Punjab WOMEN AND FOLK-SONGS

WOMEN AND FOLK-SONGS 

A woman's sentiments are deftly woven into the fine fabric of the folk-songs of the Punjab. The main supposition at the back of these songs is that a woman has two lives and two minds, one for her parents and the other for her in-laws. She draws strength from both families. In her new home after marriage, she leans on the husband, whereas in the parental home her attention is concentrated more on the brother than anyone else.

 In all her childhood games, she idealises her brother, and after marriage, on all occasions of family celebrations, her brother brings her home from her husband's house. A Punjabi girl almost worships her brother. She is proud of him and custom has taught her to look forward to his visits, because on all festive occasions it 1$ the brother who brings gifts to her house.

And though she would like to show an extravagant hospitality towards her visiting brother, the inhibitions of the joint family stand in her way. She is afraid of the taunts of her mother-in-law.

Next to the brother it is the mother who is remembered most by the Punjabi girl for she is the sharer of her daughter's sorrows. A mother having borne much the same sort of suffering in her own life can understand her daughter's predicament best. The daughter comes to her and talks freely about the injustice and cruelty which she receives at the hands of her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law .

In her husband's home she is afraid of the mother-in-law's conventional tyranny. If the mother-in-law is good, life becomes a heaven, but what happens more often is that the cruel mother-in-law makes life a hell for her. She taunts her over small things, passes scathing remarks on her parents, brothers and sisters, and irritates her so much that her heart is filled with hatred for her. This dislike for the mother-in-law is expressed in many folk-songs of the Punjab.

SONGS OF TRINJAN

Women seldom sit idle in the Punjab. When they are free from household chores, they bring out their spinning wheels and sit out in the open under a tree. Women of all ages and from all houses of the locality sit together and spin, and as they spin they sing. This is a common sight in the villages. Sometimes on a winter night they all assemble at someone's house and keep spinning and singing throughout the night.

 These spinning sessions are called trinjan -the day session is known as Chiri Chirunga (sparrows big and small) and the night session is called Rat Katni (spinning at night). Sometimes there are spinning competitions among young girls with a chain of songs in the background. Spinning is seldom independent of the song. Spinning goes on accompanied by spontaneous, unrestrained music.

Trinjan songs cover all aspects of life particularly the long cherished dreams of a woman, her aspirations, fears, love longings and tuggings at the heart. These songs combined with the drone of the spinning wheel create an enchanting atmosphere.

SONGS OF TEEYAN

The festival of Teeyan is an occasion for all married girls to visit their parents for a few days, and thus enjoy again the carefree days of their childhood. They run to the swings on the peepal trees. It is fascinating to see the earth all round becoming green again, the welcome drops of rain falling, and the youthful girls in colourful dresses. The girls sing songs and dance Giddlia. Songs of Teeyati mostly speak of love, and are highly charged with emotion.

LOVE DITTIES 

Love lyrics comprise the best part of Punjabi folklore. The songs of this category express the ecstasy of union as also the pangs of separation. These lyrics are short and absorbing, the most popular among them being Bolian, Mahiya and Dhola. The natural exuberance of a Punjabi does not allow him to put any limits to his appreciation of beauty.

As popular as Boli is Mahiya, which presents an expressive picture of the torments of separation and the thrills of reunion. Dhola like Mahlya is an appealing storehouse of the softest sentiments.

Considering that for centuries the Punjabis had to bear the brunt of foreign attacks, it was natural that sometimes when young men went out to fight, the wives expressed a wish to go and brave it with them rather than stay back and suffer the torments of separation.

Some folk-songs have a historical significance and reflect the attitude of the entire community towards certain events. The Punjab has.been a frontier province and Punjabis have always suffered from the aftereffects of foreign invasions. Every invasion brought plunder, rape and arson in its wake.

There is a song which gives a heart-rending description of the cruelty of a marauder who forcibly carries away a beautiful young lady. Her husband, father and brother, in spite of their earnest efforts, fail to rescue her, and the brave girl, instead of falling prey to that brute's passion, burns herself to death. The entire poignant tale is contained in a ballad.

The invasions of Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali created terror among the people of the Punjab. There are some songs expressing their indignation towards them. When the long enslaved Indians started their fight for freedom from the British yoke, the offended masters let loose upon them a bell of spiteful cruelty. Some folk-songs refer to these movements of rebellion in the Punjab.
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Get off the phone to save your marriage.....

