October 2004

World View

Punjabi of Northwest India

One of the centers of ancient civilization is in northwest India and is home to the Punjabi people. Alexander the Great invaded South Asia through the Punjab state and, when India and Pakistan divided in 1947, the Punjab state was the crossroads for the migration of Muslims into Pakistan and Hindus into the interior of India. “Punjabi” refers to both the inhabitants of the Punjab who share a common culture and who speak of at least one of six major localized dialects.

Reputation:
Punjabi speakers primarily live in the northwestern Indian state of Punjab, but are found throughout northern India. They are known as hardworking, open-minded people who are able to make their way out of nothing. They are lively, as seen in their traditional songs and dances. In fact, Bhangra is a Punjabi music and dance style that is even making in-roads into western pop music. Punjabis are especially noted for their hospitality.

Economy:
“ Punjab” translates literally into the words “five” and “river.” The area is aptly names because in this state the Indus River joins five other rivers to the south that flow from the Himalayas. The rivers along with the warm, temperate climate makes for a great agriculture region.

Punjabi speakers are a hard working agricultural community. This is one of the world’s most important agriculture regions with cotton and wheat being its principal crops. The location and climate allow for sufficient irrigation needed for the crops. Indian Punjab in only 1.7% of India’s land mass, but produces 21% of India’s wheat.

Religion:
Sixty percent of the Punjabis follow the Sikh religion while 34 percent follow the Hindu religion. .
One of the largest people groups among the 25 million Punjabi speakers of India are the Jat Sikhs, some of India's most ancient peoples. Jat Sikhs are a locally dominant group in northern India. They are landowners and are generally well off financially.

Jat Sikhs are known for their unvarnished manner, straightforward responses, and taste for a fight. They are a very proud people. They are also marked by the qualities of simple living and helping others.

The Jat Sikhs are a ripe harvest field that remains neglected by Gospel sowers. Only a small percentage of India's 11 million Jat Sikhs are known to be believers in Jesus Christ.

Lifestyle:
Punjabi houses are built together with common walls and limited entrances. Outside the wall of houses are work and storage areas. Beyond these areas are agriculture fields. Typical entry to a village is through a stone or brick gateway. This is usually the village meeting place, and the stopping point for visiting artists and traders, much like the Old Testament communities where the elders would gather at the city gates to determine laws and settle disputes, or to greet visitors.

The caste system by which India is typified is evident in the Punjab. Castes are usually divided into higher and lower groups. The upper castes are usually landowners and skilled artisans. Lower castes generally do such work as handling dead animals and sweeping streets.

Marriage:
Punjabi marriages are arranged by parents with wide consultation. Marriages occur according to customary forms depending on the family’s religion—Hindu, Sikh, Muslim or, in limited cases, Christian. Ceremonies also vary by caste and region. The girl’s parents cover wedding expenses and a dowry is given from parents to the girl to take to her new house. The dowry is usually enough to provide for the girl’s upkeep for 2 or 3 years, which is usually the time frame for having children. Having children establishes the girl permanently as a part of her new household.

Immediately following the wedding, the girl returns to her home and waits to be fetched by her husband. She may refuse if she wishes. In any case, the girl may refuse and return home, upon which the husband has to return the dowry. Once the couple has children, divorce is nearly impossible because there is no way parental rights or responsibilities can be done away with or reassigned. In theory, the marriage ceremony represents the idea that marriage is a free gift of the girl from her family to the groom with nothing taken back in exchange. In reality, however, the groom’s family often pressures the new wife to bring more dowry than originally agreed upon, and abuse from the groom and his family is common until the family is satisfied with the amount of dowry. “Dowry mongering” can last several years into the marriage and the new wife continues to be abused by her mother-in-law and even by her husband even after the dowry issue is over. This abuse of human rights not only occurs in the Punjab state, though, but throughout India and across caste lines. Suicide among young married women is a major social issue in India.

Individual Rights and Life Passages:
Women have no birthright to inherit property, but have a right to be taken care of. A son’s most sacred obligation is considered to be his mother.

There are no initiations into adulthood as with other cultures, but girls usually learn their respective roles by their mothers and boys around age five begin following their fathers.

Gonan, Amiram, ed. Peoples of the World: Customs and Cultures vol. 8. Grolier Educational. Danbury, Ct. 1998.

Levinson, David, ed., Encyclopedia of World Cultures; vol. 5 South Asia, G.K. Hall & Co. New York, New York. 1992.

Personal interview with a Christian worker in South Asia, 2004.