PUNJAB• Punjab, also spelt Panjab, is a state in the northwest of the Republic

of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region.The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast, Rajasthan to the southwest, and the Pakistani province of Punjab to the west. To the north it is bounded by the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The state capital is located in Chandigarh, a Union Territory and also the capital of the neighbouring state of Haryana.

• After the partition of India in 1947, the Punjab province of British India was divided between India and Pakistan. The Indian Punjab was divided in 1966 with the formation of the new states of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh alongside the current state of Punjab.

LOCATION

CLIMATE• Climate of Punjab is tropical , semi arid, hot and subtropical monsoon type

with cold winter and hot summer. State experience four seasons Cold Season from November to March, hot season from April to June, Monsoon season from last week of June to the first week of September and post monsoon or transition season from Sept till beginning of November. Temperature: Day temperature are more less uniform over the plains except during winter and monsoon season. In general the night temperature are lower in higher latitudes except during the post monsoon when they are more or less uniform.

• Humidity:- The average humidity remains about 32 % in May and 73% during August.

• Cloudiness :- Period from October to November , May to June is generally cloudless or lightly clouded. July and August are two months when sky remain clouded/overcast for more days.

• Rainfall:- State received about 648.8 mm of average Annual rainfall.

CAPITAL OF PUNJAB• Chandigarh, also known as The City Beautiful, is a city and a union

territory in the northern part of India that serves as the capital of the states of Haryana and Punjab. As a union territory, the city is ruled directly by the Union Government of India and is not part of either state.

• The city of Chandigarh was the first planned city in India post-independence in 1947 and is known internationally for its architecture and urban design. The master plan of the city was prepared by Le Corbusier, transformed from an earlier plan by the American planner Albert Mayer. Most of the government buildings and housing in the city, however, were designed by the Chandigarh Capital Project Team headed by Pierre Jeanneret, Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry.

FAMOUS PERSONALITIES OF PUNJAB

• Raj Kapoor – Film

• Har Gobind Khorana

Nobel Prize Winner

PEOPLE• Punjabi people also spelled Panjabi people; are a clan of

Indo-Aryan peoples, originating from the Punjab, found between eastern Pakistan and northern India. Punjab literally means the land of five waters

• The coalescence of the various tribes, castes and the inhabitants of the Punjab into a broader common "Punjabi" identity initiated from the onset of the 18th century CE. Prior to that the sense and perception of a common "Punjabi" ethno-cultural identity and community did not exist, even though the majority of the various communities of the Punjab had long shared linguistic, cultural and racial commonalities.

LARGEST CITIES

TEXTILE MILLS IN PUNJAB

PHULKARI WORK• Phulkari literally means flower working, which was

at one time used as the word for embroidery, but in time the word “Phulkari” became restricted to embroidered shawls and head scarfs. Simple and sparsely embroidered odini (head scarfs), dupatta and shawls, made for everyday use, are called Phulkaris, whereas garments that cover the entire body, made for special and ceremonial occasions like weddings and birth of a son, fully covered fabric is called Baghs ("garden") and scattered work on the fabric is called "adha bagh" (half garden). this whole work is done with white or yellow silk floss on cotton khaddarh and starts from the center on the fabric called "chashm-e-bulbul" and spreads to the whole fabric.

INDUSTRY TOWN

• The state has essentially an agrarian economy with a lower industrial output as compared to other states of India. A prominent feature of the industrial scenario of the Punjab is its small sized industrial units. There are nearly 194,000 small scale industrial units in the state in addition to 586 large and medium units. Ludhiana is an important centre for industry. In the 1980s there was a chance of a Hero Honda and Maruti Suzuki plant to be set up in Ludhiana but due to some circumstances of terrorism it was cancelled.

CULTURE• Dance and songs are very much compulsory during get togethers and festivals.

The festivals of Punjab makes the culture more interesting. Bhangra” is one of the most famous dance forms of Punjab. With the loud drumming of the dholak, people dance with zeal to the tunes of the music. “Giddha” is another important variant of dance practiced by Punjabi women. Bolis are lyrically sung and danced by women. Other popular dance forms are Jhumar, Dhankara and Gatka. Irrespective of age or religion, Punjabis love to dance and enjoy themselves to mark festivity. Folk music is the soul of Punjabi culture. Folk music comprises of simple musical instruments like dholak and dhol drum. Punjabi music relates to the zestful people of Punjab. Bhangra is a popular music form of Punjab. Boliyas are sung and music is played in tune with the lyrics. Punjabi songsat the wedding range from emotional interludes to very peppy beats, where there is a constant chiding of the bride and groom. A sense of humor is essential to enjoy the wedding songs.

