Chandigarh August 12:
            Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal wants vendetta politics to end not only in Punjab but also in the whole of the country.
“I do not believe in vendetta politics. It is not good,” he said in an media. Badal maintains that the case against his immediate predecessor, Capt Amarinder Singh, was not registered by the present regime but was initiated during the previous Congress rule in the state.
He maintained that no case against any Congress leader or MLA had been registered during the SAD-BJP government though the previous Congress government not only implicated former Akali Ministers in false cases but also treated them shabbily. ”It was Congress that started vendetta politics. I would not have felt that bad if they had implicated my son or me. They implicated my wife also. What had my wife to do with all these?” he quipped.
Talking about elevation of Sukhbir Singh Badal, he said that it was for the Shiromani Akali Dal to decide. “I had no hand in his becoming Deputy Chief Minister,” he said maintaining that politics was no exception, as wards of doctors become doctors; engineers become engineers and so on. He said that his continuation as Chief Minister was also dependent upon the party. Referring to the Rajiv-Longowal accord, Punjab Chief Minister said that he forewarned Sant Harchand Singh Longowal that he might be cheated into the accord. “I was proved right as the transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab was cancelled at the last moment,” he said.

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ssa sare nu menu help chide haa ma tattoo bonon haa only punjabi menu pic send kardo jere menu changa lagaya ma banlo gya thxxxxxx

London August 11:
            Women with larger waistlines are two times more likely to die young, reveals a study. Being fat around the middle was already known to be linked to inflammation, insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes, abnormal cholesterol levels and heart disease.
But the research revealed these factors dramatically increase the risk of dying from any cause over a nine-year period, reports dailymail.co.uk. A team from the American Cancer Society compared waist circumference and death rates in a population of 48,500 men and 56,343 women aged 50 and older. All had participated in a large cancer study which asked them to provide information about weight and waistlines. Deaths among the participants and their causes were tracked for a total of nine years.
The results, published in the journal 'Archives of Internal Medicine', showed having a very large waist roughly doubled the risk of death during the study period for both men and women. The pattern was seen in men with a waist circumference of 47 inches or more, and women measuring at least 42 inches around the middle. This was after making adjustments to take account of body mass index - a standard measurement relating weight and height - and other risk factors.

Chandigarh, August 11:
In a bid to tackle the perennial problem of water logging and soil salinity in the Malwa region, Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today gave a green signal to an innovative integrated agribusiness pilot project to be implemented by M/s. Nasa Agro Industries Ltd. at Sajrana (Ferozepur district).
A decision to this effect was taken by the Chief Minister after going through a detailed presentation by Managing Director, NASA Agro Industries Ltd. Mr. Sanjeev Nagpal here this morning. It was informed in the meeting that this Rs.82 Crore project would involve development of fish farms on waste lands, setting up of biogas plants based on paddy straw and setting up of Centre of Excellence for the standardization of food processing technologies and M/s. Nasa Agro Industries Ltd. would implement this project through M/s. SAMPURAN Agri Ventures Pvt. Ltd. in which M/s. Kirloskar Integrated Techology Ltd. and Punjab Agro-Industries Corporation (PAIC) would also be stakeholders.
Expressing concern over the soil degradation and water logging in the areas of Muktsar, Ferozepur and Faridkot districts, Mr. Badal said that at present 1,25,000 hactre land was facing this problem that had aggravated the plight of the farmers and government was keen to launch a project at war footing to tackle this problem. Mr. Sanjeev Nagpal, Managing Director, Nasa Agro Industries Ltd. gave a detailed presentation on the concept of the project. It is proposed to bring 200 acres of land belonging to farmers under fish farming, 50 acres owned by Mr. Sanjeev Nagpal for setting up of Centre of Excellence and another 100 acres for development of food processing industry. M/s. DHV of Netherlands would provide technology for desalination of water.
The representative of M/s. DHV – Mr. Ashish Katoch informed that the proposed technology is in operation for last 25 years in Netherlands . Mr. Deepak Palwangar, Head Marketing, Kirloskar informed that his company has done pioneering work in the field of processing of paddy straw into biogas. He further informed that in the pilot project it is proposed to generate power to the extent of 5 MW from paddy straw, which will be supplied to the upcoming food processing industry in the proposed industry belt. The residue from the power plant would be converted into compost, which would be available at 2/3rd price of chemical fertilizers. The effluent from the digester of bio-gas plant would be further treated for conversion into valued added products like silica, lignin and cattle feed.
Prominent amongst others who were present in the meeting included Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. DS Guru, Financial Commission Development Mr. NS Kang, Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. Gagandip Singh Brar, MD Punjab Agro-Industries Corporation Mr. SK Sandhu and Director Agriculture Mr. Balwinder Singh Sidhu.

dekhlo ajj kal simari v dog rakha lag pye :)

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In a vastly diverse country like India, every region has something typical to offer whether it is in clothes, or in food or in its music, dance and art.

