Punjab from a Washingtonian Perspective
- Tridivesh Singh Maini
In
this article, I have tried to examine the relationship and understanding
between USA and Punjab
region in general and Washington DC (the capital of the world) and the Punjab
(Indian and Pakistani) in particular. This is a new topic and what inspired me
to write this was a recent visit to Washington
DC, where I attended some events at
the release of my book "South Asian
Cooperation and the Role of the Punjabs". I
noticed that most people did not know about Punjab (inspite
of it’s cultural, historical and geo-political
importance in the South Asian context) at all, some had a very vague idea and only
academics, journalists and people involved with South Asia
were familiar about this region.
My
main aim of trying to draw a link between the two is that until Washington DC starts
giving importance to Punjab, South Asian
scholars will not. Until Punjab is not given importance as a corridor of peace
in South Asia, peace is a long way. The Punjab
region in South Asia can lead in peacemaking
due to a common thread that binds it culturally and economically[i].
This
article will very briefly try to trace the relationship between America and the Punjab,
first as an undivided region and then as a divided one. It will then analyze
the perspectives about Punjab and finally try to understand why
"Punjab gets sidelined" and what factors have contributed to the
awareness about Punjab- albeit modest.
(1) Linkage between USA
and undivided Punjab
If one were to trace the
history of the Americans and undivided Punjab,
the first account which one gets is of a Yankee in the court of the famous Sikh
ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The yankee, a person by the name of Gardner, gave an accounts of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s court and the downfall of the empire in a
work titled “The Fall of Sikh Empire”[ii].
Referring to his work, renowned scholar Darshan Singh
Maini says[iii]:
That author happened to be the only American who
came to know and see Maharaja Ranjit Singh from close
quarters. The memoirs reveal a great deal about the monarch directly, though
the American soldier of fortune is wary enough to leave much to the imagination
of the reader.
(2) Immigration
of Punjabis to USA
The next stage of association
between Americans and the Punjab is immigration of Punjabi labour
to the West Coast of the United States
and Canada
around the late 19th and early 20th century. It has been
rightly stated that:
The Punjab province, which is
part of present-day India and
Pakistan, was a great source
of Asian Indian immigration to the United States
and Canada.
The first immigrants arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia, to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. At the time, the
predominant method of traveling overseas was by boat. The early settlers were
predominantly Sikh with fewer numbers being Hindu, Muslim, and other faiths.
Furthermore, immigrants made their way into the United
States from Canada as discrimination,
resistance, and intolerance grew. It is estimated that 7,348 Asian Indians
migrated to the United States
and Canada
between 1899 and 1920[iv].
The
estimated figures of immigration from the Punjab
are as follows:
Between 1903 and 1908, about 6,000 Punjabis entered
North America (Canada) and
nearly 3,000 crossed into the United
States. The first group of immigrants can be
divided into two general groups. The majority was illiterate and semiliterate
laborers from agricultural and/or military backgrounds. The second, very small
group was the educated elite group of professionals and students. The laborers
were mainly peasant Sikhs and some Muslims from Doaba
and Malwa regions of Punjab province in Northwest
India, while the later was composed of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims from
throughout upper India. The working class South Asians left very few written
records of their early experiences. In contrast, the educated group wrote
prolifically on issues such as immigration and citizenship rights[v].
Since 1947 the trend of
immigration to USA has carried on from both Indian Punjab and the Pakistani
Punjab, however, trends have changed with professions of Punjabis being
widespread such as doctors, engineers, professors and cab drivers. In California a large
number of Punjabis are still farmers. In fact it is interesting to note that a
large number of cab drivers in Washington
DC are from the Punjabs (the vast majority being from Indian Punjab). It
has been rightly noted that:
Indian and Pakistani Punjabi taxicab drivers
largely own and operate the cab business in all major metropolitan areas of North America. Many of them will eventually move up the
socio-economic ladder by purchasing a gas station or a motel with their savings
from a few years of hard labour[vi].
(3) Post
independence link between USA
and the Punjab
(a)
Links with West Punjab (Domination of Pakistani psyche)
If
one talks about Pakistani Punjab, the US
has been dealing much more with them not directly though but indirectly as Pakistan is
dominated by the Punjabi psyche. This is visible if one looks at the Pakistani
army, frontline politicians, bureaucrats and business people. Some frontline
Punjabi politicians are Chaudhry Aitzaz
Ahsan, a prominent leader of the Pakistan People’s Party,
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain (Muslim League) and Mushahid
Hussein (Muslim League). In fact some feel that Pakistan
is nothing but “Punjab”[vii].
