Punjabi Connection

Punjab ranks 1st in Primary Education!

2010-10-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

FROM INDIAEDU website http://blogs.indiaedu.com/?p=1416

Punjab ranks 1st in terms of primary education
June 30, 2009
Category: education institutes, thoughts on education

It is Punjab who is ranked 1st as far as primary education is concerned. Punjab education board has set up exemplary standards of education especially in the primary section. The infrastructure that the Punjab education board has set for the primary section is extremely student friendly and boasts an index of 0.917.This index is higher than that od Delhi which is 0.909.

Education minister of Punjab Mr. Upinderjit Kaur proudly claims hat this figure of the education infrastructure index is prepared by the National University Education Planning and Administration which is also abbreviated as NUEPA. The conditions of classrooms, quality of teaching staffs, hygiene in toilets and other facilities in the primary schools of Punjab are in better condition than the other states of India. NUEPA is an organization recognized by the Ministry of Human Resources. This organization is dealing with the overall development and growth of education standards in the entire region of South Asia.

In the survey done by NUEPA on the primary education standards of Punjab placed it in high esteems. The survey revealed that many government aided primary schools of Punjab are well equipped with playgrounds, ramps on campus, girl’s toilet etc that place the schools of Punjab at the forefront as far as the condition and education standards at the primary level are concerned.

Punjab agriculture and development

2010-07-07T14:03:00.000-07:00

Punjab and Gujarat
From V.Isvarmurti’s Political Blog (Posted on Monday, February 19th, 2007 and is filed under Politics.

The news of Punjab farmer’s suicides came as a rude shock! The heart-breaking scenes, the tears and misery of the women who lost their husbands were too much to bear viewing for long. Yet, the feature did a great national service for highlighting what is held back from the public view the many contradictions and distortions that have come to characterize Punjab agriculture.
What was often highlighted, made great public displays in the newspapers and TV channels is the Bharti Mittal’s Wal-Mart foray or Pepsi Company’s entry into the agri sector. The Green Revolution creates a false image and that false image had stuck in public memory, thanks to the over-zealous publicity-seeking agri scientists turned propagandists and apologists for the Central Government.
The old Punjab that went on to make the Green Revolution such a grand success is now gone. Forever, it seems. The new Punjab is altogether a different story, a difficult story. Did anyone tell you that Punjab tops the chart in per capita farmers’ debt? No. Did anyone tell you that Punjab’s social sector indicators, maternal mortality, infanticide and other social ills far outpaces other less “developed” states? No, not likely.
Yes, there are serious issues in the new Punjab’s agri sector. There is this new phenomenon of farmers suicides, uneconomic land holdings, farmers-turned migrants, in search of livelihood and honour by the poor farmers who have been totally left behind by the new generation of politicians, who are all now crorepatis and they have now come out with a vengeance, as in the latest Assembly elections to win power, by using all the highhanded methods! It is also dynastic rule in Punjab, taking acute from New Delhi; it is Badal vs Amarinder Singh, two of the richest families of Punjab, all in the name of development vs religious, ethnic identity!
Punjab and Gujarat are always considered top states in terms of critical development indicators. Punjab is the granary of India, along with Haryana and Western UP. Its agricultural performance was always considered world class until recently when the problems of soil salinity and water logging and declining productivity and all India per capita farm debts created many doubts about the future of Punjab agriculture.
Gujarat is always outwitting other states in terms of drawing record investments. Punjab was always the agricultural pioneer, thanks to the Bhakra-Nangal dam and the management of inter-state river waters. So too now Gujarat with its record hitting Narmada dam that serves so many states and also seeing such persistent protests over the rehabilitation of the displaced people. May be this is a new phenomenon in the post-Nehru era of managing the inter-state river waters on such large scale. Times change and we have to welcome changes and as far as agriculture’s future is concerned we can’t be dogmatic when it comes to sharing the inter-state waters or utilising the precious natural resources for the maximum benefit to the entire country. In this context the recent Cauvery River waters award too has to be seen in the national context, the few persisting issues have to be negotiated in a spirit of give and take and there can’t be any more politics of the narrow king in such matters that has direct bearing on the poverty and prosperity of the common man.

Gujarat and Punjab have so many lessons in development and also in terms of the quality of state politics. Punjab CM, Capt.Amarinder Singh has given out his thoughts on the eve of the Assembly elections and the sort of candidates, fielded by various parties, also give an indication of the sort of politics the state is to have for some more years to come. Most of the candidates are found wanting when it comes to probity in public life. Some of the richest men and women candidates are in the field. The cursory look at their declaration of personal wealth shows that it is all rich men and women’s game, this democratic politics at the beginning of the new century. Some of the prominent politicians, some 10 among them, have declared a personal wealth of Rs.39 crore (CM) to 30 crores to way down to 1.44 crores.
Luckily most of them have no criminal records, though a few do. As for the Akali Dal, it is again a rich men and women’s club. The top candidate is rich by 89 crores and also faces murder charges! The next rich starts with Rs.54 crores to Prakash Singh Badal, the former CM and a powerful figure declaring Rs.13 crores as his wealth, though many dispute this figure. His son, another Badal is rich by 9.4 crore, a Bar-at-law, is said to be the richest among the lot in the party.
Criminal records low but corruption charges high among the candidates. There are more crorepatis in the Akali party, though Congress candidates don’t lag behind when it comes to crorepatis. Even the Dalit candidates are wealthy, the wealthiest declaring an asset of Rs.6 crores. Land mafia, dynastic candidates, crorepati politicians, landlords, barons, big-ticket NRIs, transport tycoons, liquor giants and traders are the common descriptions for the candidates. Among the 26 reserved seats for Dalits, there are 27 crorepatis. Women candidates make for interesting reading. The richest is worth 90 crores. Another top five crorepatis among the women candidates. Badal is alleged to possess wealth to the tune of Rs. 3,500 crores, alleged by the CM whose palace is valued only at Rs. 35 crores spread over 32 acres at the heart of Patiala. Yet, Badal, the senior has declared that the only vehicle he owns is a second hand tractor!
Says the CM:”70 per cent of Punjabis are under 40 years; they look to the future with much fear, as there is no worthwhile development, as seen under the Aakali rule. Development has become the most central issue in this election, thanks to the Congress rule putting development as the main issue before the people of Punjab”. The CM alleges that “the Akalis had never gone beyond Aurangazeb in their speeches”.
Chandigarh, the newly built capital must belong to Punjab and Haryana must build its own capital, says the CM, the Chandigarh issue is a hot emotional issue. Questions of Sikh identity are another contentious issue, who can deliver it? Congress or the Akalis?
The new agenda of development is the one route to regain the Punjabi identity, through more development and the promise of realising the aspirations of the younger generation. The religious symbols are again a current issue, the Heritage Memorial, free access to Nankana Sahib and other holy sites. The CM promised to tackle unemployment, bring in one lakh crores worth of new investment, to generate 20 lakh new jobs. “Unemployment will not be an issue for several coming generations”! This in itself is a Punjabi style grand gesture! Politics in Punjab has always been a grand gesture of sorts, in all extremes, the Punjab milancy itself is an outcome of such grand standing and vague emotions creating so much tensions and upheavals.
Punjab has many border districts and wars and the peace are the constant themes. Now, with war receding from public domian, there is talk of peace and opening of the routes towards more trade with Pakistan.