Punjab, the land of milk and honey, boasts of a robust climate where the agricultural revolution has reaped rich dividends. The land of plenty, in keeping with the Zeitgeist, has a cuisine which caters to the characteristic needs of the people.

Punjabi cuisine is not subtle in its flavour. There are no intricate marinades or exotic sauces but it has full-bodied masalas (spices) cooked with liberal amount o desi ghee (clarified butter) always served with a liberal helping of butter or cream. Milk and its products are an essential part of everyday cookery; curd and buttermilk are also an essential concomitant with every Punjabi meal.

Predominantly wheat eating people the Punjabis cook rice only on special occasions. It's never eaten plain or steamed, for steamed rice implies that somebody is sick. Rice is eaten always with a bagar (flavouring) of cummin or fried onions with Rajma or Kadhi, Rajma with rice or rice With Kadhi is eaten on holidays or on festive days. In winter rice is cooked with jaggary known as gurwala chawal or with peas called matarwale chawal or as a delicacy called Rao Ki Kheer which is rice cooked on very slow fire for hours together with sugar cane juice.

In Punjab itself, there are differences in flavours and style. For example, people around Amritsar prefer well-fried stuffed paraunthas and milk sweets. The people of Doaba region eat more of them; in the Malwa region Bajra (ground maize) khitchadi (kedgree) is a delicacy. There are of course certain dishes which are part and parcel of Punjab and their very mention conjures up the rich flavour of the state. Mah ki Dal, Sarson Ka Saag and Makkee Ki Roti, meat curry like Roghan Josh and stuffed paraunthas can be found in no other state except Punjab. The food is suitable for those who burn up a lot of calories while working in the fields and tilling their small acres. For the urban folk, however, eating even one dish is enough because life in the cities is so sedentary. The main masala in a Punjabi dish consists of onion, garlic, ginger and a lot of tomatoes fried in pure ghee.

An average day's meal would generally comprise :

BREAKFAST
Stuffed Alloo Matar (potatoes and peas) Paraunthas and a glass of butter milk.

LUNCH
Saron Da Saag and Makki Di Roti with onion chutney.

DINNER
Mah Di Dal, Bhunna Gosht, Tandoori Roti and Dahi Raita.

The Recepies of some famous Punjabi Delicacies are given as under :

STUFFED ALLOO MATAR PARAUNTHA

200 gms boiled potatoes
100 gms boiled peas
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Ajwain (carom seed)
1 teaspoon grated ginger
Ghee for frying
500 gms well-kneaded flour dough.

Knead 500 gms of wheat flour with water and make a thick dough.Mash together thoroughly boiled potatoes, peas, salt, ajwain (carom seed) and grated ginger. Make a ball of the dough, shape it into the required number of flat small round sort of pancakes, fill each with a generous amount of stuffing, close the edges of each and roll each one of them again into a flat round shape. On a hot tawa (griddle) cook each parauntha, one at a time, basting each with pure ghee on both sides.

SARON DA SAAG

1 kg sarson or mustard leaves
350 gms palak (spinach)
150 gms methi (fenugreek)
100 gins makki ka atta (corn pounded into flour)
2 big onions finely chopped
500 gms tomatoes finely chopped.

Pluck mustard leaves, palak and methi leaves from off the stalks. Wash them well in running water. Chop finely. Add finely chopped ginger and pressure cook it for 45 minutes on a low fire.

Remove from the fire and pound the saag in the pressure cooker pan till it is well mixed. Put it back on a low flame and gradually add makki ka atta stirring constantly untill all flour is mixed in the saag. Before serving make a bagar in hot ghee, which means first brown the garlic, then add onions, fry till they are golden brown. Add more onions and cook till a thick puree is formed. Add the saag to it and serve hot with dollops of fresh homemade butter.

