Punjab
Map of India
Punjab
“The Land of the
Sikhs”
Demographics of Punjab
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Area: 50,362 sq Km
Capital: Chandigarh
Language: Punjabi
Districts: 17
Population : 20,281,969
Males : 10,695,136
Females : 9,495,659
Literacy : 57.14%
Places of Interest in Punjab
• Amritsar-Sacred city of the Sikhs, The Golden
Temple, Gardens, Fort, Museums.
• Taran Taran-Sikh Shrine.
• Dera Baba Nanak/Govindwal/KiratpurSikh pilgrim center.
• Pathankot-Gateway to Jammu and Kashmir
and the Valleys of Himachal.
• Patiala- Palace and Museum, National
Institute of Sports.
• Major Towns- Chandigarh, Amritsar, Patiala,
Ludhiana, Jalandhar.
Location
• Punjab is in Northern India and east side of
Pakistan. It has a long history and rich cultural
heritage.
• Punjab is said to have derived its name from the
five rivers that flow through it. The Indus, Ravi,
Beas, Sutlej and Ghaggar rivers. Pung means
five and aab means water so Punjab means five
waters.
• The people of Punjab are called Punjabis and
speak the language called Punjabi.
People
The people of this state are very hospitable,
enterprising and industrious. Today, this is one
of the most developed states in India. The
contribution of Punjab in the field of "green
revolution", industrial development, sports and
armed forces has been unique and unparalleled.
Punjab is dotted with places of historical and
cultural interest.
This land is inhabited by the brave people who
fought battles with invaders for centuries, and
is very aptly called "Sher-e-Punjab" or the land
of lions.
The Sikh Religion
• A progressive religion well ahead of its time
when it was founded over 500 years ago, The
Sikh religion today has a following of over 20
million people worldwide and is ranked as
the world’s 5th largest religion. Sikhism
preaches a message of devotion and
remembrance of God at all times, truthful
living, equality of mankind and denounces
superstitions and blind rituals. Sikhism is
open to all through the teachings of its 10
Gurus enshrined in the Sikh Holy Book, Sri
Guru Granth Sahib.
Place of worship
•The Sikh place of worship is
called a gurdwara, which
means house of God.
Wherever Sikhs go, they
build a gurdwara as a place to
worship and meet each other.
•Sri Harimandir Sahib,
commonly referred to as the
"Golden Temple," is the
world's most famous
gurdwara.
Sikhs Articles of Faith
•Sikhs have a way to show their commitment to their religion:
they wear five articles of faith, called kakkars or "5 K's." Many
Sikhs who have not taken amrit (similar to baptism) do not
keep all five. Almost all Sikhs wear the kara, or silver bangle.
•These are the 5 K's:
•Kachhera: The kachhera, a cotton undergarment, reminds
Sikhs of their modesty.
•Kanga: The kanga, a small wooden comb, represents
cleanliness and taking care of yourself.
•Kara: The kara, a steel bangle, is worn on the wrist. Since we
use our hands for almost everything we do, the bracelet is a
constant reminder of good deeds.
•Kes: The kes, long uncut hair, has become the most visible
way to identify Sikhs. Sikhs do not cut their hair in order to
maintain the way their bodies were given to them. Most men
and some women wrap their long hair in a turban. Almost all
people you see wearing turbans in the United States are Sikhs.
•Kirpan: The kirpan, a small religious sword, represents a
commitment to justice.
Names
Middle Name
•One of the Sikh gurus, Guru Gobind Singh,
wanted to promote equality and unity between all
Sikhs. So he gave all Sikh women the name "Kaur,"
meaning daughter of kings and all Sikh men the
name, "Singh," meaning lion.
Last Name
•The last name usually signifies a family tradition.
Many Sikhs, especially in the U.S., choose not to
use their family names and instead use "Singh" or
"Kaur" as their last name.
Food
•Imagine a table of steel plates and saucers full of rich
spicy dishes – vegetables and meats and yogurts and
breads. Punjabi main dishes use rich masalas, or spices,
cooked with ghee, or butter. Punjabis cook vegetables,
meat and lentils in the spices and serve them with rice or
a flatbread called roti, similar to tortillas. To help ease
the spices, they serve a side dish of yogurt or a glass of
buttermilk. Punjabis usually drink hot milky chai, or tea,
with every meal.
Clothing
•Punjabi Girls. Punjabi girls traditionally wear
salwar kameez with bright colored chunnis. The
salwar kameez has two pieces: the kameez, or long
shirt, and salwar, or pants. A chunni is a long
colorful cloth that women wear around their necks.
Some clothes are simple and made out of cotton, and
some are elaborate made out of silk. Though some
women wear turbans, most use a long thin scarf to
cover their heads.
Clothing
•Punjabi Boys. Punjabi men and boys wear loose
pants or slacks with a collared shirt or t-shirt.
Some also wear a kurta pajama, a shirt and pant
outfit which is very popular amongst Punjabi
farmers. On their heads, many Sikh men wear
turbans, called pagris. Sikh boys wear a patka,
or a small cloth that wraps around their head,
and then choose to wear the turban when they
get older.
Examples of Clothing
Salwar Kameez
Kurta Pajama
Music and Dance
• Bhangra is a lively form of music and dance that
originated in Punjab. As many Bhangra lyrics reflect
the long and often tumultuous history of Punjab,
knowledge of Punjabi history offers important
insights into the meaning of the music. While
Bhangra began as a part of harvest festival
celebrations, it eventually became a part of such
diverse occasions as weddings and New Year
celebrations. Moreover, during the last thirty years,
Bhangra has enjoyed a surge in popularity
worldwide, both in traditional form and as a fusion
with genres such as hip-hop and reggae.