Narendra Modi, on the other hand, has claimed a record investment and he says his state scores over other states in all development parameters. The Godhra arson is very much in the background, though those horrible days remain in public memory to give the state a negative image. Lately, he was in the news when his name was dropped from the BJP executive committee. Modi nursed the Prime ministerial ambitions and the latest move has come as a shock to his many admirers. It was widely expected that Modi, along with Arun Jaitley would lead the 2009 Lok Sabha election campaign. He drew the loudest applause during the party’s Lucknow national executive last December.
Mr.Narendra Modi, the incumbent Chief Minister of Gujarat, by all accounts, is the most powerful politician in the BJP party, though now his wings are sought to be clipped. Even after the approval of the RSS and the senior leaders, Vajpayee and Advani who suspect that Modi might outplay them when the time comes in Delhi, he still remains the most powerful man in Gujarat, his hold on the political and the administrative machinery is unchallenged. It is widely felt that he is the only one BJP, or suffron, leader who can win a record number of MPs from the state, very similar to what Kalyan Singh did in his best days in Lucknow. When Singh won 50 MP seats in two consecutive elections. This ropetrick, Modi only can do now, if at all. In that case, his role in the “selection” of the next Prime Minister would be crucial. Vajpayee and Advani still entertain prime ministerial ambitions. But among the next line of leaders, it is only Modi who has the mass base, despite the debacle of the party in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.
So, how to judge Modi? An asset or a liability?
Certainly, Modi is a doer. His track record on the economic front is impressive. He asserts that Gujarat can achieve an 11 per cent rate of growth. The Centre is aiming a rate of 9.2 per cent. Says the CM: “Gujarat needs to generate unprecedented growth. In agriculture, manufacturing and services, human resources. We are ready for that“. Is this the CM who indulged in such communal flareup that the outside world condemned, India earned such a bad name?
The state has organized “Vibrant Gujarat” biennial summit thrice and attracted an astounding 140 b dollar in investment proposals. Creating infrastructure with global benchmarks, create a level playing field for global players. Even the investors speak of the professional approach, no politics, no bureaucratic delays etc. Rs.4, and 61,835 crores investment represents 1.3 million jobs! Over 80 per cent of the proposals, investments in the last two years have been implemented, says the CM.
Gujarat agriculture and coastline based industries, salt and chemical industries are all well-known and so too the entrepreneurial culture of the public.
So, we have to weigh the plus and minus points. Farmers’ suicides have come from Punjab and Gujarat too! The social evils like infanticide, women’s oppression in Punjab and Gujarat’s communal track record is simply abysmal. But given the total neglect and insensitivity of the politicians in other states, for the agri sector’s depressing scenario, Punjab and Gujarat, at least should give us hope for more innovative agri sector initiatives.
Punjab’s water scarce cotton belt had seen farmers’ suicides and farmers migration to Rajasthan and Gujarat. Yes, there is also the story that owing to good monsoon there is the higher yield of indigenous BT cotton seeds brought in from Gujarat. The CM’s role in terminating the inter-state agreement on the sharing of the waters of the Ravi, the Beas and the Sutlej among Punjab, Haryana, HP and Rajasthan saved water for the Malwa cotton belt. The growing unemployment, consumption of smuggling liquor and opium is also a social problem.
Punjab and Haryana always played a critical role in arm-twisting the Centre to get the best deal for farmers, MSP etc and thus Punjab and also Gujarat have a critical role to play in the new century’s agricultural strategies and policies.

Is the breadbasket of India becoming its cancer basket?

2010-06-14T23:19:00.001-07:00

There is increasing evidence that the pesticide fueled agricultural growth has had a serious impact on the health of the farmers, especially the incidence of cancer, the Government is taking action by starting a program for registering cancer patients. Several studies have shown the damage to the DNA caused by exposure to pesticides. Bathinda district seems to be the worst affected. Bathinda, the worst affected district, is a major cotton growing area and the cotton crop requires heavy pesticide use.
The studies that point to this include:
A 2005 study by the Center for Science and Environment, a well reputed Delhi-based environment advocacy group, found high levels of pesticides in the blood samples taken from farmers' from villages Bathinda and Muktsar districts.
A study titled "Assessment of genetic damage in workers occupationally exposed to pesticides in various districts of Punjab' conducted by Punjabi University, Patiala, points to the high rate of DNA damage among farmers due to pesticide use.

This study was conducted by Raminderjeet Kaur of the Department of Human Biology under the guidance of Prof. Satbir Kaur. The study found significant DNA damage in the blood samples of 36 % of farmers tested. In addition to cotton, farmers growing paddy and wheat were also badly affected. According to Prof Satbir Kaur, "Pesticides cause damage to the DNA and eventually its fragmentation. This increases the chances of cancer and chromosome mutation.' "Banned pesticides are also in use and the worst affected were those who used herbicides and organophosphates,' Satbir Kaur added. (Incidentally, organophosphates are supposedly the new generation safe chemicals).
According to another study, funded by the Government and conducted by a committee headed by J S Bajaj, vice-chairperson of the Punjab State Planning Board found that heavy use of pesticides and fertilizers had contaminated the drinking water with pesticides and heavy metals. It also found that that drinking water was one of the major causes of death in Punjab. The study was conducted in 17 villages in south-west Punjab's Bathinda, Faridkot, Mansa and Muktsar districts, all of them in the cotton-growing belt known for high pesticide use with Bathinda and Muktsar being the worst affected. According to the study, contaminated water had led to a rise in the cases of cancer, asthma, joint pain, premature graying of hair, skin diseases and mental impairment.

In acknowledgment of the above, the Government has started a cancer registration program, initially starting with Muktsar district.

Punjab Budget

2010-05-22T02:16:00.000-07:00

Here are the highlights of the Punjab Budget from the Tribune - where is the money going to come from? The state is heavily in debt and bankrupt growing at below the national average.

