The Gallant Bhaus from Majhas

The gallant Bhaus from macho Majha
by Punam Khaira Sidhu

Don’t go by their somewhat pejorative title: the “Bhaus” are as macho as they come. In fact there’s a theory that does the rounds of Punjab’s university campuses, where there is usually war between the “Kakaji” (Malwai) group and the “Bhau” (Majhail) group, that this epithet was coined by a disgruntled Kakaji.

You can spot a “Bhau” by the set of his square jaw — it’s their signature feature. Clothes, footwear, etc don’t matter, because they wear their attitude. Their ideals light up their gallant hearts, and their hearts; well naturally, they wear them on their sleeves. Flamboyant and quick tempered, they can be braggarts who love to show off but can morph into passionate crusaders and even visionary statesmen of which Kairon is a luminous example. Their tragic flaw is that they think with their hearts rather than their heads.

Majhails live in the shadow of the border. The daily strutting and shadowboxing of troops on either side, a la Wagah and Hussainiwala, sustains the fear psychosis of border life. This cocktail of fear and excitement imbues the Bhaus with the restlessness and craving for adrenaline, which is almost a part of their DNA. They have a fatal fascination for causes.

With so much angst, repressed energy and idealism at large its not surprising that almost every meaningful movement or cause has originated in Macho Majha. The Bhaus have always been the strong, zealous crusaders at the forefront of these, fanatically committed to whatever cause they subscribed to at the time.

Most adults living in Majha have seen the screaming sirens of at least two wars and the subsequent cold war ending with the Kargil faceoff. Many have seen their lands cut off in the process of cobra fencing by the BSF to secure the porous borders. Several have actually sneaked across the border and engaged in some clandestine smuggling of contraband and opium. Many a prosperous trader family has at least one Blackiya or smuggler to thank for the infusion of capital into the family business.

Land holdings in the Majha are shrinking and lack of meaningful investment in industry has meant that jobs are scarce. The young Bhaus seek education as a means to a professional career, preferably in the uniformed services.

Considering that even little ones as young as 10 are taught to hold a gun and aim straight at the Dushman, that’s not too difficult. Many an illustrious soldier of the Indian Army, police and the BSF can lay proud claim to a Majhail Bhau’s heritage.

Good food and drink is the key to the Bhaus’ simple rustic hearts. Bhaus are known to have stomachs lined with steel and can drink anyone under the table. Barrels of homebrewed liquor and contraband are washed down with gallons of lassi and milk the next morning.

But that’s back home in the Village. In the cities they bring business to the Paranthewala Dhabas. Not for them pizzas or KFC but Kake da Chicken. On campus, the Bhau is the Sir Galahad, offering to do chores for the fairer sex who are uniformly and respectfully addressed as Behenji (sister) and the men as Bhaji (brother).

This invokes the wrath of the Kakajis who have coined some dirty rhymes to jibe them.

The Bhaus stick together when out of their home territory but back home they can fell a brother over an argument. Tough, uncompromising yet conservative they are truly the Punjabi Knights, trying to preserve their own Camelot.

Malwa versus Majha

Malwa versus Majha
Punam Khaira Sidhu

IT was after the “Anand Karaj” at my wedding, when the Baratis and the Kudiwallahs break bread together and bonhomie prevails, that I heard my father say: “We Majhails did not marry our daughters to Malwais”. Not having lived in Punjab for the better part of my growing years, I did not then understand the connotations underlying that remark. Having been married to a Malwai for the last 12 years I now do, and what can I say except, “Vive la difference”.

The river Sutlej runs through Punjab. Historians refer to the region west of the river as the Trans-Sutlej, and that east of the river as the Cis-Sutlej. This division corresponds roughly to the Majha-Malwa divisions. Majha is the ‘Bari Doab’ area that lies between the Beas and the Ravi. The people living in Majha are referred to as the Majhails. The Malwais are the people who live in the area that lies between the Sutlej and the Jamuna. Majha is essentially the area encompassing Lahore, present day districts of Amritsar. Gurdaspur and Pathankot. Malwa lies spread over Ferozepur, Faridkot, Patiala and Ludhiana. The traditional divide manifests itself in linguistic, culinary, cultural, psychological and sociological differences.

The linguistic differences were what struck me first in my Malwai marital home. ‘Taqi’ is window in the Malwai Punjabi and Khirki in Majhail. “Mure” is in front of in Malwai, “agge” in Majhail, “sumbharna” is cleaning up in Malwai as against “safari” in Majhailese. “Bhalna” is “to search” in Malwai as against “labhna” in Majha. Linguistic differences apart, you know a Malwai when he asks for ‘Dudh-patti’ while a Majhaili asks for “cha” at teatime.

But the major difference is psychological. Malwais are shrewd strategists, practical and farsighted: their heads rule their hearts. The Majhail acts before he thinks. His heart rules and he is impulsive rather than practical, an idealist who can be passionate about his causes. Both Malwa and Majha have thrown up leaders who have left their mark on Punjab and a keen rivalry has marked their interactions. The royal families of Patiala, Nabha, Faridkot and Jind from Malwa while Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, Maha Singh Sukerchakiya and his son Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and his generals Hari Singh Nalwa, Desa Singh Majithia, Attar Singh Sandhawalia, and finally Sir Sunder Singh Majhithia from Majha fashioned the fabric of present-day Punjab, pre-partition.

Post-partition, think Majha and the images that loom large are Master Tara Singh, Pratap Singh Kairon, a political Science graduate from the University of Michigan, and Gurnam Singh, Gopichand Bhargav and Comrade Ram Krishan. Maharaja Yadavindra Singh, Gyan Singh Rarewala, Parkash Singh Badal, Harcharan Singh Brar and Giani Zail Singh are only some of the many Malwai statesmen. There are many whom the constraints of space do not permit me to name. But the luminaries I name best illustrate the Malwai versus the Majhail psyche comparison.

And finally encapsulating the traditional Malwa versus Majha rivalry, there’s a humorous tale about a Malwai Brigadier and a Majhail Honorary Captain. They met long after they had served together. The Malwai proudly informed the Majhail that he had three sons one of whom was a Major General, another an Air Vice-Marshal while the third was a Commodore in the Navy on the verge of promotion. The Malwai version has the Majhail reluctantly informing that he had three sons too. One recently out on bail, another doing time for alleged drug peddling, while a third was facing charges for 107/151 Cr PC for apprehension of breach of peace.

The Majhail version ends a little differently with the Majhail informing the Malwai that he too had three sons, one a Major General, the other an Air Vice-Marshal while the third was a Commodore in the Navy on the verge of promotion. “But I hope you know that I never married”!! .............. Long live the Majhails and the Malwais and long may they connive and compete.