Evolution of love

Attitude of Punjabis

Over many centuries, right from the time of Alexander, to the Huns, or the Saka tribes, and later the Afghan raids by Ghazni, Ghori, Abdali, Nadir Shah or Timur; Punjab has always borne the brunt of raids; anything they saved was taken away by the invaders. So culturally and genetically, Punjabis are not inclined to save, they have a higher propensity to spend; and with it the propensity to live life as it comes rather than look too far into the future.

Add to it the syncretic society with Sufi thought, Bhakti thought and the Gurbani thought; all of which preach universal brotherhood.

The greatest Sufis like Waris Shah, Bulle Shah, Baba Farid were all Punjabi poets, and in their rustic Punjabi poetry they preached generosity and humanity first and foremost.

The advent of Guru Nanak brought about the resurgence of confidence in Hindu masses and the Sikh ideology of Chardi Kala(Ascending Energy) is a concept that refers to a mental state of optimism and joy. Sikhs are ideally expected to be in this positive state of mind as a sign of their contentment with the will of God, even during the times of adversity.

Also the concept of Langar, that is community kitchens is a five hundred year old phenomenon started by Guru Nanak, where the age-old caste divisions of society were sought to be set aside. Humans don’t change easily but slowly and surely the Punjabi culture has tried to evolve towards this ideal. Hence, you would see Langars at the drop of a hat with no one ever asking what the religion, caste or creed of the beneficiary is.

Most Hindus in Punjab till very recently believed in the teachings of the ten gurus and the concept of Chardi Kala and universal brotherhood is very much a part of Punjab’s social stream.

In the modern times, even economists agree that the concept of ‘Propensity to spend’ adds a multiplier effect to a region’s economy to a greater extent than the ‘Propensity to save’; hence the economic state of Punjab has generally accorded a better per capita income to all along with a higher scale of living in the middle class.

Disclaimer: That being said, no stereotype, positive or negative is always completely true. So you could meet many Punjabis just the opposite of what we described.

Explanatory note on the term ‘Punjabi’: Punjabi is a term used in India for anyone whose roots lie in Punjab; it is not a caste or a religion. The Brahmin comedian, Kapil Sharma is as much a Punjabi as a Bania industrialist Mittal (the promoter of Airtel); Muslim singers like Noorah Sisters are as much Punjabis as a Gurdas Mann or a Khatri (The Kapoors of film industry, Munjal promoter of Hero Group) or an Arora or a Sikh or a Muslim or any other group. The stereotype above could fit each or all of them generally. Also, don’t forget the Punjabis on the other side of the Indian border, in Pakistan’s Punjab; they are as much Punjabis as we are.