* 62 km ring road in Ludhiana on BOT basis at an estimated cost of Rs 1,516 crore
* Ring road and urban corridor in Mohali
* Bypass for three important roads in Bathinda, Nawanshahar and Garhshankar
* Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences, Jalandhar, to be commissioned
* City Transport Services in the Municipal Corporations towns of Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala
* Special Economic Zone in Amritsar and Goindwal Sahib
* Rs 10 crore for improvement of existing industrial focal points
* Rs 14 crore for creation of new industrial focal points
* Rs 3 crore for completion of Northern Indian Institute of Fashion Technology at Mohali
* A flying academy to be set up at Talwandi Sabo to produce commercial pilots; Amritsar International Airport and Sahnewal Flying Clubs to be expanded at a cost of Rs 25 crore
* The government to continue its efforts to secure an early
* sanction for developing Halwara as an international airport besides getting the status of Chandigarh changed to an international airport
* Rs 120 crore for sarva shikhsha abhiyan (SSA)
* Rs 55 crore for the midday meal scheme
* Rs 20 crore grant for repair and maintenance or construction of additional classrooms in elementary schools
* Rs 4.72 crore for implementation of EDUSAT
* Rs 53.14 crore for extension of ICT project
* Rs 30 crore for augmentation of school infrastructure (money to come from education cess)
* Rs 13 crore for the upgradation of government colleges
* Rs 15 crore for the establishment of the Rajiv Gandhi National Law University at Patiala
* Rs 3 crore for the establishment of the World Punjabi Centre at Patiala

The idea of Punjabiyat May 2010 By: Pritam Singh

2010-05-22T00:09:00.001-07:00

For a community that has experienced such fragmentation through the centuries, the Punjabi identity today is engaged in a remarkably active attempt at consolidation.

The moment we use the word Punjabiyat, it suggests a reference simultaneously to something that is very tangible while still elusive. This dual character opens the term to many imaginations and possibilities. Is Punjabiyat a concrete socio-political reality, a project, a movement in process, something in the making, a mere idea floated by some ivory-tower intellectuals and literary figures, a wishful dream of some Indo-Pakistani pacifists, a seductive fantasy of some Punjabi nationalists, a secular utopia envisioned by leftist nationalists, a business plan of market-seeking capitalists, or a dangerous regionalism dreaded by the nation states of India and Pakistan?

The tangibility of Punjabiyat derives from the recognition of Punjab as an area that once existed as a sovereign state, for the half-century between 1799 and 1849. In addition, it also derives from Punjabi as a language with a rich literary heritage, the Punjabi identity as a linguistic and regional one within both India and Pakistan, a transnational linguistic and cultural identity encompassing what are today Indian and Pakistani Punjabis and the global Punjabi diaspora. In this case, ‘culture’ can encompass language (especially its spoken for+m), food, dress, festivals, music, dance, humour, and rituals of happiness (relating to marriage or birth) and loss (death).

The elusiveness of Punjabiyat comes from the floating nature of the use of the word itself. In Pakistan, the central drive of the movement is to win the right to use the Punjabi language against the hegemony of Urdu; while in India, Punjabiyat is seen as a project of bringing Sikhs and Punjabi Hindus close to each other, against Sikh secessionism and Punjabi Hindu alienation from the community’s mother tongue. These two projects are further different from the diasporic Punjabis’ viewpoint of Punjabiyat as a shared cultural universe of all Punjabis. It is in this sense that Punjabiyat appears as a floating principle and project, an elusiveness that can be considered a sign of both weakness and strength. The changing nature of the idea of Punjabiyat can be viewed as its weakness, after all, but the elasticity of the concept allows it flexibility and contextuality, a clear strength.

A broad view of the historical evolution of the Punjabi people would suggest that there are solid material and moral grounds on which to argue the case for a unifying and common Punjabi identity. However, there are also counteracting tendencies that limit the potentialities of a unified Punjabiyat. Three aspects of Punjabi life – religion, language and script – can justifiably be thought of as having played the most critical role in shaping the consolidation of and contestation over Punjabi identity. The 15th-century emergence of the Sikh faith and its subsequent evolution have decisively shaped the modes of influence of religion, language and script on the articulation of Punjabi identity. Sikhism introduced Gurmukhi as a script of the Punjabi language during the period of Guru Angad (1504-52), the immediate successor of Guru Nanak (1469-1539), the founder of the Sikh faith. This raised the stature of the Punjabi language, written in the Gurmukhi script, to a sacred language in opposition to the older sacred languages of Sanskrit and Arabic. Geographical location, economic way of life, cultural characteristics, the development of Punjabi language and its own script, and the emergence of a distinctive Punjabi religion all contributed in diverse ways to the formation of a Punjabi identity, which made the people of the
Punjab region stand out against the peoples of the rest of the Subcontinent.

The emergence of the sovereign state of Punjab in 1799 under Maharaja Ranjit Singh was a moment of crowning glory in the evolution of a distinctive Punjabi identity. At this point, the process appeared to be a specifically designed culmination of a distinctive national identity eventually achieving a sovereign state of its own. Punjab existed as a sovereign state until 1849, when it was annexed by the British and merged with the rest its Indian Empire. If, with the emergence of the sovereign Punjabi state in 1799, the composite Punjabi identity had reached its peak, the disintegration of this state in 1849 initiated the process of decline and splintering of a unified Punjabi identity.

Cycles of identity
By the mid-19th century, the Punjabi identity was forced to face its most significant threat to its solidity, coherence and purpose. Not only had the Punjabi nation lost its own sovereign state, which had been its protector, patron and promoter; it also was to experience a painful dislocation with the economic, political and cultural onslaught of the most powerful imperialist state of the time. Instead of offering any combined resistance to the expanding military, economic and cultural power of the colonial state, the defeated and demoralised Punjabis found themselves scrambling for minor economic crumbs and concessions. The Punjabi Muslims and Sikhs became incorporated in large numbers into the imperialist army, and the Punjabi Hindus into the civil services and trading opportunities offered by the colonial administration and economy. The existing occupational divisions in Punjabi society along religious lines also became further reinforced and magnified – divisions that were to play a corrosive role in later attempts to forge a composite Punjabi identity, both during the colonial as well the post-colonial era. Punjabi Muslims and Punjabi Sikhs were to become more entrenched into the agrarian economy, while and Punjabi Hindus became more integrated into the service sector.

The development of what came to be known as the Canal Colonies in the land between the Punjab’s five major rivers, one of the most ambitious politico-economic development projects undertaken by the colonial rulers in Punjab, offered tempting opportunities to peasants, soldiers, traders and professionals. The majority of the peasants and soldiers were Muslims and Sikhs, and the majority of the traders and professionals were Hindus, which further disoriented Punjabi identity. The Punjabi nation that was celebrated in the lyrical poetry of Shah Mohammed for its brave resistance during the Anglo-Punjab Wars of the 1840s now, just a decade later, stood as a negation of its past glory. The project of composite Punjabi identity stood dead, and there were no signs of recovery, at least for the time being. Sporadic and isolated attempts of resistance – even armed resistance, for instance by the legendary Kukas – were ruthlessly crushed. The conquering British rulers dealt very harshly with such defiant sections of the Punjabi community, while showing generosity to the more accommodating.

The late 19th century saw two diametrically opposite tendencies concerning Punjabi identity. One tendency saw a three-way religious fragmentation – Muslim, Hindu and Sikh – as a result of the emergence of religious reformist movements, in opposition to the spread of Christianity supported by the imperial rulers. In theory, this resistance could be the basis of Punjabi unity; in practice, however, it resulted in a sharpening of religious identities and boundaries. It is important to note here the contradictory nature of globalising imperialism, by acknowledging its contribution in giving birth to another segment of Punjabi identity that remains almost completely neglected in discourses on Punjabi identity. The process of imperial cultural penetration into Punjab gave birth to a fourth religious component of Punjabi identity: Punjabi Christians. Christian missionaries were pioneers in the establishment of modern printing techniques and facilities in the Punjabi language. Further, most Punjabi Christians were Dalit converts, primarily from the Punjabi Hindus but also from the Sikhs and Muslims. Today, these Punjabi Christians remain one section of the Punjabi community that is most committed to the promotion of the Punjabi language.