FESTIVALS

• Hola Mohalla Feb-Mar• Basant Panchami -February• Baisakhi Mar-Apr• Rakhri Aug-Sep• Diwali Oct-Nov• Lohri January• Maghi-January• Teeans(or Teej)- July• Dussehra- Oct-Nov

BAISAKHI

• Punjab being a predominantly agricultural state that prides itself on its food grain production, it is little wonder that its most significant festival is Baisakhi, which marks the arrival of the harvesting season. For the Sikhs, Baisakhi has a special significance because on this day in 1699, their tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh organized the Order of the Khalsa. Baisakhi is New Year's Day in Punjab. It falls on the month of Vaisakh.

COSTUME• The traditional attire of people is Kurta-pyjama

with turban for men. Women prefer Patiala suits as part of their traditional attire. However, the younger generation prefers trendy attire as per the fashion scenario. The NRI population has been a major influece regarding attire of the Punjabis. There is a riot of colors in the pagdi-turban and phulkari dupattas, that comes out during the Baisakhi festival. The traditional dress of the Punjabis comprising of the salwar-kameez for women and lehenga-kurta with a waistcoast has many colors and styling. Turban styles can be explored and is compulsory for all Sikhs.Duppatta-a part of Punjabi dress- has very much importance in the life of Punjabi girls.

FOOD• The cuisine of Punjab has an enormous variety

of mouth-watering vegetarian as well as non vegetarian dishes. The spice content ranges from minimal to pleasant to high. Punjabi food is usually relished by people of all communities. In Punjab, home cooking differs from the restaurant cooking style. At the restaurants, the chefs make a liberal use of desi ghee, butter and cream to make the food lip smacking and finger licking. On the other hand, at home, people prefer using sunflower oil or some other refined oil for cooking, with the basic idea of making the food low in fat content.

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DANCE COSUME• Punjabi dances are an array of

folk and religious dances of the Punjabi people indigenous to the Punjab region, straddling the border of India and Pakistan. The style of Punjabi dances ranges from very high energy to slow and reserved, and there are specific styles for men and women. Some of the dances are secular while others are presented in religious contexts.

ORNAMENTS• HEAD ORNAMENTS• Men’s• Sarpesh – the jeweled aigrette worn in front of the turban,• Kutbiladar – an oval pendant worn over the forehead,• Kalgi – Plume in jeweled setting,• Mukat or Mutakh – a head dress worn by Hindus at weddings,• Turah-I-marwarid – tassels of pearls worn on the turban

• Women’s• Sisphul, chaunk or choti phul – a round boss worn on the hair over the forehead,

it is cut or indented so as to resemble a gold flower like chrysanthemum.• Mauli – a long chain made of rows of pearls separated by jeweled studs, about 8

inches long hanging from the head on one side.• Sir mang – a pendant worn on the head by Hindus.

• EAR AND NOSE ORNAMENTSMen’s• Bala – very large ring worn by Khatris, Sikhs and Dogras, they have

a pearl strung on the gold wire of which they are made.• Murki - smaller earrings of the same shape.• Dur – a small earring with three studs.• Birbali – a broad earring with three studs.• Durichah – an ear-ring with pendant tasselWomen’s• Bali or Goshwara – a set of rings worn on the edge of the ear.• Bali Bahaduri – it has a large pointed stud in the center.• Karnphul, Dhedu and Jhumka – all forms of tassel like ornaments,

made with silver chains and little balls.• Pipal-watta, or Pipal Pata – like a murki, but has a drop or pendant to

it ending in a fringe of little gold pipal leaves.

PUNJABI FOOTWARE• The jutti or Punjabi Jutti is a type of

footwear common in North India and neighboring regions. They are traditionally made up of leather and with extensive embroidery, in real gold and silver thread in olden days, though now with changing times different juti with rubber soles are made available. Besides Punjabi jutti, there are various local styles as well. Today Amritsar and Patiala ("tilla jutti") are important trade centers for handcrafted juttis, from where they are exported all over the world to Punjabi diaspora. Closely related to mojaris.