INDIA’S NORTHERN Punjab state has issued an advisory to young brides to avoid talking too much on their mobile phones for the first two years of marriage as it could make their husbands jealous and lead to divorce.

The Punjab state commission for women last week advised Punjabi brides to “focus on their domestic life instead of having long conversations on mobile phones” as this could be misconstrued by their husbands and in-laws that she was in fact in conversation with another man.

Commission head Gurdev Kaur Sangha, who issued the advisory, said it was designed to avoid suspicion between newlywed couples as they adjusted to life together.

“Almost 90 per cent of newly married men and women [who split up in Punjab] want a divorce because the boy or his family is sure that the girl is talking to another man when, in reality, in a majority of the cases, she is actually taking frequent advice from her own parents [on ways to manage her marriage],” Kaur said.

I squarely blame the mobile phone for many marriage break-ups, she added.

According to social activists, conservative Punjab had seen a 150 per cent increase in the divorce rate which, although not alarmingly high in numbers, is worrisome to many households.

The advent of cable television and mobile telephones, as well as a dramatic increase in provocative advertising aimed at young women and articles in women’s magazines dealing with sexual and matrimonial problems, have greatly empowered Indian women since the 1990s, especially those in well-off Punjab. These factors are thought to have contributed to the rise in divorce figures.

Ms Sangha said she had recorded a rise in complaints from newlywed women about domestic violence, sexual harassment and family discord due to arguments about their being constantly on the phone.

It takes at least two years for a marriage to work, during which a newly married woman should make “small adjustments” and not keep calling her parents for guidance on how to live in harmony, the commission advisory said.

It also cautioned brides against passing on hourly updates to her parents about her new home as it could prove “damaging”. The majority of marriages in Punjab – and the rest of India – are arranged.

Brides are expected to behave in a conventional manner which entailed almost exclusively managing their households, rearing children and looking after their in-laws, a role which, more often than not, leads to discomfiture and acrimony.

Phulkari -A Punjabi Folk Art

Phulkari, an embroidery technique from the Punjab in India and Pakistanliterally 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 embroideredodini (head scarfs) and shawls, made for everyday use, are calledPhulkaris, whereas garments that cover the entire body, made for special and ceremonial occasions, are known as Baghs ("garden").

Phulkaris and Baghs were worn by women all over Punjab during marriagefestivals and other joyous occasions. They were embroidered by the women for their own use and use of other family members and were not for sale in the market. Thus, it was purely a domestic art which not only satisfied their inner urge for creation but brought colour into day to day life. In a way, it was true folk art. Custom had grown to give Phulkaris and Baghs to brides at the time of marriages. Some best Phulkaris and Baghs are known to have been made in Hazara and Chakwal, areas of Northern Punjab inPakistan.

Some scholars feel that the art of Phulkari came from Iran where it is known as “Gulkari”. Some feel it came from Central Asia along with Jattribes who migrated to India and settled in Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat. There is reference of Phulkari in Vedas, Mahabharat, Guru Granth Sahib and folk songs of Punjab. In its present form, phulkari embroidery has been popular since the 15th century.

The main characteristics of Phulkari embroidery are use of darn stitch on the wrong side of coarse cotton cloth with coloured silken thread. Punjabi women created innumerable alluring and interesting designs and patterns by their skilful manipulation of the darn stitch. The basekhaddar cloth used in Western Punjab is finer from those of Central Punjab. Black/blue are not preferred in Western Punjab, whereas white is not used in East Punjab. In West Punjab, 2 or 3 pieces of cloth are first folded and joined together. In East Punjab, they are joined together first and then embroidered.

In Phulkari embroidery ornaments the cloth, whereas in Bagh, it entirely covers the garment so that the base cloth is not visible. The end portion of pallav of Phulkari have separate panels of exquisite workmanship of striking design.

The most favoured colour is red and its shades, because Bagh and Phulkari are used during marriage and other festivals. Red is considered auspicious by Hindus and Sikhs. Other colours are brown, blue , black, white. White was used in Bagh by elderly ladies. Silk thread in strands came from Kashmir, Afghanistan and Bengal. The best quality silk came from China.

No religious subject or darbar scenes were embroidered. Phulkari encompassed life in the villages. Creative ability of Punjabi women has produced innumerable and intricate geometrical patterns. However, most motifs were taken from everyday life. Wheat and barley stalk with ears are a common motif.