My Malice and Bias

The social structure of Punjab is a complex blend of agrarian traditions, religious principles (primarily Sikhism and Hinduism), and a distinctive caste system that operates often in contrast to the egalitarian ideals of Sikhism. Despite Sikhism’s formal rejection of the Hindu caste system, the caste remains a crucial identifier in rural and urban Punjab, influencing social relations and marriage. The society is strongly organized around a caste-based hierarchical structure that is less rigid than other parts of India but still deeply influential. Even the Muslim Punjabis of Pakistan belong to this social structure with genetic kinship with Sikh and hindu Punjabis. Here are the key communities of the social structure of Punjabis: Brahmins - priests, scholars, teachers Khatri - warriors, rulers,urban landowners Arora - merchants, urban landowners Bania - shopkeepers, traders Rajput - warriors, rulers Jatt - farmers, agricultural landowners Tarkhans - carpenters, artisa...

Anglo-Sikh Wars (1845-1849) The Anglo-Sikh Wars (1845-1849 ) were conflicts between the powerful Sikh Empire in Punjab and the British East India Company , resulting in the British conquest and annexation of Punjab, ending Sikh sovereignty and expanding British rule over India. The First War (1845-46) involved Sikh invasions across the Sutlej River, leading to Sikh victories and then defeats resulting in partial subjugation. The Second War (1848-49) began with revolts, escalating into a full-scale war that resulted in the total annexation of Punjab. Two traitors, primarily high-ranking commanders and ministers within the Lahore Darbar (Sikh court), played a decisive role in the defeat of the Sikh Empire by the East India Company during the Anglo-Sikh Wars. Their treachery included leaking military secrets, deliberately withholding troops and ammunition, sabotaging logistics, and abandoning the battlefield to ensure a British victory in exchange for personal power and wealth. Prom...

Impression of Makhan Shah Lohana Before his untimely death in Delhi,  Guru Harkrishan Rai had named ' Baba Bakala " as his successor to be the next Guru. No one understood who 'Baba Bakala" was and left the Sikhs leaderless for some time The Sikh community elders discussed the possibilities but no conclusive decision could be made on who was the eighth guru was referring to. Among the Sikh elders searching for the 9th Guru was Bhai Makhan Shah , a wealthy merchant from Kathiawad in Gujarat. Bakala Town Map of Bakala, Punjab Bakala is a small historic town in Majha region of Punjab located at 31°33′18″N 75°15′56″E, on Batala Road, near Amritsar, Punjab, India. The town is located about 26 miles) away from Amritsar, 29 miles northwest of Jalandhar and 120 miles northwest of the state's capital of Chandigarh.  The region was famous for the cultivation of 'Bakala' or Buckwheat . The buckwheat Common was domesticated and first cultivated in inland Southeast As...

  Age is nothing more than a state of mind, because as the old saying goes, “ You're as young as you feel .” That said, some days you feel a little less young than others, and that's where having a sense of humor comes in handy. “ Old age is always fifteen years older than I am. ” — Oliver Wendell Holmes I was browsing my home library of books that I have collected over time and found a real gem. This book was written by Sardar Jagjit Singh Tuli who was maternal uncle of my grandfather (Nana) - Tikka Gurcharan Singh Bedi of Dera Baba Nanak , later London, UK. ' Tuli Mamaj i" as we called him, was a realtor in Delhi after partition and later settled in Manchester, UK. He met me when I migrated to UK in 1986 and fondly gifted me two books authored by him. He was a colorful figure and known for many attributes, but never realized how good was he in composing poetry in Punjabi. Jagjit Singh Tuli 'Mamaji' This book is titled, ' Yadaan de Ohle ' meaning ...

 We all got used to certain words in our vocabulary that we use everyday without understanding the origin and true meanings of these terms. The original Punjabi language is most likely t he oldest language in the Indian subcontinent - much older than Hindi, Sanskrit, and even Tamil . I would like to call that " Adi-Punjabi " as it is the same as the ancient "Prakrit " that originated in the same region.  Adi-Punjabi Prakrit is the ' natural ' or the ' native " language that was spoken in the Punjab region that later extended to the rest of India. It was later transformed by Panini of Punjab in the mid-4th century BCE with structural grammar and the outcome was "Sanskrit" or the "refined language". Aṣṭādhyāyī is a foundational text for understanding and using Sanskrit, and Panini is considered the founder of the language. Prakrit remained the language of common people as Sanskrit was limited to religious scriptures and literary wo...

Often civilizations are known in history by the names they are called by their contemporary civilizations. The sacred land of North-West India that we know as Punjab today has been named with various names over times by the civilization that interacted, communicated, traded, or warred with the people of this sacred land – Sumerian, Persians, Greeks, Chinese, and other regions of India. Figure1:   Greater India and Punjab  I am going to go through these names in chronological order that describes this geographic region. Its important here to note that the definitions are not just limited to the Republic of India but also includes neighboring countries as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Srilanka, Tibet, and many countries in Central Asia as well as SE Asia. Most of these political nations were carved out of India fairly recently relative to the history of the region. Meluhha - Sumerian Name for Indus Valley The oldest ever identity of th...