THE ARTS AND CRAFTS : 'O! East is East: and West is West, and…' the 'twain
did meet & will continue to meet, at great cost; in Punjab: the Land of the
Five rivers: JEHLUM, CHENAB, RAVI, BEAS, SUTLUJ;
which continue to flow since ancient times, from the roof of the world: the
Himalayas, along the plateaus,
foothills, plains, deltas; into the Arabian Sea: for all successive River INDUS
VALLEY civilizations: A very sacred land: every inch an imprint of almost all
the major ancient religions: of the East: and of the West:
whose priests and soldiers: here, one after another: all had their: wave and
way, wars and warriors, sword
and sway: : forging each other, till the seekers from amongst themselves, led
by Guru Nanak, revolted
proclaiming -'Na Mai Hindu! Na Mai Musulmaan'- Neither am I a Hindu! Nor am
I a Muslim! - ushering in the latest revolutionary religion :Sikhism, of -'Ek
Onkar Sat Naam'- There is One God: The True Name - :
followed by -'the Sikhs'- the seekers - : followers of this new faith. These
pot pourri *excerpts below,
hence, glimpse facets: Before: During: After: - 'The Gurus'- of: the Punjab
& their: Punjabiat: -
"….the silk and
pashm fabrics and
embroideries of
Delhi,
Ludhiana and
Amritsar,
the enamels of
Multan,
the damascening of
Sialkot and
Gujrat
the potterv of
Multan,
and the beautiful
jewellery and
miniature painting of
Delhi,
have acquired a fame
extending far beyond
the limits of the Province of
5 Aab.
[ *Excerpts from : A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North - West Frontier Provinces: compiled by H.A. ROSE. Based on the Census Report for the Punjab, 1883 : By Sir DENZIL IBBETSON, K.C.S.I., and the Census Report for the Punjab, 1892, and the Hon. Mr E.D.MacLAGAN, C.S.I., Pub : Director, Language Department, Punjab. ]