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PUNJAB CULTURE AND PRESENT SCENARIO

CULTURE AND CHANGE


The cultural change in any society is one that can’t be
avoided. Time and again there has tobe instances that are
path breaking and lead to the situations that ultimately are
the buildingblocks of a new norm or cultural practice. One
can’t remain unperturbed with thedevelopments in the
society, whether at superficial or ground level. If one
remains static tothese developments, that person is bound
to be left behind and labelled as a person sufferingfrom
‘generation gap’ syndrome.
PUNJABI CULTURE – THE RICHEST
There is nothing more appropriate than to quote first Nobel
laureate of India, Rabindra NathTagore, “Similar to Germany
in Europe, Tigris – Euphrates valley in Western Asia,
Chineseplains in Eastern Asia, our Punjab is one of those
tracts on the surface of the earth, where thestreams of
history flowed with full vigour. Punjab is that beautiful piece
of land on the skiesof which the first day of morn sprouted,
in the forests of which sacred hymns echoed for thefirst
time, on the surface of which was born the first civilized man
of India and on the bosomof which the Indian culture
originated.”
In fact, the Indus valley civilisation is believed to be older
than even the culture of Vedicperiod. While the Vedic Aryans
were rural, the people of this valley possessed the
amenitiesof a developed city life.
The history of Punjab till the 10th century A.D reveals that
not only it played significant rolein the life history of India
but also acted as a confluence for many people and cultures
of Asiaand South Eastern Europe.
To quote Sher Singh Gupta, “It became a cockpit and
confluence in which there was anunending amalgamation of
communities and cultures resulting in a broad,
pragmatic,experimental and utilitarian outlook and a robust
common sense. Throughout this period,Punjab acted as the
sentinel of India.
Punjab is no doubt can be considered as the hub of the
epicentre of the culture and traditions
that are earthy and originally indigenous.
But the story is rather has a flip side too. The deterioration of
the culture that we take pride inis fast being shunned by the
new generation and are standing at bay from getting
enrichedwith them.
As we are moving ahead in the 21st century, the western
culture is taking its toll on the richand golden pure culture
that has prevailed since the time immemorial. Looking at
thedifferent constituents of our culture one by one, it will be
evident that we are losing out thethings that are to be
cherished by every Punjabi.
FOLK CULTURE – WHO IS INTERESTED?

FOLK SONGS : Lok Geets are the body and soul of Punjab.
They form the very base
of our Punjabi culture and there is one for every occasion.
Punjabi people, true to their
reputation of being jovial, sang songs that are particularly
for some specific momentsof life. For the joyous flight of
birds, of bustle of grown crops, of dark blossomednights, all
had a specific one for them. They are ageless and none can
boast ofauthorship for any of them.
But the new generation of Punjabi people present a
pathetic picture in reference tothese earthy songs. Sadly,
they don’t hum these songs anymore, and it will not
bewrong to say that they may not even know what the song
means and on what occasionit is played on. A folk song is
essentially a subjective expression of emotions, wellingup
from the depths of the heart.
To add to the woes, even older people, who have lived and
seen it all, are also nottaking keen interest to pass on the
legacy to the new generations. They have alwaysbeen
involved in thinking about the ideas of minting money and
leading a luxuriouslife. Moving to the foreign shores has a
great role in enhancing this process

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