Punjabi Network

Punjab is wherever Punjabis live

Culture, Arts, Music, Dance, Fine Arts, TV-Cinema, Lifestyle Foods
ARTS

Performing arts in the Punjab
The genius of Punjabis finds expression in love stories, lusty dancing, and humour. The mirasis (professional wits), naqalias (mummers), and domanis (female singer-actresses) are professional performers. They exploit all the tricks of exaggeration, absurdity, malapropism, comic gags, and lewd references. In the performance of a naqal (comic sketch), two people constitute a troupe. The leader holds a leather folder and slaps his foolish partner, who leads his master to a hilarious situation through absurd replies. Expert in mime and clowning, these character types are distantly related to the Western court fool and the commedia dell'arte.

Discussion on Punjabi Culture

Dances
GIDDA

also spelled GIDDA, traditional pastoral dance performed by women of the Punjab, India, and Pakistan at festival times and at the sowing and reaping of the harvest. Patterned on a circle, it is notable for the bodily grace of the women's movements (especially of the arms and hands) and for the charming melody that accompanies it.

Bhangra

is one of the most popular, traditional folklore dances of Punjab, usually
performed by men.
 Bhangra, the most virile folk dance in the country is performed at most during a festive occasion. This dance is also associated with Baisakhi festival which is indicative of the ensuring harvest. The fields with golden brown wheat at its zenith during the harvest season, invites the farmer to dance. Bhangra dance reflects the spirited animation of the Punjabi farmer happy at the results of his toil. The young and the old get together on the sounds of the drums. Once they are there this vigorous dance is on with boli and the beat of the drum. Bhangra is one of the attractions at a marriage party / reception, or on the birth of a child and other similar occasions.

Gidda is a folk dance basically for the women. Even though it is confined to women, it is however by no means a gentle style of dancing, and even in the presentation of the most delicate sentiments it is appealingly full blooded and vigorous. The boliya are the life of the Gidda and these could be on any aspect ranging from nature and environment to love affairs and conditions od the house.

Besides these two folk dances there are Jhummer, Ludi and Sami which are another form of Bhangra and Gidda .

 
TV Cinema
Punjabi Cinema has not been very successful in terms of making box office hits yet Punjabis have enjoyed the movies made in Punjabi language. The stereotyped rural background in the movies in both countries had been the main theme but in last decade, the Television has produced some great serials and soap operas which are considerably good entertainment and convey a very profound social message.

We will be reviewing some of them shortly and adding links.
Participate in lively discussion on Punjabi TV and Cinema arts on our bulletin board.

 

 
Music
Without music life of a Punjabi is as dry as the land in June and July.
We do not know any Punjabi who does not enjoy music.

We will be reviewing the best sites and adding lots of material.

You can submit your URL to the Punjabi Search Engine - an excellent
door to the Punjabis Worldwide.

Contribute your views or start a discussion to Bulletin Board

 
Foods
A typical desi meal would consist of chapatis or rotis (unleavened bread baked on a griddle) or parathas (unleavened bread fried on a griddle), rice and an assortment of accessories like dals, fried vegetables, curries, curd, chutney, and pickles. For dessert one could choose from the wide array of sweetmeats from Bengal like rasagulla, sandesh, rasamalai and gulab-jamuns. Punjabi desserts are very similar in taste as they are derived from a milk pudding or rice base and are usually soaked in syrup. Kheer a form of rice pudding, shahi tukra or bread pudding and kulfi, a nutty ice-cream are other common northern desserts