Serve with Makki Ki Roti: roti made of pounded corn flour.

Mah Di DAL

250 gms urad dal (black lentil)
1000 ml water 1 tablespoon mustard oil
1/2 teaspoon methi (fenugreek) powder
1/2 teaspoon dhania (coriander)
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon haldi (turmeric) powder
2" ginger finely cut

For the Bagar
2 finely chopped onions
2 finely cut green coriander leaves
2 tablespoons ghee
12 cloves garlic
250 gms tomatoes
1 teaspoon garam masala

Coriander leaves to garnish and 1/2 cup of creamWash the dal well. Put water, dal, haldi, salt, ginger, methi and dhania powder in the pressure cooker and cook for 1/2 hour. Then remove the lid and add 200 ml butter milk and cook on a low fire for another 1/2 hour.Put 2 tablespoons of ghee in a karai (wok). First put in garlic, then finely cut green chillies, then the onions and fry well.Add finely chopped tomatoes, a pinch of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Now add the well-cooked dal. Boil 2-3 times. Place it in a serving dish; add cream and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

In villages which formed the first habitation of  civilised man rural sports grew out of sheer necessity. The need for cultivating individual strength for labour on the fields, the interdependence within the community and need of defence, joint defence against onslaughts of a common foe and dangerous animals must have given birth to sports like wrestling, running, jumping, weightlifting and such performing arts as of measuring strength by holding wrists, twisting hands. Kabaddi which is another expression of the same spirit has become the mother of games in Punjab.

In order to toughen the frames and steel the minds of his followers Guru Hargobindji had started the tradition of holding wrestling bouts within the precincts of Akal Takht Sahib and it is mostly because of the fillip that he gave and the seal of ethics that he put on them that sports become a proud facet of life in Punjab. On the common grounds of villages, in the fairs, during the festivals, at the hermitages of pirs, graves of preceptors, wrestling became a part of high recreation. Villages adopt and feed wrestlers and also give prizes to them as a matter of honour in Punjab today.

During the Hola Mohalla celebrations at Anandpur Sahib tent pegging competitions, archery, fencing and riding competitions, gymnastic and acrobatic displays which the Nihangs put up and the tournaments held at Diwali have a hoary history. To the Punjabis goes the distinction of organising rural games into tournaments.

Almost sixty years ago when the Grewal Sports Association had begun to hold competitions in rural sports at Village Quilla Raipur little would have anyone thought that this tournament will become a movement in Punjab.

Today in almost 7000 villages in Punjab in one decade or the other rural sports competitions are being held. Rural folk organise them. It is they who extend all hospitality to the competitors also. In fact these village sports have opened the floodgates of village development.

Before Independence in 1947 major importance was given only to Kabaddi and wrestling, after Independence the circle of rural sports also got widened. The rustic "Khido Khoondi" (literally a ball made out of cuttings of cloth and a stick twisted at the end like a flat hockey blade) was replaced by proper hockey and players from villages, having no facilities beyond uneven grounds to play began to dominate in the game. Twelve of our country's greatest hockey players have come out of a single village called SANSARPUR in Jalandhar District.

Recently not only revival of sports fairs has taken place in Punjab but their number has also increased tremendously.

Now sports meets are held almost in every significant village in Punjab.

Following the Kila Raipur Rural Sports meet the Kalgidhar Tournament of Kamalpur has also completed half-a-century. Dhudike's Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Sports Fair has completed three decades. Gujarwal, Mullanpur, Sahnewal, Ghungali Rajputtana Hambla., Dhamto are flourishing. The -small sports meets of Lalto Kalan, Dhurkot, Rauni, Dyalpur, Rurka Kalan, Bhinder Kalan, Duare-ana are gaining stature day by day.

Three types of competitions are held during rural meets, Purely rural games : Kabaddi, Wrestling, Weight-lifting etc. Modern sports like athletics, hockey, football, volleyball, cycling, handball etc. Performing sports like acrobatics, twisting an iron-rod by placing it on Adam's apple, passing tractor over the rib-ease, cracking a big stone by placing it on the chest etc. Now another colour is also being added to these sports fairs. They have got intermixed with folk singing when sun sets after the days sports competitions the notes of music begin to emanate and singing continues, sometimes, late in the night. Music contest that was held between Karamjit Dhuri and Jagmohan Kaur at Kila Raipur is still fondly remembered. At the Gujarwal Meet the singing of Parminder Sandhu, Hans Raj Hans and Surinder Chhinda and at fairs of Majha region the notes o Toombi (one-stringed instrument) of Amarjit remain fixed in the minds of the people.

