Project Living Punjab

The map you see below is how Punjab used to look like. Then partition happened. Afterwards two states were carved out of the Indian Punjab. Now Pakistani Punjab is being divided into two provinces. I don't intend to discuss the administrative need of these changes. I want to insist that despite these apparent changes, the Punjab that was still exists. And I want to live that Punjab.

Born in a family where Urdu was the language of communication, Punjabi was an alien world, not worth entering. At least that was the impression we had growing up in a city like Islamabad. Discovering the Punjabi Sufi poetry was the first shock for me, listening to the Punjabi music was the second, and getting to know the importance of folklore in the lives of a people was the last.

When it was happening, I was also getting trained in a skill set known as software engineering. It has now been 7 years since I graduated. For the past 7 years, I have worked my way up the ladder from a junior programmer to the CTO of a company. Last month, I quit my job. I think I'm just done living the life people have chosen for me. I refuse to spend a lifetime making money. I have done it. It's not worth it.

Long story short, I'm going to live in each region of Punjab for a month to really experience the Punjab that is now and that once was. The yellow circles you see on the map will start turning green, one by one. I might write something at the end of my stay at each destination. I have been reading and researching the different colors of the Punjabi folklore for years. Now I want to see how they relate to the people at present. This is my personal journey into living thousands of years that have shaped our lives and traditions.