Punjab –An Anmol Ratan of India

The famous poet of Punjabi language Lala Dhani Ram Chatrik has written these beautiful lines in the praise of Punjab –

                    Punjab kra ki sift teri,

                    Shana de sab saman tere,

                    Jal paun teri, hariaawal teri,

                    Sab parbt maidaan tere,

                    Bharat de sar te chhatar tera…..

Really, Punjab, A great state of India is a Heritage. It is a land of five rivers. It has a unique and great culture. It is the land of warriors, Gurus, Saints, Poets, and Heroes. It is situated in the Northwest of India. It is the only state of India where a large number of Sikhs live. It is also known as the Food Bowl of India. Here I enlisted some major features of this Heritage in detail:

Came into existence – After independence in 1947, Punjab was a combined state of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. But in 1966, Haryana and Himachal became separate states and modern Punjab came into existence. 

Regions of Punjab – The state of Punjab has 22 districts which are divided into three regions: Majha, Malwa, Doaba

Majha – The part between the Ravi and Beas river is known as Majha. It is in the center of Punjab. Its regional language is ‘Majhi’. It has four districts:

 Amritsar, Tarntaran, Gurdaspur, and Pathankot.

Malwa – The part on the left bank of Satluj and Gaggar is known as Malwa. Its regional language is ‘ Malwai’. It has a 70% population of Punjab. It consists of 14 districts: 

Bathinda, Barnala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Faridkot, Fazilika, Firozpur, Ludhiana, Mansa, Moga, Mohali, Muktsar, Patiala, Ropar, and Sangrur. Bathinda is the ‘heart of Malwa’.

Doaba – The part between Beas and Satluj is known as Doaba. Its regional language is ‘Dhabi’. It is the NRI hub of Punjab. It has 4 districts: 

Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, and Nawanshahr.

Government language – The government language of Punjab is ‘Punjabi’. 

It is that language which is spoken by 125 million people all over the world. 

The population of Punjab– Punjab has a 2.8 crore current population. 

Literacy Rate – Education is on both the highest and lowest levels. But here the people have experience on their hands. It has a 76.68% literacy rate. 

Capital of Punjab – The capital of Punjab is Chandigarh.

Major Occupation – The major Occupation of most of the people is Agriculture. This is mainly occupied by the ‘Jatts’ which is a well-known category of Punjab.

Political and religious life – Political and religious life cannot be differentiated. Because Punjab is a land of villages. A large population takes part in political activities. There are two main political parties in Punjab: Akali Dal and Congress.

They set up their different religious places or Gurudwaras on the basis of their political parties. For example, in the villages, there are different Gurudwara sahibs for Akalies and also different for Congress parties. 

As Malwa is the largest region so they take part in political activities at the burning rate.

Land of festivals – Punjab is full of colors of festivals. These are some major festivals: Vaisakhi, Holi, Lohri, Dusshera, and Diwali. Diwali of Shri Amritsar Sahib is world-famous. It is said that,

                          Daal roti ghar di, Diwali Amritsar di.                                                     

Places to Visit – Punjab is a great Heritage. It has a large number of wonders. The major places to see are Golden Temple, Wagah Border, royal palaces of Patiala, Purana Qilla of Bathinda, Architecture of Chandigarh, memorials of Shri Anandpur Sahib, and historical monuments of Nabha and Sangrur.

Traveling facilities – Punjab is connected with all areas through the airways, roadways, and railways. It has a large international airport and major railway station in Amritsar Sahib. Other districts also have good transportation facilities. 

Changing scenarios of Punjab – Nowadays, Due to industrialization, inflation, Modernization, inadequate government policies, and complexities of life, Punjab is also facing many unnecessary challenges and changes. But still, it is developed and rich in loyalty, sympathy, hard work, culture preservation, and traditional arts.

However, In a nutshell, I would like to say that Punjab is still a golden Bird and Food Bowl and rich in glorious history. Just it needs a good Political system and ideal thinkers who can lead it on a glorious path in an adequate manner. I would like to Summarize by saying these beautiful words of frozen scarf: 

                  Mile maan punjabi nu desh andar,

                  Ashiq mudon main es umang da haan,

                  Main punjabi, punjab da ‘ sarf’ sevak, 

                  Sada khair punjabi di mangda haan.

 By Davinder Kaur