Bhangra
Fairs and Festivals
Baisakhi
Baisakhi is celebrated on the 13th of April every year, marking the
new year of Punjab. In Punjab, a primarily agricultural area, this
day is especially important as it commemorates the first day of
harvest. The fields are full and beautiful with nature's bounty, all
ready to be cut and collected on this day. Traditionally, the men
and women perform Bhangra and Giddha to the pounding rhythm
of the dhol (drum).
Lohri
Lohri marks the end of winter, celebrated on the 13th of
January. This festival is celebrated as a harvest fair, marked with
gaiety and feasting. This festival commemorates more than the
harvest, though; it honors the spirit of Punjab. The day that follows
Lohri is an auspicious one for the Sikh community. It is the first
day of the Punjabi month called 'mangh' or 'manghi'. This is a
holy month, and it is honored with 'daan-punya' (acts of physical
and material charity). In the Sikh community, clothes worn the
night before, are given away and all the young girls receive
'punya' in the form of money.
Gurpurabs
Anniversaries associated with the lives of Sikh Gurus are
referred to as Gurpurabs
Gurpurab literally means 'festival of the guru'. The Sikhs celebrate
10 Gurpurabs in a year.All Gurpurabs are considered auspicious
and important but special significance is accorded to the birth
anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion. This
falls in the month of Kartik (October / November).
Education in Punjab
• A uniform structure of school education the
“10+2” system has been adopted.
• Minimum age for admission to class 1 in
primary school is generally 5+ years.
• The medium of instruction is Hindi, Punjabi
and English.
School Structures
• In India there are three different types of
schools. They are all boys, all girls, or coed schools.
• Depending on the families, boys and girls
may sometimes work together on projects.
• Boarding schools are also common
throughout India.
Teachers
• Teachers are respected a great deal in
India.
• They are respected in the same way
Gurus are.
• Teachers praise the kids in the same ways
as here.
• Barriya means good
• Shabaash means very good.
• Bahut Acchha means very nice.
Grading method
• Homework is not graded in schools.
• Pop quizzes are not given in classes.
• Mid term exams and final exams are given
at schools.
• Greater emphasis is placed on tests
versus homework for grades.
• A child's promotion to the next grade
depends upon academic achievement.
Example of grading scale in India
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O- :
A+ :
A :
B+ :
B :
C+ :
C :
D :
90% and above
80% to 89%
70% to 79%
60% to 69%
50% to 59%
45% to 49%
40% to 44%
Below 40%
Mota Singh Senior Elementary School
Punjabi language
• Punjabi is a language (what we speak).
Gurmukhi is a script (how we write
Punjabi)
• In the Punjabi language, the total number
of alphabets are 40, vowels are
10,consonants are 5 and dependent
vowels (Matraas) are 10.
Punjabi Language
• Gurmukhi script is written from left to write, and
read from left to right.
• Paragraphs have indentions.
• Various letters/sounds in the Punjabi alphabet
have no English equivalents.
• Sentences are written with the subject first,
sentence parts in the middle, and the verb last.
• Helping verbs such as “to be” are not usually
used in Punjabi.
• There is no capitalization of words.
Some differences between English and Punjabi language
In Punjabi:
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1. We use one word for 'is' and 'are'.
2. One word for 'was' and 'were'.
3. One word for 'between‘,'among' and 'into'.
4. One word for 'it' and 'this'.
5. One word for 'down‘,'below' and 'under'.
6. One word for 'he' and 'she‘,or 'his' and 'her'. Gender is
identified by the verb.
7. One word for 'has' and 'have'. Singular or Plural are identified
by verb.
8. One word for 'at', 'on‘, 'above', 'up' and 'over'.
9. One word for 'do' and 'does'.
10. One word for 'will' and 'shall'.
Punjabi/Hindi words used in English
• Many Punjabi/Hindi words are used in English
today.
• Some words were borrowed because they
sounded different and trendy like pundit, guru,
and dharma.
• The Punjabi word khand, meaning sugar lump,
is a likely origin for the word “candy”.
• Currently the Oxford English Dictionary lists over
700 words of Indian origin.
Structure/Vocabulary
• Structure - Grammar of Punjabi is similar to
Hindi and Urdu with some relatively minor
differences.
• Vocabulary - Like Hindi and Urdu, Punjabi has a
substantial number of loan words from Arabic
and Persian.
Genders
• Punjabi Language has 2 genders - masculine
and feminine. The masculine and feminine
genders are not only decided by the sex (as for
humans or animals) but also by the size and
usage. Larger inanimate objects are denoted by
the masculine form, smaller by the feminine.
Genders of inanimate objects are denoted by
the word ending, i.e. an object ending in ‘a’ is
masculine, e.g. kamra (room), while an object
ending in ‘i’ is feminine, e.g. kursi (chair).
Difficult Sounds
The following may be difficult for Punjabi speakers:
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Frank fixes fine furniture.
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Bring the ping pong ball.
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Set those three thick tree trunks on the trunk.
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Chelsea shouldn’t choose chocolate cakes.
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Which show will we watch?
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Put the pot of peppers on the back porch.
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Martha thoroughly thought these things through.
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I wouldn’t want to wear wool in warm weather.
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Does he pet the cat on the head or on the back?
Difficult Sounds
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Ch (chin)
F (foot)
Ng (ring)
P (pot)
Q (queen)
Th (thin)
Th (then)
V (vote)
w (water)
x (extra)
a (man)
e (egg)
I (sit)
o (hot)
u ( up)
•The culture of Punjab is unique. Punjabis show a
zest for life. They are known for their hard work and
bravery. They do well in all types of work, from
farming to information technology.