Villagers are not just fond of their own competitions they also like to size-up the skill and power of their animals like bulls, horses, dogs on the sports ground. Bullockcart racing has become a passion in Punjab. Because of a ban on hunting, hound-races are held in Punjab by dangling a bait of fake hare before them. At places cock-fights are also held and pigeon fights are contested. In some parts of Punjab people indulge in fighting a bull by barehands.

Rural Sports are a personification of the virility of Punjab.

OTHER GAMES

1. Trinjan

2. Kikli

3. Gheeta Pathar

4. Khidu

5. Kokla Chapaaki

6. Chicho Chich Ganerian

7. Lukan Miti (Hide & Seek)

8. Guli Danda

9. Kidi Kada or Stapoo

10. Ghaggar Phissi

11. Kabbadi

12. Rasa Kashi (Tug of War)

13. Akharas

14. Martial Art

15. Kite Flying (Patang Bazi)

16. Lattoo

    

GENTS:

Traditional men wear a chaadra while doing Bhangra. A chaadra is a piece of cloth wrapped around the waist. Men also wear a kurta, which is a long Indian-style shirt. In addition, men wear Pugdee - also known as turbans - to cover their heads.

In modern times, men also wear turla - the fan attached to the pugdee. Colorful vest are worn above the kurta. Fumans - small balls attached to ropes - are worn on each arm.

Besides the above, the Bhangra dress has different parts that are listed below in detail:

1. Turla or Torla which is a fan like adornment on the turban.

2. Pag (turban, a sign of pride/honor in Punjab). This is tied differently than the traditional turban one sees Sikhs wearing in the street. This turban has to be tied before each show.

3. Kaintha (necklace), some men even wear earrings like the large hoops worn by the women dancers

4. Kurta - Similar to a silk shirt, with about 4 buttons, very loose with embroidered patterns.

5. Lungi or Chadar, A loose loincloth tied around the dancer’s waist, which is usually very decorated.

6. Jugi: A waistcoat, with no buttons.

7. Rammal: Small 'scarves' worn on the fingers. They look very elegant and are effective when the hands move during the course of bhangra performance.

LADIES:

Women wear a traditional Punjabi dress known as a ghagra. A ghagra is a long colorful skirt which fans out into a giant disk as a woman swirls. Women also wear duppattas, colorful pieces of cloth wrapped around their neck. Many Bhangra songs make references to the duppatta. Also, women wear suits called salwar kamiz; long baggy pants tight at the ankle (salwars) and a long colorful shirt (kamiz).

It is impossible to tell by dress whether a Punjabi woman is a Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian – they all dress in salwar topped by a kameez (a garment that can be fitted like a dress loose like the kurta) and accented by a rectangular scarf about 2.5 metres long called the chunni or duppatta .
   

She’s fond of her sweaters, but she is passionately proud of her collection of woollen shawls. These can be breathtaking. The women of Punjab are responsible for the state’s most famous item of handicraft – the phulkari. This is a shawl completely covered in dense silk embroidery, folk motifs in jewel-tones on an ochre background. Gold is her weakness – brides are loaded with it. The jewellers of Punjab stock an enormous range of designs in bangles, necklaces, rings and earrings, nose-pins, ornaments to pin in the hair, anklets and toe-rings. A particular kind of bangle is the tip-off in recognising Sikh men and women. It’s called a kada and is made of steel.

Traditional Ornaments of Punjab

Rig-Veda, the oldest book in the world, mentions ornaments worn by the gods. Rudra, a Vedic deity, is described as "shining with brilliant gold ornaments" and "wearing" an adorable, uniform necklace". According to this book the demons also had plenty of gold and jewels and the kings and sages prayed to the God for valuables of that kind. Kakshivat, the sage, prayed for a son "decorated with golden earrings and jewel necklace".

No doubt jewellery making is an ancient craft that goes back to the cave man and its popular use in ancient India is well established.