Ironically,
even though Pakistan
is dominated by the Punjabi psyche, Americans deal with them as Pakistanis not
Punjabis. Apart from this, since the formation of Pakistan, many are cautious of
talking about their Punjabi identity. The reason being that for long it has
been felt that there has been too much “Punjabi domination” of Pakistan, and
to avoid accusations of chauvinism, many Pakistani Punjabis careful balance
their Pakistani and Punjabi[viii]
identity. It might be mentioned here that some American scholars have realized
the degree to which Pakistan
is dominated by the Punjabi psyche. According to Stephen P. Cohen[ix]
of the Brookings Institute:
75 percent of the [Pakistani]
army comes from just three districts in Punjab and two bordering districts in
the Northwest Frontier Province.
The officer corps, while more urban and diverse,
remains disproportionately Punjabi as well.
(b) Links with East
Punjab or Indian Punjab
The United States
established a close relationship with Indian Punjab during the Green Revolution.
The Green Revolution farming began in the 1960s when Dr. Norman Borlaug (an American agricultural expert), helped in the
development of HYV (high yielding varieties) of seeds in Mexico[x].
During the 1960s the developing world, especially Asia,
had an acute food shortage[xi].
As a response to this:
the Rockefeller and Ford
foundations took the lead in establishing an international agricultural
research system to help transfer and adapt scientific advances to the
conditions in developing countries.The first
investments were in research on rice and wheat, two of the most important food
crops for developing countries. The breeding of improved varieties,combined with the expanded use of fertilizers, other
chemical inputs, and irrigation, led to dramatic yield increases in Asia and Latin America, beginning in the late 1960s. In 1968, U.S.Agency for International Development (USAID)
Administrator William S. Gaud coined the term “Green Revolution” to describe
this phenomenal growth in agriculture[xii].
To facilitate the Green
Revolution, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) was established in 1962 at Ludhiana (Punjab).
Some of its main aims were[xiii]:
Teaching, research and extension education services
in agriculture and related fields. These activities of PAU
were set up on the pattern of land grant universities of the United States, with initial collaboration with
the Ohio State University.
A significant number of scientists and teachers of PAU
obtained their Ph.D. degrees from various universities in the United States.
(c)
Relationship with the Diaspora in USA
The other important
relationship with USA
has been the relationship with those Punjabis who migrated post 1947. However,
this has not really helped as it is not possible to develop a structured
“Punjabi Community” as a result of other over riding identities like religion,
the nation state and the sub-continental identity. If one were to just say
“Punjabi”, the two questions which would be asked by any enlightened American
to whom this term is not Greek are:
(1) From India
or Pakistan?
(2) What is your religion?
(c)
Why the role of Punjab gets obfuscated in the Washingtonian context?
(1) Kashmir and other issues like the
Indo-US Nuclear deal take precedence
One of the main reasons that
knowledge of Punjab is little or none is the South Asian context most attention
is directed towards Kashmir. In addition, other
issues like Indo-US nuclear deal, Afghanistan and other regions[xiv] grab
attention. While this is understandable, as all these issues are extremely
important, it is important to remember the significance of Punjab as an
interface between the India
and Pakistan.
One of the few articles which talks about both East and West
Punjab was written by Alyssa Ayres in the World Policy Journal.
(2) Ethnic grouping
Ethnic
grouping in USA
is very broad and within the basic “South Asian grouping”. Further, religion and nationality tends to
overshadow culture. Either it is religion or it is nationality and as a result
there is no ethnicity that can be called Punjabi and realistically this
situation will continue to linger until serious effort is made to build a
composite Punjabi Culture on both sides of the divide. Currently, as a result
of religion and nationality overshadowing the cultural aspect, most people
theoretically agree that all three identities are compatible but in practice
they do not put this idea into play[xv].
Unlike the UK,
which has a large Punjabi population (especially if one combines the Pakistani
and Indian population), the term “Punjabi” is recognized short of being an
ethnicity. However, the same situation does not exist in USA because it is a much bigger country and the
Punjabi population is considerably less than in the UK.
(3) The role of intellectuals and South Asian scholars in keeping the status
quo
Not many American scholars of South Asia
have been truly exposed to the potential of Punjab-Punjab cooperation/interaction.
Very few or no full time academics have tried to promote “Punjab”
in DC. While some efforts have been made on the West Coast by sincere
individuals like Gurinder Mann to promote the Punjabi
identity, academics on the East Coast, especially in DC, need to take the lead
as it is here that all policies are made, and Washington DC
is where many important think-tanks are located. From my experience in DC (I
managed to get a gathering of about 70 people at my book release organized at
American University and this included a sizeable number of American students
and professors), I realized that think-tanks are interested in other issues but
if an effort is made to sincerely promote the Punjab-Punjab concept it will
evoke a warm response. We have to shun the “they are not bothered about Punjab”
attitude and Punjabi intellectuals on the East Coast should earnestly think of
setting a chair of “Punjab Studies” on the East Coast, possibly in Washington DC.
