Anakh Punjab Di Intro Video '09

[Manu]

the one think we all seem to be forgetting is that there is a difference between western and eastern traditions. since the enlightenment, the western world has strived to eliminate religion from the equation, or at least separate it from all other institutions, hence separation of church and state.

the eastern tradition is not so much like this at all. since the beginnings of eastern thought, religion, politics, culture have blended together to form a tradition very different from post-enlightenment europe. religion is as much a part of culture as what our day to day dealings have to do with our religion. according to eastern thought, we live our religion and culture simultaneously, not independent of each other. this can be seen even today in the numerous political parties in india that continue to thrive with a basis of religion, one of which is the BJP.

whats necessary is a paradigm shift to understand the mind of a hindustani, in which religion and cultural/day to day matters blend together and are inseparable. dont be a religious hardliner; let people express their religion/culture the way they want to present it. but at the same time, dont be a fool and disrespect.

 

[HarmanSingh]

Manu bhaji,

It is precisely this blending of culture and religion which has corrupted and soiled the true essence of religious faiths into something they were not intended to be. For example, female infanticide is not supported by any religious scripture, yet India continues to do so due to cultural practices which have almost become religion like. Much of the same can be said in regards to Islam and the use of the burka.

In order for a faith to be pure and as it was intended to be, it must be secular. The blending of culture/politics and faith has been the downfall of religion from the very beginning and it continues to corrupt from the inside...East and West included. Remember, it was the west that used the Bible to justify slavery, segregation and anti miscegenation laws not because of actual scripture...but cultural practices which were strategically and systematically used for gain.

All I ask is for people to educate themselves on a faith before they use particular emblems or symbols merely as a fashion statement.

 

[justbhangring]

apds intro songs r by a buck group called j squad...phillipino kid from our school is on it

 

[Manu]

religion is a set of beliefs that is used to explain the happenings of the world and an afterlife. religion permeates every society on the planet. if culture is the set of beliefs, customs, practices a society uses to deal with the world, can then not religion be said to be a component of culture? if so, how does the Whole ruin a Part without ruining its entire self? If religion, or any other fundamental part of culture, is poisoned, if u will, how then can the culture be said to be stable and thriving? if this also is correct, is this the present state of the Punjabi culture? r we poisoning religion for the sake of bhangra/"culture" if indeed we are doing more damage to the whole of culture than good?

 

[HarmanSingh]

Well, I think clearly religion is a part of culture. Just as language, arts and traditions make up part of what it means to be of a certain cultural group, so does religion. However, one part of a culture can certainly corrupt and poison another, resulting in a loss of purity across the spectrum.


I believe this is the current state of Punjabi culture. We have let far too much of historical cultural practices of Punjab seep into Sikhi. For example, the caste system has no basis in Sikhi, but the culture has forced it into the faith and it is being perpetuated by people who call themselves Sikh. In the end, I feel we are essentially poisoning Sikhi and Punjabi culture as a whole through bhangra which has become synonymous with ignorance, debauchery and excess in every regard. I think when you look at the way this scene has become, you cannot argue that this is not something our ancestors would be proud to call Punjabi. The current state of Punjab, which is full of young men addicted to drugs and alcohol, void of any inspiration or aspirations cannot be blamed on bhangra, but it is certainly not helping the situation any.