Hospitality and Gastronomy: Social, Private and Commercial - Essay Example

? Hospitality and gastronomy: social, private and commercial Introduction Punjab is a in northwest India and located on the east side of Pakistan. Punjab has a rich cultural heritage and a long history. The people of the state are known as Punjabis with local language being Punjabi. The state of Punjab is surrounded by Himachal Pradesh to its east, Rajasthan to its southwest, Haryana to its south and southeast and Pakistani province of Punjab to its west. It has also the state of Jammu and Kashmir to its north. The capital of Punjab is Chandigarh which is a Union Territory. Punjab is known as the land of Five Rivers. For Punjab the largest industry is Agriculture. The state is the largest producer of wheat in India. There are other major industries like manufacturing of agricultural goods, scientific instruments, financial services, electrical goods, textiles, machine tools etc. The state also has the highest number of steel rolling mill plants in entire India. This report takes a look at the culture and history of Punjab. Discussion Culture of Punjab Punjab has one of the oldest cultures in India. Many religions and races of people made up the culture of Punjab. It is a land where the spiritual aspirations arose. Punjab was invaded by different races and empires like Persians, Aryans, Egyptians, Greeks, Mongols and Afghans. Though the state suffered so many invasions, it did not lose its strength and glory. Each of these races has its cultural impression left in the state. Around 15th Century, Guru Naka Dev preached his marvellous love for the whole world. People believed that about eight centres before the birth of Christ, the state was the most prosperous and enlightened region (Grewal, Pall and Banga, 2005). The birth and growth of Sikhism during the Middle Age, gave a new dimension to their culture. Presently it is one of the most vibrant states in India. It has a unique cultural landscape encompassing both utilitarian aspects and traditional values. Punjab exhibits an aura of embellishments with artistry in every aspect of life. There is a display of opulent culture in its metal work, jewellery, embroidery, mud wall paintings, wall paintings, folk songs, architecture and dances (Mir, 2010). The culture of Punjab has a rich history attached to it and a pulsating social life. The culture of Punjab is known for its progressiveness, tolerance and logical approach to its lifestyle. The culture of Punjab has undergone significant evolutions. In the Ancient Punjab the architecture of the house were built by rich baked-brick. People were mostly fascinated by a number of things like games like dice, artefacts etc. which were found out by archaeologists. Punjabi people are nowadays distributed all over the world. Hence the traditional culture of Punjab has expanded and strengthened to the western world like United Kingdom, United States and Canada (Allender, 2006). The culture of Punjab has many traditions like its popular dances. Punjabi Dances The Punjabis have a rich tradition of dances. The popular ones include the folk ones. The vitality and exuberance of the people are displayed in the folk dances. Their dances are full of gestures, expressions, vocal remarks, unrestricted freedom and subtleties of motion. One unique aspect of the Punjabi dances is that they don’t have any common dance for women and men. Each have their separate dances which is combined together to form a typical performance. The difference types of Folk Dances are Giddha It is a popular folk dance which is performed by women of a region. It has a similarity to the bhangra dance which is performed by men only. The dancer’s dances while singing verses called bolis, which is nothing but folk poetry (Kumar, Singh, Agrwaal and Kaur, 2003). Bhangra It is the most popular folk dance. It shows the dynamism and liveliness of the people. This dance is mainly performed by men, who perform the dance to the music and beats of the drum. The dance is mainly performed on the occasion of the Baisakhi festival. It is the harvest festival of the state (Singh, 2001). Luddi It is a male dance which is performed on occasion of victory. It is characterized by the swing movements of the head. Julli It is a religious dance, recluses and associated with pirs. The dancers dance as hermitages. Jaago This dance is performed during a girls’ wedding ceremony. Kikli This dance is performed by women in pairs who hold each other’s hands and swing around, while singing the folk songs. Punjab is a land where there exist many religions like Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism which flourish across the length of the state. History of Punjab Punjab has a rich heritage of culture which includes food, dance, festivity, clothing, religion, and dining habits. Punjab has a diverse set of dishes ranging from home cooked food to restaurant Punjabi cuisine. The main contents of Punjabi cuisine are large amounts of ghee or clarified butter that they give in their foods. They are very liberal on the amounts of cream and butter they give in their home cooking. Their home food mainly concentrates on rice, whole wheat and other foods flavoured with masalas. There are many preferences within the Punjab region. The food favoured varies according to the regions like the people of Amritsar and Lahore prefer dairy products and stuffed parathas. Those areas are known for the quality of their milk products. There are dishes which are exclusive to the Punjab regions like makki di roti and sarson da saag. The