An Ode to Punjab’s Daughters

In this politically charged personal saga, Harleen Singh has written a woman’s history of Punjab, by narrating individual stories and anecdotes which form the warp and weft of the narrative that chronicles over a century of the history of the land known as ‘the land of five rivers’ and ‘the sword arm of the British’, from its consolidation in the middle of the eighteenth century until its partition in the middle of the twentieth. It has become customary to view Punjab from a lens that foregrounds masculinity and more recently music, both representative of the Punjabi male hero. While not denying this heroism or undercutting it in any way, Harleen Singh seeks to redress an imbalance insofar as the representation of the Punjabi woman in the official chronicles of its history as well as in popular culture, is concerned.