The second tendency that was opposed to the fragmentation of Punjabi identity was in the political-economic domain, in the form of the emergence of the Unionist Party in Punjab. This was a class-based political alliance of the peasantry – especially of its elite sections – of the three main religious communities. The Unionist Party tried to invent a third way, beyond the demands for India and Pakistan, in addition to toying with the idea of an independent Punjab. Khizr Hayat Khan Tiwana, who was the last premier of the unified Punjab and the leader of the Punjab Unionist Party from 1942 to 1947, opposed Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Partition from a Punjabi nationalist perspective. As a last-ditch effort to save a single Punjab, he tried to tempt the British into accepting his proposal for carving out Punjab as an independent political entity, different from both India and Pakistan, but rather as a part of the larger British Empire. There briefly appeared to be a small chance that the Punjabis could have gotten back the sovereign Punjabi state that had been annexed in 1849. However, the events of 1947 compounded the tragedy of Punjab. If in 1849 Punjab had lost its sovereignty, it had at least kept its united entity intact; in 1947, it lost that too.

The emergence of India and Pakistan relocated the two Punjabs in two very different situations. Pakistani Punjab became politically dominant in Pakistan, but by cultural surrender of the regional Punjabi identity and the claims of Punjabi language. Just opposite to that relocation, Indian Punjab, a relatively small state in the Indian federation, saw a vigorous 20-year battle for the creation of a Punjabi-speaking state but remained politically marginal in the overall set-up. Indian Punjab also witnessed competing claims between secular Indian nationalism, Hindu nationalism, Sikh nationalism and Marxist internationalism, in terms of how they related to each other and to a larger Punjabi identity.

The diaspora impact
Silently and slowly, another force relating to Punjabi identity has been emerging: the growth of the Punjabi diaspora. Since the 1960s, the spatial and cultural relocation of Punjabis to the West has opened a new space for articulation of the common dimensions of Punjabi identity. Parallel to and opposed to this is the phenomenon of a section of the diaspora becoming a major player in articulating sectarian religious divisions within that identity. The diaspora’s contradictory voice has acquired special significance in the accelerating process of the globalisation of the world economy and media. The process of globalisation has opened hitherto unknown opportunities for exchange of commodities and ideas and, to a lesser extent, of labour between India, Pakistan and the rest of the world. In turn, the temptations of economic gain from increased trade relations between Indian Punjab and Pakistani Punjab have ignited a series of reinventions of common Punjabi heritage and identity. The logic of the political economy of Punjabiyat thus seems to be holding out tantalising possibilities of power.

In recent years, the global Punjabi diaspora’s imagination has suddenly been fired by the realisation of its power as a possible catalyst in the making of a global Punjabi identity. The organising of world Punjabi conferences has become the theatre of action for the project of global Punjabi identity. New technological possibilities of instant translations between different scripts of Punjabi language have removed many barriers of communication and national borders, and magazines are beginning to publish Punjabi literature simultaneously in different scripts. These attempted reinventions of common Punjabi identities unsettle many sensibilities of both Indian and Pakistani nationalism, viewed nervously as potential critiques of the legitimacy of these two nation states. Punjabi nationalists, on the other hand, view with glee the benefits that might accrue to them from the potential for globalisation to weaken the nation state. Both the nervousness of the Indian and Pakistani nationalists and the glee of the Punjabi nationalists might be overplayed, however, because globalisation is a contradictory and complex process with uncertain outcomes.

Diasporas, like all other social entities under capitalism, are highly differentiated, and this holds true with regards to global Punjabis. Not only have cleavages of religion, caste, language and script not disappeared, but in some instance these have become stronger in the diaspora than in the homeland. It is the new generations of Punjabis in the diaspora who are experimenting with new modes of living, and are attempting not only to transcend the barriers of religion and caste but also to forge artistic and social ties with myriad other cultures. Bhangra music, for instance, has grown to become the focal point of Punjabi and these new hybrid identities, while also spawning new interest in learning Punjabi language in diverse scripts.

The shared Punjabi identity has received a massive boost by the popular appeal of Punjabi language and culture in cinema, literature and music. Bollywood has become a site and carrier of celebration of the shared Punjabi culture, with some leading Bollywood producers and directors (such as Yash Chopra) having found something of a formula for success by including Punjabi cultural themes in a film’s narrative. Even the image of the sardar has been transformed in this new enterprise of Punjabi celebration: no longer presented as a buffoon, the Singh is now a king, powerful, smart, sexy and glamorous. A Bollywood film is considered commercially successful if it runs well in Punjab and in the Punjabi diaspora, while the large market of Pakistani Punjab has further added to the economic attraction of celebrating shared Punjabi culture. Harbhajan Mann has shot into stardom as a lead male actor of many new Punjabi films; while in Pakistan, Punjabi films in the genre of Maula Jat, representing the brave and rustic Punjabi farmer, have been a roaring success. Sultan Rahi, the star of many films in this genre, has become the most popular cinema hero in Pakistan, and Punjabi cinema has in recent years eclipsed the previously dominant Urdu cinema.

All the while, the emotional appeal of a common and shared Punjabi identity has not died down. However, in the globalising world of today, the reinvented global Punjabi identity has to compete with global Hinduism, global Sikhism, global Islam and global Christianity. In the contest between Punjabi identity and globalised religion, whether in India, Pakistan or the diaspora, the old contest between language and culture on one side and the religion on the other is being replayed. Religion could cannibalise language and culture, but equally powerfully it could be said that people’s linguistic affinities and cultural ties are of such enduring strength and intensity that they can overcome the challenge of religious sectarianism. As long as Punjabi language is alive and kicking, however, there would always be hope for some form of shared Punjabiyat. In this, despite all else, the Punjabi language in Indian Punjab is flourishing, indicated (for one) by the continuous increase in the circulation of Punjabi newspapers. Meanwhile, despite the fact that the language has very little state support in Pakistan – where over 55 percent of the country’s population speaks Punjabi – indications are that this is likely to change in the future, as the Punjabiyat movement in the country continues to gather support. In this way, the flexibility, and elusiveness, of Punjabiyat remains perhaps its greatest strength.

