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Do we need a cultural regreening in Punjab? For whom?

Updated: Aug 17, 2024

Wildflowers growing out of cracks in a rock
Creative people struggle to survive but still find ways to bloom

Is there a cultural deficit plaguing Punjab? That depends.


As a non-Punjabi woman who has lived in Punjab for 15 years, I’ve seen a few different notions of ‘culture’ in this state. At one end of the spectrum, we have the Chandigarh Lit Fest where you are bound to find the cream of the jat sikh populance in their finest, wining and dining their equally ‘artsy’ pals from the big cities. On the other hand, we have the Holla Mohalla or the Maghi Mela in Muktsar, where you will find traditional, rustic men indulging in alpha-male activities like horse racing and dog shows.


‘Cultural programs’ organized by the government departments are as ‘fresh and innovative’ as last year’s daisies. Sure, you will find lots of bhangra and gidda and ‘traditional handicrafts’ but don’t bother looking for any fresh, bold interpretations of them or any innovative new ideas about cultural and creative expression.


So, for someone like me - in the middle - neither the glitterati of Chandigarh nor the rustic village woman, there is nothing. You may ask, who really needs it? Who really are the stakeholders fighting for safe spaces to express or experience creativity or to create their own notions of ‘culture’? That is a big question. And in the question lies the answer to what kind of cultural regreening we need in Punjab.


This is the purpose of our panel discussion and breakout sessions at the PCP’s flagship event The PCP Dialogues | Edition #1: Building Punjab's Cultural Economy -Challenges, Opportunities and Action.


Join 50 creative and cultural practitioners invited from across Punjab as we discuss and debate these questions and try to draw up a roadmap for more inclusive and diverse cultural and creative expression in Punjab. We will discuss the most pressing gaps and opportunities for culture in Punjab and try to define how we, as a social collective, can help culture evolve and contemporize for new generations, within the framework of an inclusive, accessible and innovative cultural economy.



Would you like to join us?


To register, fill this form to receive an invitation to participate in this event.

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