Apart from this Congressmen and Congresswomen should be informed about the
pivotal role of the two Punjabs in promoting South
Asian peace.
Some positive developments
which have contributed to an understanding of Punjab
(1) The Bhangra
Blow Out Competition
Bhangra
is a dance predominantly popular in the Punjab region in north India and north eastern Pakistan, in the age of globalization it has found
popularity in around the globe including Canada,
UK and the USA. As a
result, it is sometimes felt that[xvi]:
bhangra is straying away and turning into a dance other than bhangra. While it is tough to trace clear origins of this
dance it is believed that:
around the 14th or 15th Century, Punjabi wheat farmers danced and sang songs
about village life to help pass the time while working in the fields. With
time, these became part of harvest celebrations at Baisakhi
(April 13) festivals, as the sight of their crops growing invigorated the
farmers. From here the dance quickly moved through all divisions of class and
education, eventually becoming a part of weddings, New Year parties, and other
important occasions[xvii].
In the DC area there is a
competition called Bhangra Blowout started by students
at George Washington University.
From being a local competition in the George Washington
University cafeteria it
is not only a national competition, but in fact teams from other parts of the
world also participate. I was informed that teams from many US universities including Columbia
University, Cornell
University, Duke
University, Emory
University Johns
Hopkins University,
NYU, Penn State,
UCLA, U of NC, University of Texas, University of Virginia,
Virginia, Commonwealth
University, and Yale University[xviii]
have attended this competition. Such is the importance of the blowout that it has
found mention in the Washington Post
regularly. One such article stated that:
Thousands of college students arrived
in the District to take part in George Washington University’s 11th
annual Bhangra Blowout, a dance competition and
springtime rite for many who trace their roots to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh
and other countries in South Asia[xix].
During my recent visit to Washington DC, I was pleasantly
surprised to see that in the daily listing of events, the Bhangra
Blowout was right on the top. The Washington Post of March 17, 2007 read:
This week,
South Asian college students up and down the East Coast will furiously make
spring break plans, book tickets, catch rides. But their destination isn't Cancun or Padre. No, when they want to party, they come
to Washington.
And why not? Next weekend, the city plays host to the
14th annual Bhangra Blowout, a national
intercollegiate competition of bhangra, a folk dance
native to Punjab in Northern India and Pakistan[xx].
And, my book could not find mention even in
some of the not so well circulated DC papers. Salutations to the Bhangra Blowout competition!
(2) Restaurants
Serving Punjabi Cuisine
The other factor which has
helped promote some understanding of Punjab are restaurants in Washington DC
like Marjaan, and
Punjabi Kababo House that clearly define
there cuisine as “Punjabi Cuisine”.
(3)
Indian movies
and their role in promoting an understanding of Punjab
Movies directed by Gurinder Chadha and to a lesser
degree Meera Nair also help in promoting
understanding about Punjab. In Bride and Prejudice, for example, the
first scene is that of the fields in Punjab and the holy city of Amritsar.
Apart from this most of the movie is shot in Amritsar. The movie
also found mention in various papers like the Washington Post[xxi].
While it might be correct
to assert that Monsoon Wedding did
little to promote an understanding of the traditional Punjabi culture, in
contrast to a more Delhi-ised version, for the
American it did represent Punjab. I remember, as
a student, on the first day of my MA class in Washington
DC, when I told the professor that I was from Punjab he remarked that Monsoon Wedding had left an impression that Punjabis are gregarious
people! Monsoon Wedding also received
good coverage in local DC papers, and one of them stated that:
In the production notes accompanying "Monsoon
Wedding," Nair says that she sought to capture "the intoxicating zest
for life" of the Punjab culture whence
she came. For the first hour or so of the film she succeeds, to the point where
the audience can almost smell the food, flowers and perfumes that engulf the
film's startlingly beautiful cast of characters[xxii]
The role of prominent Punjabis in USA
While it is true that
religious and national affiliations tend to over shadow the Punjabi identity,
one factor that generates some awareness of Punjab and the Punjabi Culture is
the lifestyle of high profile Punjabis like New York
based hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal
who is known to the Clinton
family. Chatwal accompanied Clinton
on his visits to India, and
the Clintons attended his son Vikram’s wedding in India last year.
Chatwal has been actively involved in an organization called
“World Punjabi Organization”. Hillary Clinton has attended a few functions
organized by this organization as a result of which she has gained an
understanding of Punjab and the Punjabi
Culture. At a gathering of Punjabis in the Capitol Hill, Hillary expressed the
view[xxiii]
that she was delighted to be the
“Senator from Punjab as well as from New
York”.
In conclusion it is extremely
important to promote the awareness of East and West Punjab in USA, especially Washington
DC,
it being the political capital of the world, and the pivotal role the Punjab
region can play in creating lasting peace and prosperity in South
Asia.
