Though away from the land of five rivers, over 5,000 families find no threat to their Punjabiyat in this adopted home.
“Growing up in Bangalore was quite simple as one can stay unaffected to a large extent,” says Gouri Kapur, a member of the Punjabi community. She is a city-based professional make-up artist and grooming consultant. “In Punjab, one has to constantly keep in touch with community members and relatives, which can be slightly hectic at times – in that aspect, Bangalore gives us a lot of breathing space and freedom.”
Comparing Delhi – extremely dominated by Punjabi culture and tradition – with Bangalore, Kapur also feels that “Bangaloreans believe in simplicity while there is a lot of show-sha in Delhi even today”. She adds, “Bangalore is a cosmopolitan city and accepts people from all religions and communities. I love that about this place.”
Talking about their nature, Kapur says that Punjabis are known for their affection, compassion towards one another and the fact that “they can make friends wherever they go”.
Many Punjabis have found a home in Bangalore due to the large IT sector and number of jobs created. “Wherever you go today, you find a Punjabi and Bangalore is no exception. They are everywhere,” says Kapur.
When it comes to the one common ground between the city and Punjabis, Kapur says it is the “openness and acceptability of different cultures and traditions”.
She adds, “When I was growing up in the city, Bangalore wasn’t as ‘Punjabid’ as it is today. For instance, there were hardly any discs that played Punjabi music, but now most of them do.”
Even when it comes to Punjabi weddings, Kapur says that Bangaloreans have incorporated some of the traditions unique to a Punjabi wedding. “For instance, the sangeet programme (cocktails and dance party) during weddings,” she cites.
However, with the city constantly growing and changing due to an influx of modernisation and other cultures, there are downsides too.
“I feel, with time, the personal touch during festivals, especially Diwali, has gone missing. Nowadays, people don’t have the time to give you gifts themselves, so they send it with their drivers or domestic help,” says Kapur.
Janak Madaan moved to Bangalore from Amritsar in 1969. He has been working as the vice-president of the Punjabi Sabha for the past nine years in order to unite the Punjabis in Bangalore.
“We conduct special programmes during festivals for Punjabis and others in order to bring our people together,” he says.
“Recently, we had Pooja Gandhi, Kannada film star, as our chief guest during a function too,” he added.
The Punjabis have a community hall, the Punjabi Seva Samaj, in Vasantnagar. “It can shelter 500 people. The samaj runs a school just to give back to the society whatever is possible in our little ways,” he says.
“Bangalore is the place to be for all communities – it is very accepting and open to different communities and their cultures,” he concludes.
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