| Punjab Culture |
| As of the 1981 census, the population of Indian Punjab reported itself as being 37 percent Hindu, 61 percent Sikh, 1 percent Muslim, and a little more than 1 percent Christian, with smaller portions of Buddhists, Jains, and others. The land of Punjab, which is variously described as the land of the Gurus, Pirs and the warriors, as a matter of faith believes in earning an honest living through hard labour and in sharing the fruits of this labour with others without expecting any returns. Hospitality is a living aspect of the culture which is shown even to the migratory birds who seek soujorn there. A generation ago, the turban was the "crowning glory" of all Punjabis whether Muslim, Hindu or Sikh. Muslims and Hindus have given up their turbans, but it remains, literally, an article of faith for Sikh men whose religion forbids them to cut their hair. The kurta, a long straight-cut, loose shirt teamed with pyjamas, the loose baggy salwar, or a kind of sarong called a loongi or tehmat makes up the traditional dress for men. Winter sees the rustic Punjabi in colourful sweaters that wives and mothers are so skilled in making. A blanket finishes the ensemble. The traditional Punjabi shoes, called juttis retain their popularity with both rural and urban men. It is impossible to tell by dress whether a Punjabi woman is a Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian. They all dress in salwar topped by a kameez (a garment that can be fitted like a dress loose like the kurta) and accented by a rectangular scarf about 2.5 metres long called the chunni or duppatta . The women of Punjab are responsible for the state’s most famous item of handicraft – the phulkari. This is a shawl completely covered in dense silk embroidery, folk motifs in jewel-tones on an ochre background. Punjab has generated distinctive forms of virtually all the arts, from dance to architecture, bawdy folk epics to sublime theological poetry. The best- known folk dance is lively and complex bhangra, named for bhang (marijuana). In architecture, the most distinctive major form is that of the Sikh Gurdwaras, which blend Mogul and Rajput elements. |
