Depiction of Punjabi Culture in Punjabi Poetry

Abstract

The culture provides the normative order for the life to its followers. Every culture has its differences in the living pattern of the people in a region. The people are distinguished on the basis of their different languages, education, behavior, customs, traditions, food, rituals, dresses, and art. Pakistan is multicultural country where there are many different cultures. The poets have always been influential in altering the cultural fabric of the society irrespective of castes, areas, and languages; Waris Shah’s poetry is a salient example of this influential role. This study is aimed to discuss the culture of Punjab in the 18th century through the poetry of Waris Shah. Waris Shah secures a very prominent position whenever we talk about cultural evolution/ change in Punjab. Like many other poets, Waris Shah was well aware of the virtues and vices present at that time in the society he lived in. There are three objectives of the present research study a) to understand the representation of Punjabi culture in 18th century, b) to understand the concept and theme of Heer composed by Waris Shah, and c) to compare the commonality and the differences between the representation of Waris Shah and other poets, and what is the uniqueness of Heer Waris Shah? In this research study, it is argued that the story of Heer composed by Waris Shah challenges the existing norms and values of the Punjabi society in the 18th century. In this thesis it has been tried to analyze the themes of Heer Waris Shah and an effort has been made to explore the basic picture of his depiction of the Punjabi Culture at that time.