to wear clothes that were his heritage. Official meetings were no excuse.
Reprimanded he was, but in the end, everyone would make peace; his embellished jutti cynosure of many an eye. “My attire defines who I am. I am not against modern dressing up but should we uproot ourselves from our identity? No,” says Balkaur, who retired as an excise and taxation officer. He takes pride in his heritage, the threatened Punjabi virsa , that they say is fading away. Even if his talk sounds rhetoric to you, he doesn’t care.
When Delhi-based Harinder Singh and his wife Kirandeep Kaur created 1469, a brand based on Punjabi heritage, they also consciously imbibed it in their everyday routine. “Values inculcated in childhood go a long way in preserving tradition. For us, reciting five pauri of Japji Sahib before leaving home in the morning is not just a ritual,” says Harinder.
This sounds pretty encouraging but sticking to roots without making it a ritual is not easy, especially when pitted against contemporary lifestyle. Who has the time and patience to sit with a madhani and churn milk for hours or endure the heat of cooking on a chulha.
“Holding on to virsa is a real challenge,” agrees Prof Harminder Singh Dhanoa, an associate professor in Chandigarh, who, along with his wife, Rani, have devised ways to overcome this. “We try to strike a balance between the old and the new,” says Rani as she gives us a tour of her farmhouse in Zirakpur.
A manji to lie down upon, chaati and madhani to churn milk, clay hearth, a pakhi, the hand fan with phulkari, tokka, the obsolete cutter to chop fodder, traditional hooks adorning the walls… the farmhouse is a little Punjab in itself. “Everything here is put to use,” Professor Dhanoa says.
To ensure the son nurtures love for heritage, they have made it a must for him to accompany them on all visits to the farmhouse.
The same can be said of the Sidhus from Chandigarh. Aman and her husband Neetu have created a mini Punjab in the backyard of their house. The two like to collect and preserve traditional items, but this is no show-off, they insist. “This is how we live,” says Neetu.
This has also meant that their kids visit their farm near Landran quite often and see what farming is all about. On all such trips, Aman makes it a point to cook on chulha and food is served in traditional utensils.
For Diljit Kaur Kang, tradition is not just about stocking up old things. It also means making these relevant in these times. She has taken phulkari, the traditional form of weaving, to the length and breadth of the country.
“From making phulkari on sarees, suits, dupattas, and putting these to use in various ways, I have tried to incorporate the traditional aspect of phulkari in everything.” Both Diljit and her husband Dr Kanwarjit Singh Kang, who shares her passion, believe that heritage should not be lost to time. Diljit also teaches this craft.
While these men and women are adding a bit of Punjab to their homes, many youngsters are getting themselves inked on heritage themes.
Mandy Singh, Bathinda-based tattoo artist, says, “Boys mostly get the holy symbol khanda sahib inked on their biceps. Girls usually go for a girl with parandi tied to the hair.” Ask him if they do so to feel connected to their virsa, and he says slightly sheepishly, “I don’t think so. It is a style statement.”
A yet another lot is connecting simply because it is driven by circumstances. Like young women vying to be Miss Panjaban at a recently held contest in Jalandhar. Contestants were quizzed about Punjabi heritage in the ‘Know your virsa’ round. Surprisingly, 20 out of the 50 had all the right answers.
Prior to the contest, Manjot Mann, a 21-year-old, made a quick dash to meet her grandfather in Moga, who gave her enough dope on Punjabi heritage. She was the second runners up. “I couldn’t win, but, now I know so much more about our virsa,” she says with a hint of pride.
In this increasingly smaller world, identities are blurring. Even a little bit of space could go on to help you be different. Could that tattoo do it for these Punjabi mundas? Why not!
