Скачать или смотреть ਪੰਜਾਬੀਅਤ (Punjab's Political Fiction) (Punjabi)

#Punjabiyat #SikhHistory #PunjabiPodcast #punjabihistory #punjabfloods2025
In this in-depth Punjabi podcast episode, we take a critical look at the idea of Punjabiyat—often celebrated today as a timeless cultural identity—and argue that it never truly existed as a historical force. Drawing on the sharp historical analysis of Jagjit Singh, we challenge Khushwant Singh’s claim that Banda Singh Bahadur’s revolutionary war was rooted in Punjabiyat. Instead, the evidence shows that Banda Singh’s struggle was animated by Sikh ideals and the Khalsa vision, not a vague sense of regional unity.

To push this further, we explore the works of Waris Shah and Bulleh Shah, whose writings reflect the deep fractures and divisions in Punjabi society. Far from being united by a shared sense of Punjabiyat, Punjab’s Hindus and Muslims often colluded with external powers—be it the Afghans or the Delhi Sultanate—against their own fellow Punjabis. This constant cycle of betrayal and fragmentation reveals that “Punjabiyat” was never a cohesive historical reality.

We also reflect on how this myth of Punjabiyat is a much more modern construction, shaped by postcolonial cultural politics, rather than something that genuinely animated the Sikh revolutions or the rise of Sikh sovereignty. In fact, it was only with the Khalsa and Sikh Raaj that Punjab briefly overcame its divisions.

Join us as we unpack these myths, revisit historical sources, and challenge romanticised narratives of Punjab’s past.

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