Jewellery in India also has had social and economic implications. It is an investment as also a saving for emergencies. The jewellery given to the bride at the time of the marriage becomes her own possession called stridhan, woman's wealth. This was in addition to the love of personal adornment inherent in the women folk. But for mortal humans it also symbolises the concept of immortality. Precious stones and precious metals, distinguished by this classification from other substance have, throughout the ages, stood for power and wealth. And this concept of power and wealth, as imbibed through ornaments, seems to have remained integrated in the psyche of the Punjabi women through the ages and remarkably so despite a stream of war and rapine that marked the life of the people of the land of five rivers with continuous vicissitudes.

Ornaments, as symbol of power, wealth and feminity, and also as an investment by the Punjabi women, are found in many varieties and forms. B.H. Baden-Powell, in his book Handbook of the Manufactures and Arts of the Punjab, published in 1872, lists 97 names of ornaments used in Punjab. And this list is by no means exhaustive, because an endless variety of ornaments are used in local parlance, often only locally understood, and each little change in the size or pattern of an ornament merits a different name.

The reason for the prolification of names is the multiple variations of the same piece of ornament. For instance, an ornament called sagi is a central head stud that supports the phulkari or dupatta or other headgear. It is a hemispherical boss with raised work, all over with floral patterns carved out in horizontal circles, encased in lines and dots and dashes, and a star in the centre. Now there are half-a-dozen varieties of sagi. When at the top-centre a coloured stone is fixed in it, it becomes sagi uchhi. Where several round beads are hung at the edge with silver chains, it becomes sagi motianwali. When two additional sagis are linked to the upper side they are known as sagi phul. A slight variation in its complex shape turns it into sagi chandiari. When green or blue enamelling is done on it, it becomes sagi meenawali. This ornament is also known as sisphul, chaunk or choti phul.

In addition to it there are more ornaments used for the head, followed by ornaments used for the ears, the neck, the arms, the fingers, the anklets and the feet. Thus the names of traditional ornaments used in Punjab may well run into hundreds. According to the handbook of Manufactures and Arts of the Punjab, there is a complete range of traditional jewellary worn by the Men and Women of Punjab, not only for the enhancement of physical beauty but also for the retainment of the traditional Punjab culture.

An endless variety of ornaments are used in local parlance.

HEAD ORNAMENTS

Men’s
Sarpesh – the jeweled aigrette worn in front of the turban,
Kutbiladar – an oval pendant worn over the forehead,
Kalgi – Plume in jeweled setting,
Mukat or Mutakh – a head dress worn by Hindus at weddings,
Turah-I-marwarid – tassels of pearls worn on the turban

Women’s
Sisphul, chaunk or choti phul – a round boss worn on the hair over the forehead, it is cut or indented so as to resemble a gold flower like chrysanthemum.
Mauli – a long chain made of rows of pearls separated by jeweled studs, about 8 inches long hanging from the head on one side.
Sir mang – a pendant worn on the head by Hindus.

ORNAMENTS WORN ON THE FOREHEAD

By Women only
Damni or dauni – a fringe hanging over the forehead on either side of the face, some of these are richly jeweled. These are of various varieties like kutabi and sosani
Tika or kashka – small ornament on the forehead which hangs from the middle of the head on the forehead with a chain. (pendant).
Chand bina – a moonshaped pendant.
Tawit – small amulets worn on the head.
Jhumar – a tassel shaped ornament or pendant.
Guchhi marwarid – a cluster of pearls.
Bindi – small tinsel forehead ornament.
Barwata – tinsel stars worn over the eyebrows, not to be confounded with Bhawata, an armlet.

EAR ORNAMENTS

Men’s
Bala – very large ring worn by Khatris, Sikhs and Dogras, they have a pearl strung on the gold wire of which they are made.
Murki - smaller earrings of the same shape.
Dur – a small earring with three studs.
Birbali – a broad earring with three studs.
Durichah – an ear-ring with pendant tassel