masala of the Punjabi region consists of garlic, onion and ginger. Another Punjabi speciality is the Tandoori food, which is a non-vegetarian dish. Tandoori cooking is long tradition in Punjab long before the partition of India in 1947. There are many popular Punjabi cuisines presently known all over India, like naan, tandoor, vegetable dishes with panner and pakoras. The people of Punjab are very hospitable, friendly and relish living. It is because they have been at the receiving end of many onslaught attacks (Singh, 2001). In the passage of time the people has come to live in the present times by enjoying their lives. Soon eating became part of the tradition to enjoy their lives. They are very colourful by nature. Punjabi songs are always full of melody. The major style of Punjabi songs is the beats of drums with rhythm of steel spoon on the dholak. It adds to the exuberance of the Punjabi music. The dance styles of Punjab have many flavours with giddha, bhangra, sammi and kikli. The Punjabi dress is one of the most colourful dresses in the whole of India. It consists of Punjabi Kurta and Tehmat for the men. It is now being replaced by pajama and kurta which represents the popular Muktsari style. The most important part of their dress is Turbins or bhuggs which they wear on their head (Kumar, Singh, Agrwaal and Kaur, 2003). As far as women are concerned their traditional dress includes Punjabi Salwar Suit. It is being replaced by traditional Ghagra. The Patiala salwar is also popular among the Women. They wear duppatta which is a piece of colourful cloth which they wear around their necks. Both the salwar kameez and duppattas are available in many colours and designs. During winter both sexes generally wear small blanket, woollen shawl. Many of the men wear woollen caps and jackets. Punjab has a long tradition of dances. They have a long tradition of dances which are performed at times of celebrations like weddings, festivals and harvest. The dances of Punjab may be both religious and non-religious. The dances can range from reserved dances like Gidha and Jhumar of women to high energy dances of men like Bhangra. Dances and songs are compulsory are part of any festivals and get together. It is the festivals of Punjab which makes their culture more interesting. Bhangra starts with loud drumming of dholak on which people dance to the tunes of the music (Grewal, Pall and Banga, 2005). Gidhas are done by women in whom they sing bolis and dance. There are many other forms of popular dances like Gatka, Dhankara and Jhumar. Punjabis love to dance and enjoy themselves irrespective of religion or age to mark any festivity. Folk music is the soul of the Punjabi culture. It comprises of musical instruments like dhol drums and dholak. The nature of Punjabi music relates to the zestful nature of the people. The most popular form of music is Bhangra. Boliyas are sung and played in tune with the lyrics by the women. Songs of Punjabi ranges from emotional interludes to peppy beats, in which both the bride and groom dance. There is a sense of humour which is essential in their wedding songs (Deol, 2003). Sikhism is the main religion of Punjab. It is a monotheistic religion which was founded during the 15th century. It was started by Guru Nanak and it continues to progress in the multiple generations of Sikh gurus. Sikh Gurus writings were inscribed in the Guru Granth Sahib. Sikhism is now the fifth –largest religion in the world with approximately 30 million followers. Punjab state has the majority of Sikh population in India. The central teaching in the religion is that concept of oneness of God. According to Sikhism both the Secular life and Spiritual life are intertwined (Caucasia, 2002). Conclusion Punjab is a state which has a lot of rich culture and history associated with it. The history of the state dates back of pre modern era. The state was invaded by many rulers including Greeks, Persians and Mughals to British. In spite of the numerous invasions, Punjab was able to withstand its entire rich cultural heritage and did not lose its strength and glory. British rule led to many significant changes in the state. It had philosophical, cultural, political and literary consequences for the state. It led to opening up of new education system which introduced new spirit into the life of the Punjabis. As Punjabis started to venture into the world, people began to realize the greatness of the Punjabi culture. Hence Punjab’s rich cultural heritage and history is a thing to be remembered. References Allender, T. (2006). Ruling Through Education: The Politics of Schooling in the Colonial Punjab. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. Chaurasia, R.S. (2002). History of Modern India, 1707 A. D. to 2000 A. D. London: Atlantic Publishers & Dist. Deol, H. (2003). Religion and Nationalism in India: The Case of the Punjab. London: Routledge. Grewal, R., Pall, S. and Banga, I. (2005). Precolonial and colonial Punjab: society, economy, politics, and culture. Michigan: the University of Michigan. Kumar, N., Singh, A., Agrwaal, A. and Kaur, J. (2003). Kathmandu: Sikh Students Federation. Kathmandu: South Asia Forum for Human Rights. Mir, F. (2010). The Social Space of Language: Vernacular Culture in British Colonial Punjab. London: University of California Press. Singh, M. (2001). Punjab 2000: Political and Socio-economic Developments. New Delhi: Anamika Pub and Distributors. Singh, P.B. (2001). Punjab History Conference, Thirty-second Session, March 17-19, 2000: Proceedings. Haryana: Publication Bureau, Punjabi University. Read More