Pritam Singh is director of the Postgraduate Programme in International Management and International Relations at Oxford Brookes University.
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Punjab Odyssey – a trivia game on Punjab and Sikh history

2010-04-20T07:33:00.000-07:00

Punjab Odyssey is a game about Punjab and Sikh History for children and grown-ups alike and encompasses five centuries of Punjab History. Kulbir Kaur of Canada developed this trivia board game to allow children to learn about the basics of Sikhism in a playful and entertaining way. The game comprises 540 questions which cover all major events of Punjab History and would challenge adults too. The game is excellent for some after dinner family bonding, when friends and relatives visit, or for those rainy day weekends. It is reasonably priced at $12.00. Why not buy one for the family? If you would like to order one, you can do so here:

http://sikhfoundation-store.org/catalog/sikh-odyssey-p-262.html?osCsid=faee3852dea0eded21d2f046bb6a774d

The State of Our Schools....contd

2010-04-18T01:48:00.000-07:00

Some time back Punjabi Connection had written about the State of our Schools, here is a news item that sheds further light on the subject

This Punjab school has no students
Gurdeep Singh Mann
Tribune News Service

Prempura (Fatehgarh Sahib), April 17
It’s not a school for scandal but certainly has something queer about it. The government primary school at Prempura lacks the very thing that forms the core of a school: Students. But it certainly has a teacher — 32-year-old Rupinder Kaur.

In many ways, Kaur is a unique teacher as her responsibility extends beyond doling out lessons. Everyday, while on her way to school, she has to convince the villagers and sometimes even plead with them to send their wards to the government facility. But till now her efforts have been in vain as the school has not seen even a single student enrolling in the current academic session.

The villagers, who scoff at lack of basic facilities at the school, are happy sending their children to nearby private institutes. “The private schools are much better as compared to the government school, which even doesn’t have basic infrastructure,” rued Manjit Singh, a villager.

Around seven years ago, the school was closed down due to lack of teachers. It was started a year ago under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan. Kaur said she taught two Class I students in the just-concluded session. “But there are no students now. Despite our repeated requests, people here don’t want to send their kids to the government school,” she said.

The villagers maintain that it is a prestige issue for them to to send their children to private schools (there are more than three in the vicinity of the village) where there are teachers, who no teachers give lessons in English, and latest facilities, including computers.

Manjit Singh said since there is no student in the government school, the teacher should be deputed to some other school that is reeling under staff crunch.

“The money being spent on maintaining the school and the salary of the teacher should not go waste,” he added.

Manjit Kaur block chairperson of Human Rights Manch and member of Block Education Committee said that efforts should be made to improve facilities in government schools to attract students. She said that there are some other schools in the area where the strength of students is quite low.

When told that there was not even s single student enrolled in the Prempura school, DEO (primary) Surinder Singh said: “I will have to check it.”

Amrita Pritam's Aj Akhan Waris Shah Noon

2010-03-30T13:12:00.001-07:00

ਅੱਜ ਆਖਾਂ ਵਾਰਸ ਸ਼ਾਹ ਨੂੰ ਕਿਤੋਂ ਕਬਰਾਂ ਵਿਚੋਂ ਬੋਲ।
ਤੇ ਅੱਜ ਕਿਤਾਬੇ ਇਸ਼ਕ ਦਾ ਕੋਈ ਅਗਲਾ ਵਰਕਾ ਫੋਲ।
ਇਕ ਰੋਈ ਸੀ ਧੀ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੀ ਤੂ ਲਿਖ ਲਿਖ ਮਾਰੇ ਵੈਣ
ਅਜ ਲੱਖਾਂ ਧੀਆਂ ਰੌਂਦੀਆਂ ਤੈਨੂ ਵਾਰਸਸ਼ਾਹ ਨੂੰ ਕਹਿਣ:
ਵੇ ਦਰਦਮੰਦਾਂ ਦਿਆ ਦਰਦੀਆ ਉੱਠ ਤੱਕ ਆਪਣਾ ਪੰਜਾਬ।
ਅਜ ਬੇਲੇ ਲਾਸ਼ਾਂ ਵਿਛੀਆਂ ਤੇ ਲਹੂ ਦੀ ਭਰੀ ਚਨਾਬ

US Army gives a waiver to Sikhs to wear turbans.

2010-03-22T21:32:00.001-07:00

The US Army gives special waiver to the first Sikh soldier to complete basic training without giving up the right to wear a turban or shave his off beard. Capt Tejdeep Singh Rattan, a dentist graduated on 22 March 2010. Another Sikh, Dr Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, has also been allowed the exemption. Here is the full story!

By MICHELLE ROBERTS, Associated Press Writer Michelle Roberts, Associated Press Writer – Mon Mar 22, 8:33 pm ET
SAN ANTONIO – Amid lines of soldiers, one after the other in standard-issue fatigues and combat boots, was one in a turban and full beard on Monday — the first Sikh in a generation allowed to complete U.S. Army officer basic training without sacrificing the articles of his faith.
Capt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan, a 31-year-old dentist, graduated Monday at Fort Sam Houston after the Army made an exemption to a uniform policy that has effectively prevented Sikhs from enlisting since 1984.
"I'm feeling very humbled. I'm a soldier," he said, grinning after the ceremony as other members of the Sikh community milled about nearby. "This has been my dream."
Rattan had to get a waiver from the Army to be allowed to serve without sacrificing the unshorn hair mandated by his faith. An immigrant from India who arrived in New York as a teenager, Rattan said it was important for him to serve a country that has given him so many opportunities.
The Army in 1984 eliminated an exemption that had previously allowed Sikhs to maintain their articles of faith while serving, but officials can issue individual waivers to the uniform policy after considering the effects on safety and discipline, said Army spokesman George Wright. Only a handful of such individual religious exemptions are ever granted.
Rattan and Dr. Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, who will attend basic training this summer after completing an emergency medicine fellowship, are the first Sikhs to receive exemptions in more than 25 years.
Rattan and Kalsi both offer health care skills that are in high demand in an Army stretched by wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
1st Sgt. Jeffrey DeGarmo said he made sure the officers-in-training in his unit understood that Rattan wasn't a foreign national and had received the Army's permission to maintain his beard and turban. Once the other soldiers understood that, there were no issues, he said.
"It went pretty well," DeGarmo said. "I think he did an outstanding job adjusting."
For Sikhs, the unshorn hair wrapped in a turban and beard are required to keep adherents in the natural state in which God made them, said Amardeep Singh, director of the Sikh Coalition, a New York-based advocacy group that helped Rattan and Kalsi push for Army admittance.
During training, Rattan wore a helmet over the small turban, which he doesn't remove, and was able to successfully create a seal with his gas mask despite the beard, resolving the Army's safety concerns, said Harsimran Kaur, the Sikh Coalition's legal director.
Rattan worked with an Army tailor to create a flash, the insignia patch worn on soldiers' berets, that could be affixed to his black turban, she said.
Singh said allowing Sikh adherents to serve in the Army is an important part of ensuring they are an integral part of American life. He said it also could counter prejudice.
"If government can say to someone 'You can't serve, not for any reason that has to do with your abilities,' that sends the wrong message," he said. "We don't want to be perpetual outsiders."
The Sikh community has a long tradition of military service in India, from where most adherents originally emigrated, and in other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Canada.
Sikhs represent 2 percent of India's population but make up about 30 percent of that country's army officers, Singh said.
An estimated 300,000 Sikhs live in the United States.
Before the Army's regulation change in 1984, Sikhs served in the U.S. military during every major armed conflict going back to World War I. Those who joined before the change were allowed to serve with their beards and turbans, but the policy effectively prevented new enlistment of Sikhs, Kaur said.
She said her group will continue to push for a change in Army policy.
"We're still working toward a day when Sikhs don't have to check their faith at the door," she said.

