Punjabis:Busting A Few Myths

Ah finally a topic good enough to write about!

Of late I have often come across all sorts of opinions about Punjabis each one transcending us to a new level of being a stereotype.The fact that  most people judge you even when they know nothing about you never ceases to amaze & disappoint me.I am sure,no matter which part of India you belong to even you must have heard stuff about us & chances are on repetitive hearings you must have started into believing a lot of it too.Well I am here to explain some of that very stuff.

Even before I begin,there will be points in this blog where you might think that I am trying to represent the whole Punjabi community,but the fact of the matter remains I can only draw examples from my own life.So what say?Shall we get cracking?

Myth #1:Punjabi Music Means Yo Yo Honey Singh

Eventhough I am an admirer of his music,doesn't mean that he is the only one who has got the talent to get you grooving & sing in Punjabi at the same time.Yes the man is currently enjoying an unprecedented surge in popularity and being torn away by hypocrites claiming to be feminists,still my playlist includes fine Punjabi songs from a whole plethora of other singers/composers.Punjabi music is a lot more than just one man.Though 8/10 Punjabi songs will always be about love or rather fights over love,yet there is a song for every mood & every swing.Some far outdoing their Hindi counterparts when it comes to lyrics & the music.Some being even labelled as classic "whisky songs".So next time when you ask me whether or not I am listening to Punjabi music esp. the ladies,please don't jump to the conclusion "he must be listening to Honey Singh & thinking of ways to corner me."Sorry but that's just not me.

Myth #2:Punjabis Are All About Showing Off

It goes without saying that this has been the most famous of all myths I have ever come across.Imagine yourself managing to save Rs2.5 lacs & finally being able to buy that Tom Ford suit you have always wanted,in your bid to look like Harvey Specter from Suits.Now honestly tell me what would you want to do with it?Leave it hanging in the almirah & wait for the lustre to wear off or rather jump at the first occasion available & wear it.People always talk about stuff they can't afford & label someone who can ,as a showoff.I mean what's the point in buying a new car if you're not going to drive it around.What's the point in buying a new set of jewellery if you don't wear it at that distant cousin's daughter's marriage.

Yes I am not a fan of people who try to rub it in,in others' face as well.But buying something for yourself,if you're not going to use it to the wish of your heart hardly makes any sense.Yes we do like to celebrate it once in a while.If I ever manage to buy myself a Porsche,hell I will be throwing a party for every friend of mine.To me it is a way of sharing my joy with the people in my life,not because I want to tell them.they can't afford something I can.If you think like that my friend,you really need to look in the mirror & work on your pathetic life.

Myth #3:Punjabis Are Loud Mouthed & Cuss A Lot

To a certain extent this is not entirely untrue.Yes Punjabis tend to be loud people,but it's not like this is something we do deliberately.I personally am a very soft spoken person(or what I like to believe) but tickle my angry bone,you might as well hear me in the other corner of the city.Another thing is with bollywood glorifying the use of a certain Punjabi expletives like ullu da patha & a few others including bhencho,which is Virat Kohli's response to anything when he is not holding a bat in his hand,it doesn't mean we go around walking at home blatantly using them in our conversations.To me it's like more of a spur of the moment thing.If I am calling you a chutiya,it's not because I like using this word,but it's because what best describes what you might have done in that moment.We don't like to hold anything back.I mean come on,what would you prefer,hold stuff in your heart & then die one day with your arm severely paining as your heart goes into attack or rather let someone know what you think of them straight up?I would rather prefer doing anything but not die.Eitherways let's rather hope you would never give me a chance to use the whole range of expletives I know.
Besides I am pretty sure no matter what language you may speak,there must be a few cuss words & chances are there must be an occasion or two,the ones you have regretted using them.

Myth #4:Punjabis Booze & Party All The Time

All of us have seen Vicky Donor & all of us have seen the Punjabis in the movie,boozing insanely in a wedding & then behaving as utter fools.Truth couldn't be far from it.Every Punjabi wedding is held according to strict Hindu rituals & chances are you will find booze in like only 20-25% of Punjabi weddings(not counting the secret parking lot drinking binges).Yes most Punjabi people are jovial by nature & love to shake a leg or a hip.Doesn't mean you will find us at a dance floor or at the bar counter ordering a refill all the time,though most won't allow a chance to go begging.This reminds me I have successfully even managed to stay sober for 50 days in a row on my current sabbatical which is nothing short of an achievement.Yet the point remains,not all Punjabis do this.Some are shy,some like me avoid the dance floor,because honestly while dancing we often tend to look like John Abraham with a Nana Patekar face,making sure no girl in her right mind shall ever talk to us again.We are all for whatever the occasion demands & we generally don't say no to anything positive.

Myth #5:Punjabis Get The Best Looking Brides

There isn't much to say here but everyone around me guarantees me getting a good looking Punjabi bride,hopefully this is more of a fact than a myth.

Myth #5:The Unhealthy Food

And like always I reserve the most touchy-feely topic for the end.Ghee,makhan(butter),oil yes these ingredients form an inseparable part of our cuisine.Add to that the spices we use esp. my favourite black pepper,I wouldn't really call the Punjabi cuisine healthy but that's not the point here.The point is eventhough butter chickens,dal makhnis & shahi paneers will always be wrestling for top honours at any event,it's not like we eat the same stuff everyday.My dinner consists of the humble dal-roti with an occasional addition of rice & my lunches are pretty much the normal subzi-roti in other words ghar ka khaana.Yes when it comes to indulgences,we have a great variety to choose from & perhaps the most scrumptious of desi(native) alternatives at our disposal & they pretty much are the most popular of foods across the country& not just the northern part of India.
The different sort of halwas that form the desserts are pretty much as healthy as a mousse cake or a cadbury's silk bar.What you savour with all the worries of weight & health,we savour without the same worries.Yes we are always more particular about our food than anybody else is,after all what would life be without good food?

Unfortunately this last topic has started giving me the hunger pangs & has made it near impossible to continue,yet before I give my office boy a chance to kill me for staying way past the closing time,I promise I will update this blog whenever I come across a new myth.

Also just one last thing,I am glad I have got a whole bunch of friends from all over India who know me well & have never categorised me into a particular stereotype.

Live & let live,mantra of almost every Punjabi I know.

Satnam Shri Waheguru