4th Summer Program in Punjab Studies

July 3-August 13, 2000

Mughal gardens at Pindore

After having read through the evaluations of the summer program, and having spoken individually with the participants of the program, I am delighted to report that the program this summer was a tremendous success. Some of the general sentiments expressed regarding the program are as follows, "the program met and exceeded all of its promises;" "an amazing, power-packed effort;" "a watershed summer in my life! I can think of no past summer where more personal growth and reevaluation have so doggedly adhered to me, forcing me to change;" "I have come up with enough ideas to keep me working for five years. . . The program has given direction to my academic career." Yet another statement reads: "The program provided me with something I would have completely unable to attain elsewhere, a holistic foundational introduction to the Punjab as a region. . . To hear the folk music, gaze at the landscape both as a natural and human made product, gain a sense of the devotional practices at mandirs and gurdwaras, and many more things together contributed to this experience. . . I will continue to benefit from it in the years to come."

Sunset in the Punjab countryside

Our group this year in Chandigarh was by far the largest and most diverse since the program's inception in 1997. Out of the seventeen participants in the program, there were thirteen doctoral students, two undergraduates, a high school teacher, and a social worker. The areas of interest and research pursued by the participants were many, ranging from anthropology, education, ethnomusicology, history, linguistics, literature, religion, sociology, and social work. In addition to the varied research interests represented by the group, our group also represented numerous universities and countries around the globe. We had three participants hailing from European Universities-London University, Lunds University, Sweden, and Sorbonne Nouvelle. There were fourteen participants representing various American and Canadian Universities and Colleges.

Given the diverse backgrounds of the participants, I expected a rich exchange of knowledge within the group itself. It is with great pleasure that I can say that even my expectations were surpassed. Our six weeks were marked by conversations, both in and outside of the classroom, that generated important information and interesting perceptions about the state of Punjab and South Asian Studies. Also, for some, the setting of the program generated a sense of confidence. A participant from Sweden writes: "Coming from a place where studies in the Sikh tradition or the Punjab do not really exist, I cannot with words explain what a relief it was to daily interact with people who know the field. . . and learn that so many of us are out there." Preet Dutt, a school teacher, and Dave Sangha, a social worker, who came to the program to improve their understanding of the Punjab, were also similarly effected, and they are both considering the possibilities of returning to graduate school to pursue doctoral work in the area of Punjab Studies.

Shiva Temple at Baijnath, Kangra

The original purpose of the program was to offer a basic introduction to the region and its language, but its structure has evolved considerably over the past four years. While generating the syllabus, I tried my best to incorporate the interests and needs of the incoming participants, as well as the suggestions of previous participants of the program. The substantive content of the program has thus acquired a degree of comprehensiveness and is able to meet the needs of scholars from a wide variety of disciplines. In the years ahead, the schedule can be adjusted with very minor modifications to accommodate the needs of participants with varied and diverse research interests.

Let me provide a brief overview of the program's components Professors J. S. Grewal and Indu Banga are primarily responsible for the history section. Their work is complemented by other leading scholars lecturing on art, culture, demography, economy, geography, music, and religions of the region. This collective effort yields an authoritative overview of the history of the Punjab from the Indus Valley Civilization to the present.

Buddha at Dharamsala

The focus on the literature and culture segment has also sharpened over the years. Professor Rana Nayar of Panjab University, Chandigarh, lectures on Punjabi literature, thus preparing the participants to listen to and interact with leading Punjabi writers and poets in an informed manner. This year we invited five poets, including Surjit Patar, who won the Sahitya Academy award in 1993. He spoke to us about his perception of the creative process and then went on to sing to us several of his poems. We also met four short story writers including Santokh Singh Dhir, a pioneer in this genre, and Mohan Bhandari, who won Sahitya Academy award in 1998.

In the culture segment, we provide the participants with an opportunity to meet people who represent a wide cross section of Punjabi life. This year, our guests/hosts included religious figures such as Jathedar Joginder Singh of the Akal Takhat, Bava Narayan Das of Darbar Shri Dhayanpur, Khalifa Sahib of Dargah of Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi, and Rev. Warris K. Masih, Presbyter Incharge, Christ Church, Chandigarh. Other visitors included Aditaya Parkash, a member of the team of architects who planned Chandigarh; Neelam Man Singh, a pioneer in Punjabi theater; Shiv Singh, a sculptor of national eminence; a group of social workers; and Aidu Sharif, the leading contemporary Punjabi folk singer.