Women’s
Bali or Goshwara – a set of rings worn on the edge of the ear.
Bali Bahaduri – it has a large pointed stud in the center.
Karnphul, Dhedu and Jhumka – all forms of tassel like ornaments, made with silver chains and little balls.
Pipal-watta, or Pipal Pata – like a murki, but has a drop or pendant to it ending in a fringe of little gold pipal leaves.
Kantala – A similar ornament like pipal-watta but this has a stud besides the pendant.
Bala Khungri – a heavy fringed earring.
Bala Katoriwalla – an earring with a bowl-like pendant.
Khalli – small earring;
Jalil – A small earring with a small jeweled central stud.
Phumni – silk and tinsel tassels.
Machh Machlian – a small gold figure of a fish worn as an earring.
Tid-patang – a crescent shaped jeweled pendant. Along the lower edge of the crescent hangs a row of gold pipal leaves.
Tandaura, Dedi – a huge star-shaped jeweled stud.
Mor Phunwar – pendant of jewels being an imitation of the figure of a peacock.

NOSE ORNAMENTS

Women’s
Nath – a large nose ring, one side of ring being ornamented with a belt of jewels or a few pearls hung on to it.
Bulak – a small pendant either worn hung to the cartilage of the nose, or else strung to a nath.
Latkan – a sort of ornament of pendants put on to the thin gold ring called a nath, and hanging from it.
Morni – a small pendant for the above, shaped like the spread out tail of a peacock.
Laung – a small stud let into the flesh of the nostril on one side, generally of gold, with a pearl or turquoise on it.
Phuli – a small ring with a single emerald, or other stone of an oval shape, as a pendant.
Bohr – a dangling pendant of gold pipal-leaves.
 
NECKLACES AND NECK ORNAMENTS

Men’s
Mala – a necklace of large beads handing down long and loose.
Kanth-kanthi – this fits rather close to the neck, the pendant may be omitted. This is also worn by women.
Nam – an amulet, round or star shaped, suspender from a twist of colored silk thread fastened round the neck by tying at the back, nearly like jugni.
Tawiz - a square amulet, jeweled or otherwise.
Takhti – a flat square plate engraved with figures etc.
Zanjiri – a set of chains.
Chandarmah – a large gold flat medal suspended by a single ring on a silk chair or cord.

Women’s
Chandanhar – a collar or necklace of a great number of chains.
Mala – a plain necklace of pearls or gold bead, hanging down long.
Champakali – a necklace like a collar with pendants, the pendants or rays are either of plain metal or set with stones.
Jugni – a single jeweled pendant, hanging from a necklace of silk and elongated in shape.
Mohran – a gold mohur or coin hung by a silk necklace.
Haul Dil – a sort of amulet of jade cut in curves round the edge.
Hassi or Hass – like a torque, a ring or collar of silver, thick in the middle and thin at either end.
Guluband – a jeweled collar.
Mohnmala – a long necklace made of large gold beads, with an interval of gold twisted thread between each bead.
Atradan – a square jeweled or plain gold pendant attached to a silk chain.
Kandi – a chain of silk carrying amulet cases.
Silwatta – an amulet case, shaped like a small gold pillow or bolster, with two rings suspended from it.

ARM ORNAMENTS

Bazuband – a broad belt-like ornament generally mounted on silk and tied on the upper arm.
Nauratan – almost like bazuband, the ornament consisting of a band of nine gems set side by side and tied by silk ties.
Taviz – an amulet worn on the upper arm.
Anant – meaning endless, a large thin but solid ring of gold or silver, used chiefly by Hindus.
Bhawatta – a square gold ornament, worn on the upper arm.

BRACELETS

Men’s
Ponchi – a series of strings of shells or small gold elongated beads worn on the wrist.
Kangan or Kara or Gokru – a bracelet of stiff metal, when the edges are serrated, it is called gokru.

Women’s
Ponchian – worn on the wrist, which are a several categories called kutbi, chuhadandi (the beads like a rat’s teeth), iliachdana (like cardamom grains) etc.
Kangan - worn on the wrist are generally of gold.
Banka – thick gold bracelets, mostly used by Hindus.
Gajra – a flexible bracelet made of square gold studs mounted on a silk band.
Churi – of several varieties generally made of a flat ribbon of gold or silver, bent round.
Bain – long silver sleeve or tube worn on both arms, like a lot of churis fastened together.
Band – an armlet, broad and heavy.
Jhankangan – small hollow karas with grains introduced into the hollow to rattle.

