Punjab, the land of five rivers, though largely truncated during India’s Independence from 200 years of British colonial rule and the Partition, finds a pride of place among the country’s regions and states and always emerges at the top in the national anthem. Punjab is shaping modern-day India for several reasons. Punjab’s folk culture goes far beyond popular bhangra dance; the history is vast, legends and great personalities born in Punjab are innumerable.
Since the early days of the invasions from the West, Punjab was always the first hit. No wonder, the region has seen violence and bloodshed for centuries. The brave men and women fought valiantly to protect the nation.
Punjabis have contributed immensely to the Indian Army during and after the British period. In the Independence movement, numerous freedom fighters from Punjab led from the front.
Punjab powered the green revolution, and made India self-reliant in food. Much of the wheat in India is produced by Punjab since it is one most fertile tracts in the world. Punjab is called the Granary of India. Some accounts suggest, it produces 20% wheat, 14% cotton, and 9% rice of India, which is equivalent to 2% cotton, 2% wheat and 1% rice for the world at large.
Though the birthplace of the great Guru Nanak is not in today’s Punjab, it is home to majority of the Sikhs and the Holy Golden Temple is situated in Amristsar; the legacy of ‘Sapta Sindhu’ (there were seven rivers originally as found in ancient texts) or ‘Panchanada’ goes far back. History has it, the city of Taxila, currently located in west Punjab in Pakistan, was founded by Taksh the grandson of Bharat, brother of Ram. The Taxashila University (6th century BCE – 5th century CE) was one of the most ancient learning centers in the world, where the great Chanakya taught.
Greek conqueror Alexander’s mission had to experience a pause when they reached the border of India. He invaded Punjab around 450 BCE and defeated the famous and mighty king Puru. Puru did not accept the defeat and asked Alexander to show him the same respect as is due to the royal kings. Alexander gave the kingdom back in to respect the greatness of the king. Punjab is fortunate to see the descent of many great Gurus of the Sikh panth, including Guru Govind Singh who founded the Khalsa to protect the land and society from the invasions and incursions by foreign forces.
Ironically, Punjab had to encounter the separatist Khalistani movement about three decades after the traumatic and bloody partition, which put its economic growth and prosperity on the back foot. Thousands of lives were lost and hundreds of families had to pay a heavy price due to this violent movement. If not for this separatist menace, Punjab would have developed beyond our imagination.
A peaceful and prosperous Punjab is on the path of rapid industrialization, where the largest number of steel rolling mill plants in India is located. However, it must be remembered that development is not same as industrialization. Great balance in the economic development between the urban and rural must be maintained. Else, disparity will increase, culture and heritage will suffer, and social unrest may increase. Vast fertile farmland has to be preserved and only high yielding industries should be given priority. Rapid fall of ground water level in many areas requires immediate long term steps where technology can help a lot.
However, in recent times, while states like Gujarat and Karnataka are receiving foreign investments, Punjab needs to do more since the flow is quiet low. While the environment in Punjab is peaceful, more work needs to be done to remove certain perceptions to boost investors’ confidence. The new government scheme for NRI investment which will spend 75% for the rural infrastructure development will accept 25% from the NRIs can go a long way if NRIs are reached out and they respond positively. So far the success is seen in some pockets only.
Punjabi and other NRIs must play a bigger role to harness Punjab’s growth. Let Punjab rise to raise the stature and strength of India and Indians everywhere.
