Gurnam S S Brard

Published by Hemkunt
hardcover, pages 440.

An autobiographical account of life in rural Punjab, partially in the period of British rule, and then afterwar. Background on local and family history, caste, marriage, customs, festivals. A major addition to understanding Punjabi society and evolution of the region. The author, born in 1930 in Patiala, studied at Khalsa College, later going on to study physics at the University of Washington. He worked for 20 years at Livermore. 

This book was intended as an autobiographical account and to describe conditions of rural life during the author’s childhood in Punjab. It covers a part of the period of British colonial rule, the Independence and the partition of India, and some earlier and later times that offer a picture of a life that no longer exists. The narrative begins with the author’s family history and the lives of various family members that contribute to an understanding of Punjabi society of those days. Various aspects of rural life , such as castes and occupations, marriage customs and mourning rituals, clothing and hairstyles, festivals and celebrations, animals and crops, sexual mores and taboos, religions and superstitions are described in varying detail.

In addition to the story of one person’s life, this book is an ethnographic study, with numerous real-life stories that illustrate the conditions of life in those times.