HAPPY NEW YEAR :)

2010-01-03T11:08:00.003-08:00

I want to wish all those who have chosen to follow this blog and those who may be occasional peekers a very happy 2010. May the New Year bring peace, joy and prosperity to all…

I hope to bring greater energy to the blog, raising issues of concern and interest to all ‘thinking’ Punjabis so that together we may raise awareness on social issues that cap our potential as a community. It won’t be always serious stuff though– for what good is it being a Punjabi if you can’t enjoy a hearty laugh even if it is at your own expense.

So, let’s ring in the New Year with hope for a better world….remember we can help make it a better world.

Punjabi Jingle Bells

2009-12-22T11:45:00.001-08:00

A very Punjabi Xmas to all!

Christmas is becoming a universal holiday – because of its serenity, present-giving good cheer. And who loves good cheer more than a Punjabi so here is a very Punjabi Santa with a very Punjabi Xmas greeting.

Dreams end when fate, poverty and corruption collide

2009-11-29T22:39:00.000-08:00

Today as I walked back from the HDFC Bank in Bathinda, I saw two urchins sitting outside and scribbling on a piece of paper. I asked what they were writing and were shy at first but then showed me a discarded receipt from which they were trying to copy numbers. I asked them if they went to school though I knew the answer already. No they did not go to school. One of them said "hamari kismat nahin hai" - a line obviously learnt from their parents. Further conversation revealed that their father had tried to get them enrolled several times but the school wanted Rs 5000 for enrollment. The boys had been sent out to beg but were too busy trying to write on the back of a discarded receipt. They said they were beggers, their names Aman and Happy (they were maybe 10 or 11 years old). They showed me the pictures of gods in thalis which they had in their laps as their begging tool. They said they were hungry - I asked what were they hungry for, The answer was for 'roti'- I told them I would buy them a half dozen bananas (since I didn't want to give them money)- they walked with me to the old bus stand where I bought them bananas. On the way Aman, by way of conversation, mentioned that he had no slippers. Sure enough he was barefoot. I asked them to stay exactly where they were and went to a Liberty showroom close by and bought him a pair of slippers. When I walked back to give them to him, they were where I had left them, having finished their bananas and still totally engrossed in writing on their scrap of paper. That's how I left them, feeling helpless that I could do nothing for them since it was my last day in the city. If I had more time I would have liked to go to the school where they were supposedly refused admission and tried to do something to see if they could attend school. I felt helpless and angry that I could do nothing. But the story of Aman and Happy on the streets of Bathinda is less than a drop in the ocean of dreams that are lost to povery and corruption in India....

Is there anything we can do at an individual level to help even one child have a better life?

Enjoy the Punjabi zest! - Bhangra Empire @ Bruin Bhangra 2009

2009-11-17T12:23:00.000-08:00

Watch this stunning performance of the Bhangra by the group Empire!

(For some reason I couldn't post it as a clickable link so please cut and paste in your browser)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BxMMQs-6nQ

In a Lighter Vein ....for the computer savvy Punjabi !

2009-11-05T04:37:00.000-08:00

If your computer starts working in Punjabi these would be the commands!

Send = Sutto
Insert = Wich Paao
Attachement = Naal Laao
Edit = Sidda Karo
View = Waikhee Jaao
Forward = Aggay Sutto
Inbox = Undar Da Daak Khaana
Outbox = Bahar Da Daak Khana
Trash = Mitti Paao
Sent Items = Bheji Gayee Dak
Address Book = Patay Wali Kaapy
Delete = Daffa Karo
Download = Thallay Laao
Properties = Jaidaad
Connect = Naal Milaao
Paste = Thook Naal Chipkaao
From = Bhejan Walaa Banda
To = Door Betha Hoya Banda
Subject = Khaas Gall
Carbon Copy = Koelay Walee Naqal
High priority = Waddee Takleef

and finally
Ctrl+Alt+Delete = Sara Syapa Mukao.

Model schools in Punjab under public-private partnerships!

2009-11-02T23:24:00.000-08:00

Here is a news item submitted by wym -one of our active blog followers - as part of a discussion under The State of our Schools. I am placing it here because its an important bit of information that will be of interest to all of us ..

Chandigarh, Sep 24 (IANS) The Punjab government has exempted Adarsh (model) schools, coming up under the public-private partnership (PPP) model in the state, from various taxes.

‘This decision was taken at a meeting headed by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal,’ a government spokesperson said here Thursday.

The draft agreement and the lease deed between the government and the private partners were also finalised in the meeting of the Punjab Education Development Board (PEDB), the official said.

PEDB has finalised five private partners and approved 15 sites for setting up these modern and well-equipped schools in the state.

Adarsh schools would impart free education from pre-nursery to 12th class. Presently, there are nine Adarsh schools in the state.

As per the agreement, if the private partner fails to run the school according to the set terms and conditions, the board would take over its control.

Similarly, if the government fails to discharge its obligations, the private management could take over the school, with a condition to charge fees on 75 percent students and impart free education to the rest.

For each school, PEDB is providing 10-15 acres for 99 years lease, which could be renewed with mutual consent of both parties. The operational cost of the school would be shared on 70:30 basis between the board and the private partner.

The capital cost for the construction of school building would be around Rs.4-5 crore, and it would be shared on 50:50 basis.

‘We have suggested that students’ strength should be increased from 1,000 to 1,200 in Adarsh schools,’ Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said here Thursday.

I hope this partly answers your question. I think the Punjab Education Development Board can provide more information.

A Punjabi to be proud of!

2009-10-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

I doubt that many Punjabis are aware that Punjabi scientists, many of whom have prior affiliations with the Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), have played a key role in solving the problems of world food availability by spear heading research on enhancing rice productivity at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) headquartered in the Philippines and with offices in 14 countries. More than half of the world’s 6.7 billion people are rice eaters.

Dr. Gurdev Singh Khush a former principal scientist at IRRI, is perhaps the most well known. Dr Khush is an internationally acclaimed rice breeder and geneticist. Dr Khush won the World Food Prize in 1996. He has been awarded by at least 15 countries including China, Japan and Korea, the major rice dependent nations of the world. He is also a recipient of the Padma Shri. Dr Khush has played a key role in the development of more than 300 varieties of rice. He retired from IRRI in 2002 and teaches at the University of California, Davis (UC-Davis)

Dr Khush obtained his agriculture degree at PAU, Ludhiana before going to UC, Davis where he obtained his PhD in genetics. On 15 January 2009, at the convocation ceremonies of the PAU, Dr Khush did something that you don’t hear of in India much. He donated Rs 3.5 crore (approximately US$700,000) to PAU to strengthen its research program. This amount represented the accumulated value of the prize money of various international awards that Dr Khush has received to date. His advice to the young graduates: "Your schooling may be over but, remember, your education will continue forever; learning is a continuous lifelong process. You have the responsibility to improve the quality of life and widen the span of knowledge of our country".