FINGER RINGS

Anguthi – a ring set with stones also called mundri.
Challa – a plain hoop or whole hoop ring, with or without stones, being of gold or silver, but the same all round, challas are worn on the toe also.
Angutha – a big ring with a broad face worn on the toe.
Khari Panjangla – a set of finger rings of ordinary shape.
Shahelmi or Khari – a ring of long oval shape.
Birhamgand – a broad ring.

ANKLETS

Pahzeb – various ankle ornaments made with chains and pendants of silver, which clink together when the weaver walks.
Chanjar – a large hollow ring which rattles when the wearer walks.
Kharian-apir or khalkhal – like karas worn on the ankles.
Khungru – a ring or ankle of long ornamental beads of silver worn on the feet.
Zanjiri – a set of chains with broad clasp, also known as tora.

Athough ornaments are much influenced by changing fashions, their continuity remains alive by peridocial revivals. And this is also true of the ornaments used by Punjabi Women, for many discarded designs have recently been gaining a fresh popularity. Some designs, however, remain always in vogue.

Gold has remained the most valuable as well as the most prominent metal for making ornaments. It was procured from several sources. According to Monograph on the Gold and Silver Works of the Punjab, compiled by E.D. Maclagan, and published in 1890, gold was procured from several sources. Its local source has been several of the small seasonal rivulets that descend from lower reaches of Himalaya and the Shivalik range of mountains. But the gold found in the sand of rivers has been - quite insignificant, and has had to be imported. The English, Australian and European gold was termed locally as passa and it came in the form of a lump or ingot. Panna or patra is the gold in the form of leaves. When old ornaments are melted down and sold in lump they appear in various sizes and shapes with various rates, and is known as desi passa.

Several types of coins used to be melted and then made into ornaments in Punjab, such as Russian mohar, Jaipur mohar and ashrafi, Dutch ducats, Aurangzeb mohar, old mohars of Murshedabad and Farrukhebad etc. Russian gold was imported largely in the shape of five-rouble pieces, known as battis. The purest gold of all is known as kundan and is used for beating out gold leaves. It is also very generally used in setting stones, whence the seller of stones or murassakar is often known as kundansaz.

The interest in getting ornaments of gold has not dwindled despite the fact that the price of the gold has gone up more than three thousand times in nearly a hundred years. One may not be inclined to believe that the prices of gold ornaments as recorded in the North Indian Notes and Queries of January 1892 were as under:

Kara sada, or plain bracelet., 2 annas per tola of gold, of which 1/2 anna went to the goldsmith; karajarau, orjewelled bracelet, one rupee per tola, of which the goldsmith took half; gokharu or serrated bracelet, two annas a tola; bahi or solid tube-like armlet, 6 annas per tola, of which the goldsmith took half; paunchi or beaded wristlet, 12 annas per tola; bazuband, 12 annas a tola, of which the goldsmith got rupee one a pair.

After gold, the next metal of priority was the silver. The only source of its local availability was Waziri Rupi Mines in Kulu which have now been worked for many decades. Most of the. silver, therefore, was imported from Europe into Amritsar via Bombay. Chinese silver was also imported. The coin most commonly melted for silver was the Nanakshahi or Sikh rupee, the silver of which was very commonly used for ornaments. More modern Sikh coins were known to the trade as Rajshahi and mainly represented by Patiala coinage. The Nandrami rupee from Kabul was used in the western districts, and was considered the next best silver after the Nanakshahi. Shah Shuja's and Dost Muhammad's coins were also held to be the best and were much in use in making ornaments on the frontier. Silver prepared from melted ornaments was also in use.

The gold and silver work, as far as the plain form of the article required, or as far as it can receive the required pattern by merely hammering on to a die or into a cold mould, is done by the sunar or gold-smith. If the ornament has then to be ornamented with bossed patterns, it goes to the chatera, the embosser and chaser. If jewels are to be set, the enamelling at the back is done by a minakar, and then the stone is set into the places prepared by the goldsmith by the marassiakar or kundansaz, whose sole *ork consists in putting some lac into the receptacle or hollow in the gold prepared to receive the stone, putting on a tinsel or foil prepared by the bindligar and then pressing in the stone, putting an a gold rim to keep it in place.

Who can resist the spell that is cast by the sparkle of a precious stone, by the mysterious glow of a pearl, or by the transcendent purity of gold . It has been said the 'purpose of ornaments is to light a kind of fire in a women's heart', it is, therefore, equally important to get ornaments made of pure metal.