What does the term "Hindu Punjabi" mean to you?

[Pooja]

EDIT: Firstly, the term I use "Hinjabi" does NOT mean Hindu Punjabi....it means Hindi & Punjabi Speaking...and I'll use it all I want, thanks.

You are giving too much importance to language....language does not define identity and association completely....

In whole truth, identifying yourself as part of a region means you are actually FROM that region...so your kids, if born in Canada, will not be Punjabi at all then, not matter what language they speak. They will be Canadians, who just happen to know Punjabi. the end.

I know people who's parents are from Punjab, but I KNOW more Punjabi than they do. My mom is from Jammu, but she is not Kashmiri, she does not speak the language, and nor does she identify with anything other than Punjabi. What about people from Haryana, which used to be part of Punjab, but now it's not. Many people who reside there speak Punjabi, especially in Chandigarh which is part of both states....so what are they called?

Vic speaks fluent Punjabi, but he's Canadian, so does that mean he is Punjabi?

It's just not all about language my friend. Assimilation/Identity are key as people mentioned.

If a Chinese man moves to Australia, and has kids, will they no longer be Chinese? No.

Your cultural identification IS about your family background and heritage, it is not necessarily where you were born. It all comes from the roots. You can move anywhere, but if you haven't completely assimilated into that society, as in I have not become a compeltely English speaking, American cultured, young female but I have stayed connected to my Indian and Punjabi roots, values, culture, language, and heritage which is why I will continue to identify myself as such.

I just need an answer from you, what does it mean to be a Punjabi?

 

[Mukandpuria]

I didn't read through all of it....but something that caught my eye....i have herd numerous times (not from summy) from people in Punjab say that to be Punjabi you need to know the language. They basically told me that how can you bee something and not speak the language of it...how can you understand or say you are Punjabi when to be Punjabi or understand it you need to know Punjabi...without knowing Punjabi you can't fully grasp the culture..because not everything can be translated to explained in English(sounds a lot better when explained in Punjabi than English). But with that being said..its not all of it like Pooja said, other things also are factored in...

Its really a opinion based question, being Punjabi can be numerous things to different people, no where is it written that to be Punjabi you have to do this this and this.

which brings me back to this topic, I think someone is Punjabi if they are directly born in Punjabi you can have roots there and still be Punjabi....Definitions of being "Punjabi" have involved with Punjabi's leaving Punjab and going to England, Canada and America. Summy thats where i think your opinion differers from other people. If a person is born in America and is raised in a traditional Punjabi household, then what is he? I think mini Punjabs have been created all over the world, and these mini Punjabs seem to replicate the same culture as of Punjab. So if not Punjabi then was are they, half-Punjabi, Mini-Punjabi, Molato(j/k). The way I look at it is someone is Punjabi is if they understand the culture and have roots going back to PunjabiThere are a lot of people that say yea I am Punjabi and don't even know who Bhagat Singh is or haven't even visited Punjab since there were like two. I personally don't consider them Punjabi.

 

[Summy]

Wow, okay, just to clarify, there is NO subjectivity to this. Its actually defined in any basic social scientific matter, and I am surprising that people can do this.

First off, no you cant "be whatever you want to be, by just walking the walk and talking the talk". That goes against all intelligence known to mankind. You sure as hell can convince yourself though. I am going to get educational on you guys, because your statements are too obsecure and too la-dee-da, uneducated for it to continue. You shouldnt just be able to justify something in your head and continue your life living in falsehood. If we assocating ourself from the west, a melting pot/ diverse lands where "defining ones culture" is applicable, you have something called cultural assoications. Cultural assoication are two fold, one heritic and one social. Your heritic cultural assoication comes from your nearest decendent. Your heritical cultural assoication DOES NOT skip generations. It cannot. It will not. It is against all that is intelligence. If your grandparents are of Culture B, and your parents of of culture A, your a direct decendent of culture A, and that is your assoication, NOT B. Assuming that A and B are different (which they should be). Because we are in the west, and our need in a melting pot for assoication comes from our nearest decendent skipping generations to claim your heritage is socially, logically, and theoritically wrong.

If you are a decendent of someone born in Delhi, Lets call it N.India, and your grandparents are Punjabi, you are NOT punjabi. Your cultural assoication is N.India. It's simple, you can try to jump through loops all you want. Wants a common occurence with people who may skip generations to assoicate themselves, an unability to actually identify. So, Pooja, and the other hindu punjabis who say, my parents are delhi-ites, but im punjabi, because I dont want to claim my parents culture, it is not surprsing that you may speak better hindi, and not speak punjabi at all.

Get one thing straight, either you speak a language or you dont. There is no in-between. You may KINDA be able to speak it, but that doesn't mean you can speak it. It's either yes or no, nothing in between. One can be in the learning process, but saying things like I can speak better punjabi that others is weird, and blows my mind.


If your Hinjabi, but you cant speak punjabi, are you just a hin-maybe can understand slightly a bit not too complicated-jabi? Dont kid yourself sweetheart, being punjabi is not something that you choose to be, its ingrained in your head. And these kids who make these wrong assoications utlimately become representative of the community. And if you want to claim your punjabi, by ignoring your parents, thats fine, but you are then contributing to the fact that so much of the punjabi youth cant speak punjabi, and I am sure some people wont be proud of that.

Will my kids be punjabi, HELL NO. They will be Canadian. Im not arguing that, and I never will. But like I said, if in the west and their cultural assoication will be punjabi.

Te other type of cultural assoication is social which talks about you living in a place, gaining a culture, etc... that you have no hertic, or background ties to. Thats another issue.



Identity as far as who one identifies with, is completely up to the indivudal. But the actual identity accepted by the world, and its definition is not who you choose, it is what you are. I cant one day put my hand up and say, HEY GUYS IM ITALIAN, I KINDA SORTA UNDERSTAND SOME OF IT, SO YEAH, IM ITALIAN FROM NOW ON. No, there has to be some sort of real connection, and thats where many of your hindi speak "punjabis" lack.



"If a Chinese man moves to Australia, and has kids, will they no longer be Chinese? No"
-Right so, if a chinese man (replace with your parents), moves to australia (anywhere) and has kids, will they no longer be chinese, No". How does that NOT make you a delhi-ite then?

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The thing with delhi and punjab is that it is the same race but it is different cultures. SO you cant claim your grandparents culture by ignroing your own parents culture. Look at it, you live a delhi lifestyle, with your hindi, and blah blah blah, so why try to denounce it? Cuz bhangra is blowing up right now? Dont worry in about 10 years or so, it wont be as GREAT AND COOL TO BE PUNJABI.



By your definition of assoication all pakistani's should be able to claim they are indians. All sikhs should be able to claim they are hindus. All christians should be able to claim they are jews. All of humanity should be able to claim that they are of the African Diaspora.

Common kids, there are guidelines for assoication, it isnt obsecure and flimsy like some people want you to believe.
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Man I am surprised there arent more hindu actual punjabis who arent upset at the comments of these delhi walay. Usually the hindu I met in Punjab, and abroad who are actually adhereing to punjabi culture from the language, to the lifestyle, to the values, get upset when the calues of a hindu punjabi are brought down by a community to determine its distant connection.



Delhi is awesome, sure the whole 84 thing was horrible, and the lack of justice. OH YEAH, not to mention the sardar jokes, and the bullshit like that.

But common, you guys have the India gate. Thats pretty tall eh?

 

[Chidiya]

I'm Hindu. I'm Punjabi. I speak Punjabi.

Bhangra rocks.

=)