I have had the honor of interacting with Dr Khush. A gentler, humbler, more gracious human being is hard to come by.

More on our other eminent rice research scientists will follow.

Saving Punjab....an article from The Smithsonian magazine...

2009-09-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

Saving Punjab
A Sikh architect is helping to preserve cultural sites in the north Indian state still haunted by 1947’s heart-wrenching Partition

* By Geoffrey C. Ward
* Photographs by Raghu Rai
* Smithsonian magazine, September 2009

Read more: www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/Saving-Punjab-India.html#ixzz0QvRf7ISB

Punjab –the Land of Milk and Honey no more?

2009-09-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up and we came home to our village for the winter holidays, I recall it used to be boasted that the milk was so pure (from cows and/or buffaloes that we owned) that not a drop of water had been added to it. I also recall my father’s lament when the first milk collection centers were established in support of the state’s dairy development scheme. Hi comment: “This is going to ruin the health of the people in the villages”. His argument was that people will start selling the last extra drop of milk for cash, depriving the children and other family members of milk, butter, ghee, curd and lassi. The money they earn will be spent on consumer goods, more expenditure at weddings, more clothes etc. The poor would suffer because they would no longer have access to the surplus “lassi” or milk from the better off households.

While the milk has been diverted from rural areas to meet the demand from the urban areas, the milk for cash culture has bred other evils. There have been reports of milk adulteration for many years. A couple of years ago, it was reported that over 90 percent of milk samples taken from private milk sellers or “dhoodh wallahs” were found to be adulterated. Now, Anil Kaura of the Tribune reports that “synthetic” milk is surfacing in Punjab in a big way. According to the report, urea, caustic soda, cheap cooking oils and commonly used detergents are used to prepare synthetic milk. Refined oil is used as a substitute for milk fat and detergents are added to emulsify and dissolve the oil in water and give this “milk’ its white color. The report also adds that synthetic milk is mixed with natural milk and is sold to consumers at Rs 10-Rs 15 per litre whereas the cost of producing it is less than Rs 3 per litre.

It is a shame that in the state known all over for its milk based diet and for its robust population, milk should become such a tarnished commodity. Could it be that this is also linked to the high rates of stunting and malnutrition among children and women in Punjab? After all, availability of milk in a rural household was always a marker of its overall well-being.

In a Lighter Vein

2009-09-04T14:32:00.000-07:00

Name dropping, from being a somewhat refined pastime in the past, has evolved into a crass habit that seems to pervade every conversation these days. Whenever I visit Punjab I am surprised at how pervasive this habit has become. People are always trying to find out who knows who, making a mental note of these connections so that they can be used in the right place at the right time. Doors, otherwise firmly shut, will fling wide open when the right name is dropped at the right moment. This phenomenon is beautifully caricatured in this encounter our very own Santa Singh has with the cops:

Santa Singh is caught cutting a red light and is stopped by the traffic police. Asked to show his papers, Santa twirls his mustache and says “I know your IG traffic very well”. As expected, the police immediately let him go. As he drives off, from a safe distance, he yells to the police, “But your IG does not know me!”

The State of Our Schools

2009-09-03T12:38:00.001-07:00

I read a rather disturbing piece in the news recently about public schools in Bathinda. The news item said that the Government schools in Bathinda district had been reduced to being schools for Dalits because the other communities have deserted the government schools and opted for private schools that seem to have mushroomed in the villages. It appears that the private schools are coming up to meet the growing market demand for better quality education than is being currently provided by government schools. This emerging lack of confidence in state schools – and I do not know how widespread it really is - has many dimensional consequences.

It is a shame if education, the one medium that can ensure equity and lessen the social inequalities for which India is infamous, becomes the very medium that indirectly exacerbates the social divide. It is also a blot on Sikhism, which has its strongest roots in rural Punjab, that we can allow government systems to inadvertently bring about a divide based on caste – a notion rejected by the Gurus and alien to Sikh values. If Dalits are the main community left to patronize the government schools it is not because of caste considerations. It is due to the prevailing income inequalities that are biased towards the weaker communities who have no choice because they cannot afford to send their children to private schools that charge fees. But the social implications of this situation should not be ignored.

A key factor that affects the quality of education is the teachers. One hears complaints about teachers all the time. Talk to any one in a village who has a school going child and instantly they will tell you what is wrong. It is common that teachers in village schools send the children off to get milk from their homes and then make tea for them, get “saag” and other vegetables from the fields, to baby sit their children etc. Some years ago the Government actually had to ban knitting in schools. It is common for teachers to mete out differentiated treatment to children based on their economic or social standing in the village. Research also indicates that this is a major cause for children dropping out of school.

Government teachers are better paid than their counterparts in private schools – not only do they get higher salaries but also have a variety of benefits which teachers in private schools do not enjoy. Teachers constitute the largest segment of government employees. This places a heavy demand on Government’s recurrent budget which caters to salaries and benefits of government officials. Of the money government spends on education, at the primary level generally over 90 percent goes towards teacher salaries. So, if teachers are not doing their job, it is a huge waste of state resources and teacher salaries or working conditions cannot be used as an excuse for non performance by teachers.

Private schools are preferred over government schools due to the perception that private schools offer better education. People are willing to pay to get a good education for their children. Thus, there is a strong demand for good quality education which is not being met by government schools.

The image of private schools is of providing good quality education – the child going to a private school in the village has a neat uniform and has something to show for the day in class – an exercise book has been checked and corrected. Parents can see progress everyday. The teacher in the private school probably is less qualified and earns half of what a teacher in a government school earns but is seen to be delivering better results. It is an interesting dilemma all over the developing world – why do teachers in private schools with lower salaries produce better results than their better paid counter parts in government schools? The reason is simple: accountability. In order to keep your job, you have to deliver good results and ensure that the school’s reputation is protected. A private school is run like a business and its clientele needs to be maintained and that can only be done if the children are seen to be happy and learning well.

On the other hand, accountability in government schools is weak– absenteeism, using teaching hours for activities other than teaching and ill treatment of students etc rarely invite punishment. Jobs are secure, transfers can be bought and disciplinary action quashed by paying bribes. Teachers work within the prevailing overall work ethic where lack of accountability seems to be the norm rather than the exception.

In the past, one of the key reasons for the development of Punjab’s villages was the strong link the rural Punjabi had with his origins. Those who left their villages to take up employment in the cities did not disconnect with their roots – but instead renovated and upgraded their village homes in keeping with their improved status. Add to this the fact that the “ruling’ classes – the politicians and the bureaucracy – were drawn in fairly large numbers from the Jat Sikh community that is the back bone of rural Punjab. Their identity was often derived from the village to which they belonged. Many prominent Sikh personalities use their village name in lieu of their surname. It was a matter of prestige to upgrade your village home; to allocate a school; a health center; a bus service; water works etc to your village. It enhanced your own prestige as well as that of your village – a mutually complementary agenda. The early broader thrust towards developing the villages can also be attributed indirectly to this strong link with the villages that the ruling classes had.

