All images are details from Amrita Shergill's "The Three Sisters".
People
They are from Punjab!
by ELIZABETH ANDRUS
She was beautiful.
As I walked through the market, hurriedly picking out fresh veggies, I spotted her and a male companion that I can assume is her husband.
She was dressed in her traditional clothes, a knee-long blouse that had hand-stitched designs and shiny things with loose pants that matched. She had a long scarf wrapped around her neck that had the same stitching, but of a different cloth. Her large nose ring shone in the sun and her long black hair was tied with a ponytail of the cloth of her scarf.
I didn't want to stare, but I wanted to take her in. She was graceful and intelligent as she shopped for produce and I was awestruck.
For a moment I wished I was her.
I found the courage to talk to her.
I told her I thought she was beautiful and I asked her where she was from. Her accent was thick honey.
They are from Punjab!
I wanted to learn about her world. But it was a breakthrough just to talk to her...
Maybe next time I meet a Punjabi sister, I will be able to overcome my shyness and really step forward in friendship. I don't want her and others like her to think that I am rude and prying, because I am sincere.
I googled Punjab ... what a place!
[Elizabeth Andrus is a blogger from San Ignacio Cayo, Belize. Courtesy: End of the Street]
September 29, 2008
Conversation about this article
1: Pritam Singh Grewal (Canada), September 29, 2008, 11:02 PM.
A short but wonderful tribute to Punjabi beauty adorned with 'kaddhaee wala shalwar-kameez' suit!
2: Satinder Gill (Khanna, Punjab), October 01, 2008, 2:09 PM.
Elizabeth, if you ever want to visit Punjab, I will extend you a warm welcome as I spend a lot of my time here, having lived in Canada for a long time. I love both the countries with a passion one only hears about but rarely encounters.
3: Simren Kaur (Sydney, Australia), October 03, 2008, 5:08 AM.
I find that most people appreciate Sikh beauty due to our culture of modesty and grace. It's just something different in this newly provocative world.
4: Beth (Santa Elena, Belize), May 19, 2011, 4:15 PM.
Thanks for including my blog entry on your site. I wrote this such a long time ago, but my appreciation of Punjabi culture has not changed! In fact, I have grown to not be so awestruck and I can appreciate it for the diversity that it brings. Thanks for your appreciation. I hope you enjoy my blog more.