The problem of violence in punjabi culture

Punjab is the northern area of the Indian Subcontinent. Historically it was known as Sapta Sindhu as well as known as the land of seven rivers. It is one of the oldest and richest cultures in world history, dating from ancient period to the modern era. Moreover, it is known for its bravery in the wars but nowadays it is known for its violence. People get violated among the little things , however, our saints said “ PATIENCE is a big thing , the one who can, the one who win”.

Violence in Punjabi culture is increasing due to three major factors as domestic violence, land disputes and toxic masculinity. One of the main reason behind the violence is the illiteracy among people as do not understand each other properly. However, understanding between relationships is very important factor to solve domestic fights as well as it affected the children most . (Sidhu J. 2008) One of these is the seriousness of physical and emotional abuse of women in the Punjabi-Sikh community, and the accompanying complacency surrounding the topic in the community at large. On top of this troubling accusation of “ treachery” and the obvious denial within the community, the harrowing possibility exists that gender-based oppression is not just limited to women in intimate partner relationships, but to unborn Sikh daughters as well.

Land so pervasively underpins human activity that it usually plays some role during war and civil violence. Land-related issues figure into many violent disputes around the world. Competition can occur between any number and type of identity groups, whether based on ethnicity, religion, class, gender, or generation. When that competition involves groups of people, rather than individuals, the risk of larger-scale violence increase. In addition to this, Punjab had many land disputes for example, (Press Trust of India, May 12, 2018)

A 24-year-old woman was killed during a clash between two groups over a property dispute in a village in Punjab’s Ferozepur on Tuesday, prompting a protest by her family, who have refused to cremate the body till all the accused are arrested, A large number of people, including her family members, have been protesting the death near the Guruharsahai police station for the last three days. Masculinity continues to be the norm in Punjab (Gill. R Feb 20, 2016), Punjabi men derive their honour from manliness, often defined in terms of aggression.

Drinking alcohol and firing shots in the air to celebrate during weddings are glorified as “ macho” acts. Punjabi pop songs are reinforcing this distorted masculinity. However, no such clearly defined prescriptions for femininity exist for Punjabi women. Punjabi folk songs and proverbs indicate the varying prescriptions for men and women, often eulogising masculinity in the following way: “ Khaan bakre te peen sharaaban, putt Sardaaran de” (“ Sons of Sardars eat meat and drink.”) The notion of masculinity, which has been celebrated for ages in Punjab, has been enormously reinforced in the recent past, courtesy Punjabi pop. This has revived, in a rather very aggressive manner, the masculinity of Punjabi men, mainly Jats, making women vulnerable. In the above quote, drinking alcohol and eating meat by men, a sign of affluence, is glorified. Such rituals and acts in public places, reflecting pure masculinity, are in fact threatening to the women, who are never allowed to be a part of such celebrations. They are, instead, segregated in a corner away from drunken men who keep on dancing and making merry, displaying an extremely aggressive body language.

To put in a nutshell, Punjab is the north-west side of India. The problems of child maltreatment, domestic violence, and elder abuse have generated hundreds of separate interventions in social service, health, and law enforcement settings. Moving further, the NRI’s(non-residential indian)have to face many problems related to the land which belongs to them, in many ways their land gets destroyed like by family intruptions. In Punjabi society, women continue to be in an even more vulnerable position today, caught between the two worlds, one, that places them in the illusion of gender equality, and the other, which objectifies them. However, masculinity continues to be the accepted norm in Punjabi society.