Why is it then that the interest in maintaining the quality of public services in the villages has waned among those who can make a difference – the politicians, the bureaucracy, and the village elders? I could be wrong but with the passing of the older generation that was more strongly rooted in the rural areas, the well-to-do are shifting their investments as well as residences to urban areas and land is increasingly seen as a source of bi annual income. Besides, with land holdings getting smaller, the attachment to land is no longer as strong as it once was. Educated Sikh youth from rural areas who have the means are immigrating in search for better education and employment opportunities.

The back-bone of Punjab is its villages. Despite the big hoardings all over Punjab heralding progress, the villages have made little progress in the last 20 years. There are more roads but not necessarily better roads, there may be more grants for schools but the quality of education is not necessarily better. Services continue to be highly personalized – if you know someone, things happen. If not, that’s a whole different story. If you engage in conversation with anyone even for five minutes the topic invariably turns to the rampant corruption. It is interesting to note that almost everyone speaks of corruption with awe and disgust simultaneously so much so it’s hard to tell whether they are condemning it or justifying it. Integrity and self–respect seem to have lost the battle to money. As an occasional visitor, it is distressing to hear that there is rampant drug use among the village youth due to unemployment or lack of avenues to fulfill their hopes and dreams. Attitudes have changed little over the years, parents are still struggling with trying to keep their children in school but able to offer little help being themselves illiterate or semi literate.

The system will not self-correct. There seems to be little indication that there will be any major effort by the State to enforce discipline and accountability. The role of the communities and the village elders has been eroded due to politicization of the panchayati elections, there is no common purpose among the village communities any more. All conversation in the village is about party-baazi. And yet, there is no better watchdog that the communities. Only the people for whom the services are provided can hold the system accountable. The retired, educated people who still have roots in villages can fill the leadership vacuum by encouraging and even mobilizing village communities to take greater bipartisan interest in the service delivery of education, health and other development programs in the rural areas. The benefits to society would be immense. It is a challenge for the idealistic and the inspired to provide the leadership to restore Punjab’s pride and potential. There is no better place to start than in its schools. If we wait for government to intervene we may wait forever.

Watch "Signature" - Michael Jackson moves and Bhangra combo

2009-09-01T01:28:00.000-07:00

Bhangra is so mainstream now that its passé to even say so. Signature, a talented duo from Britain, came in second at Britain’s Got Talent 2008 contest – an American Idol style dance competition. The dancing duo comprises Suleman Mirza and Madhu Singh, both of whom hold regular day jobs and give expression to their dancing talent in the evenings. They presented a mix of Michael Jackson moves and Bhangra – a combination that obviously floored audience and judges alike. They were voted in second in the competition. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaoFYEx0crQ

Shiv Batalvi.....

2009-08-31T10:59:00.000-07:00

My first introduction to Shiv Batalvi came when I chanced upon the song “Mai Ni mai main ik shikra yaar banaya” sung by Pushpa Hans. The song was so poignant, and Pushpa Hans' crystal clear voice added to the pathos of the lyrics. We were intrigued by the word “Shikra”. Research indicates that “shikra’ is a bird that, once it abandons its nest, never returns there to nest again. Of course, the initial curiosity about understanding the song led inevitably to the man who had composed it – and that man is Shiv Batalvi.

Shiv was born in 1936 into a Brahmin family in Pakistan. The family moved to Batala after partition. Shiv died in 1973 at the age of 36 and his young life encapsulates tremendous talent nurtured in an otherwise ordinary Punjabi life. Shiv’s father was a “patwari” – the lowest ranking, but not the least powerful, revenue official in the hierarchy of Government officials. Shiv passed the matriculation (grade 10) exam from Punjab University but never finished college. His father managed to get Shiv a job as a “patwari”but it didn't last long. Shiv moved to Chandigarh where he worked in the State Bank of India but his main focus remained his poetry.

Shiv was fond of drinking and, according to one of the many legends that surround his young life, he would recite his poetry, in a state of drunkenness, at the traffic round-about in Madhya Marg, Chandigarh, for the benefit of anyone who was willing to listen.

Shiv’s poetry is characterized by an overwhelming sense of loneliness and loss. Some of his finest love poems are believed to have been written to lament his love for the daughter of Gurbaksh Singh “Preetlari” who was married off to someone in the United States . The poem “mai ni mai main ik shikra yaar banaya” is said to refer to her leaving India for the US .

Shiv Batalvi has emerged as a major Punjabi poet and has been likened to Waris Shah. His epic poem, Loona, is now recommended reading for Punjabi literature courses in both Punjabi and Punjab Universities. Don’t miss out on this great Punjabi poet! Even if you do not know how to read Punjabi you can listen to some of his finest poetry in the album titled "Birhan Da Sultan" by Jagjit and Chitra Singh. My personal favorites on this album: Eh Mera Geet Kise Na Gaona, Rog Ban Ke Reh Gaya Pyar Tere Shehar Da and, of course, Mai ni Mai.

Shiv often recited Asaan taan joban rutey marna – was it a death foretold? or the expression of a death wish stemming from some deep sorrow that found expression in his poetry? Although the image of Shiv as the eternally suffering lover heightens the aura of tragic love around Shiv's poetry, Shiv himself denied any connection between his personal emotions and his poetry and was supposed to have been happily married.

Punjab shocks on child malnutrition and stunting.

2009-08-31T10:50:00.000-07:00

Here is a SHOCKER! Punjab, the breadbasket of India, a state we are so proud of, has devastating statistics on the health of women and children.
The Tribune, the English daily published out of Chandigarh, reports that over 80 per cent of infants in Punjab are anemic, every second child is stunted and every third child is undernourished.
The article quotes the state wise reports from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) 2005-2006 that became available recently. According to this article, the NFHS survey conducted under the stewardship of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare government of India, shows 80 per cent of the children in Punjab in the age group six months to three years are anemic. Surprisingly in both Punjab and Haryana more than 60 per cent of the children of educated mothers have been found to be anemic and 37 per cent of the children under 5 are stunted, one in ten is wasted and almost one fourth are underweight. Thirty-eight percent women in Punjab suffer from anemia. The child mortality rate (1-5 years) is particularly high for girls in Punjab. While 6 boys (per 1000) die before they are five years old, as many as 16 girls die before they are five.
The bias against the girl child also shows up in the vaccination trends ascertained by the surveys. In Punjab, only 54 per cent of girls between the age of one to two years, compared to 65 per cent boys in the same age group, are fully vaccinated.
What can be done to correct this? Why do we, who pride ourselves on being such a progressive community, allow this to happen in our midst? Clearly this situation has not arisen due to shortage of food, or poverty. Is it a result of ignorance and social bias against women who as care givers of infants and children do not have free access to food for themselves or their children? Whatever be the reasons it is a shame for all Punjabis. What does this say for the future of our community?