The travel during these weeks covered over 2500 kilometers. Some participants describe this part of the program as "amazing" and "fantastic." We traveled through the Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and visited historical sites and sites sacred to Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians. One participant described the selection of these various sites as "superb." With the exception of two people who shared a room in Amritsar and Dharamsala and found the hygienic conditions there unsatisfactory, the majority of the participants were "fully satisfied" with the living arrangements. In the coming years, I would like to limit the number of participants to twelve to ensure their comfort.

Rainbow at Kiratpur

Finally, the language segment has undergone considerable improvement over the years. The Advanced Punjabi section was very successful and people appreciated the teaching of Gurdit Singh, a participant-teacher in the program. Elementary Punjabi too has improved with the creation of the Punjabi Language Manual by Ami Shah, Anne Murphy, Gurdit Singh, and myself. Participants greatly appreciated the effort Ami Shah, another participant-teacher put into the teaching of this segment. One of the participants was, however, disappointed for not having been able to attain the level of proficiency in spoken Punjabi she had hoped for. We will do our best to focus still more on spoken Punjabi in the years ahead.

There is a general consensus that the Shivalikview Hotel in Chandigarh is an excellent home for the program. The hotel staff is now familiar with the general needs of the participants and they do their best to make our stay comfortable. I have finally been able to work out a strategy to deal with the problem of "greasy" food and I hope that this will not be an irritant in coming years. This year's experiment in which two people shared a room was a great success. While it helps to keep expenses down, it also provides an interesting opportunity for two people from different parts of the world to get to know each other better. I hope that the friendships made in the program will grow with the passing of time.

As in previous years, some health-related problems seemed unavoidable. The participants were, however, fully satisfied with the "promptness" and "efficiency" with which these problems were handled. They also found the quality of health care "excellent." I am very grateful to Dr. Himmat Singh who volunteered his time and supplied us with free medication.

On the way to Dharamsala during travel week

In the coming years, I would like to lighten the load of lectures a bit. I have shredded some lectures and have added a review session on Fridays to sum up the group's impressions about the week's activities. I will lead this session and hopefully during this session we will be able to review material, discuss travel plans, and address any problems that may have surfaced.

During the coming months, we will complete the following: (1) the Punjabi manual which will also include readings for advanced participants; (2) a guide offering brief introduction to the places we visit during the program; and (3) a brief bibliography to go with the lectures in the program. These documents will be mailed to the participants at the time of admission into the program.

I am fully satisfied with the work of the past four years. Introducing the Punjab, and simultaneously seeing it through new sets of eyes every summer, has been personally rewarding. So far a total of forty-six people have participated in the program. An increase in the number of applicants every year has been extremely encouraging. I am also delighted that Ami Shah, Anne Murphy, and Gurdit Singh found it useful to return to the program and have kindly helped in the teaching of the language segment during their second visit.
I am also gratified to report that scholars in the Punjab have begun to view the program as an important development in the area of Punjab Studies. This year, they were particularly impressed with the size of the Group, and the participants knowledge of issues in the Punjab, and their desire to learn. Our visitors invariably expressed gratitude to Columbia and UCSB for supporting the field of Punjab Studies.
This general recognition of the importance of the program for the field has also spilled over into the public arena The press took notice of our presence resulting in seven write-ups on the program appearing in local English, Hindi, and Punjabi newspapers (The Tribune, July 8; The Indian Express, July 8; The Hindustan Times, August 1; The Times of India, August 2; The Punjabi Tribune, August 6, and August 13; The Dainak Bhaskar, August 7).

Sikhs at the Golden Temple

I am grateful to the Department of Religious Studies at UCSB, the Charadi Kala Sikh Community Center of Palo Alto (Kerry Brown for her help in contacting them), and the Sikh Educational Foundation of Santa Barbara, for contributing $5000 each toward scholarships for the participants. I am indebted to Professors John S. Hawley, Mark Juerghensmeyer, Philip Oldenberg, and Wade Clarke Roof for their help. I am pleased to acknowledge the valuable advice and help of Professors Indu Banga, J. S. Grewal, and Rana Nayar. I am thankful to Dr. Mannohan Singh, I. A. S. who helped sort out many of the administrative details of the program. The presence of Ami Shah and Gurdit Singh, who in addition to teaching Punjabi, also assisted me in the general running of the program, thereby lightening my responsibilities considerably. I appreciate their help. Finally, the success of this year lies with the group itself. They are a marvelous bunch of people who appreciated and fully made use of the effort which went into making the program possible. My heartfelt thanks go to them.

Gurinder Singh Mann

September 1, 2000