Which is its location?
- It's located in Southern Asia
What countries does it border with?
- It is bounded in the north and the northwest by Afghanistan, on the northeast by Jammu and Kashmir, on the east and southeast by India, on the south by the Arabian Sea, and on the west by Iran.
What does the geography say about the country?
- To the North there are the Himalayas and to the south there is a dessert. The climate varies from cold winters and hot summers to the North, and mild climate to the South.
What is the dominant religion?
- Muslim with 97%
Which other exist?
- Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%, Christian, Hindu, and other (inc. Sikh) 3%
What are the different ethnic groups?
- The people came from such ethnic stocks as the Dravidian, Indo-Aryan, Greek, Scythian, Hun, Arab, Mongol, Persian, and afghan.
Which ones are the main customs and traditions?
- There are many festivals that are anually celebrated, like, Pakistan Day (23 March), Independence Day (14 August), Defence of Pakistan Day (6 September), Pakistan Air Force Day (7 September), etc. The traditional music is Folkloric music, and traditional styles such as Qwwali and Ghazal Gayaki. The society is multilingual, every family has its tarditional values and respect them as much as their religion. There are many cultural practices depending on the religion. Traditionally, meals are eaten while sitting on the floor with the fingers of the right hand, and is taken as a sort of socializing. It is not common for them to keep leftover food, everything is consumed that same day. Also the giving of small gifts to guests is a popular tradition. Gifts are given to commemorate special events and a sign of respect to guests. Colorful boxes of mithai, or sweets are common gifts, especially to mark the birth of a child.
THE LIFE OF AN ISLAMIC TEENAGER
How is this his life different from yours?
- Well, somehow it seems similar, but in my life, my religion is not the one that forbiddens me certain things; in my life, my principles are. Because of the education, and the love I've received, I have no intention on getting drunk, and hooking up; I don't like it. But in my case, everybody thinks I'm boaring, and nobody gives me a chance to show who and how I really am. while in Minhaj's case, many kids found him interesting because he was so naïve and different from them, so as they spent more time with him, they began to like him and become friends. Also, my parents are not telling me what to do, and they don't have an influence on my desicions, because they know that they can trust me. On the other hand, Minhaj is not alowed many things that I am, and if he does something he shouldn't, he will be violating what his religion says.
Which custom caught your attention?
- That he is not allowes to eat pork, and not allowed to drink alcohol, because it is not as bad as it seems. It is just question of drinking with measurement.
How does his religion affect his way of acting?
- He has to follow what his religion says, so he can't do many things that his friends can. By this, he has to separate from them. Also his friends get bored with Minhaj's conversations. So it affects his social life.
INTERVIEW:
Name:
Jaskaran Prakash
Religion:
Hindu
Ethnicity:
Punjabi
How often do you go to a religous service?
- Everyday I engage in pūjā (worship or veneration)Hindus perform their worship through icons (murtis). The icon serves as a tangible link between the worshiper and God, and is considered a manifestation of him.
Where?
- Either at home or at the temple. Visiting temples is not obligatory.
What happens there?
- At home, I often create a shrine with icons dedicated to my chosen form(s) of God. I perform my worship through icons (murtis) that are considered a manifestatopn of God. This creates a tangible link between God and me. Temples are usually dedicated to a primary deity along with associated subordinate deities though some commemorate multiple deities.
Do you know anyone of a different religion? How do you get along?
- Yes, but it's hard to get along because of our beliefs, practices, and rituals, so I stay around Hindus.
Do boys and girls hang out socially? Do you go to parties?
- I don't go to parties, unless we are talking about Hindu celebrations with my family. And I normally hang out with my fellows, and my family. It is rare the occasion when I hang out with girls, because the majority of the time they are not allowed.
How many people live in your house? How do you interact?
- Well, the basic building block of our society is the joint or extended family, usually consisting of three of four generations living together, so Ilive with my grandparents, my parents, and my siblings. My mother, my grandmother, and my sister, cook and share domestic responsibilities, and the rest (men) provide the pooled income, and boys study. When women marry, they usually join their husband's family, though maintaining contact with their own.
Who goes to school in your family?
- My brother, and me. My sister is educated at home, largely in domestic skills. In order to preserve their chastity, unmarried girls are not allowed to stay away from home.
How do you dress?
- I wear a chaddar (shawl) which in cold weather can be wrapped around the shoulders and torso. When the weather is warm, it can be folded over the shoulder. Sometimes I wear as a normal guy.
Which ones are your daily chores?
- I wake up, do pūjā, get some breakfast, go to scholl, and help my Dad, and my family. Then, we gather around, and have dinner. Sometimes I go to the temple, or do some Yoga.
What does it mean to be belong to your ethnic group?
- My ethnicity is part of who I am, so I respect it. Our identity is primarily cultural and linguistic, our language comes from the Indo- Aryan, but we have adopted the Urdu. Most of the Punjabis are located in my province, Punjab, but you can also find little groups in India, and in different parts of the world because of the emmigration. There's a variety in diversity, due to our location near Central Asia. The most of us share a similarity in genes, we have traditionally and historically been soldiers and farmers. We are all composed by different groups of religion, and economic status and caste. It is an honor for me to belong to an ethnic group which is one of the oldest and richest cultures in the world history.
Where are your relatives from?
- From India and Pakistan.
Do you hang out with people of other ethnicities? How do you get along?
- No, I hang out only with Punjabis.
Do you have to marry someone of your same ethnicity?
- Yes. Hinduism divides the society in four sects, so we have to marry someone of my same caste, religion, and ethnicity.
Describe a typical tradition
- Traditionally, Hindu parents look for a prospective match for their son/daughter from their own community also known as arranged marriage. Elders in the family and parents seek the prospective match through word of mouth within the community. The use of jathakam (astrological chart at the time of birth) of the son/daughter to match with the help of a priest is common, but not universal. Parents also take advice from the brahmin called 'panthulu' in Telugu who has details of many people looking to get married. Some communities, like the Brahmins in Mithila, use genealogical records ("Panjikas") maintained by the specialists.
- The Guru-Disciple Tradition
By Hindu religious traditions, the spiritual aspirant takes studentship under a personal spiritual teacher called Guru. To disciple stays with the Guru and follow his instructions in order to attain the ultimate goal of spiritual life. Even though the Guru never asks any money for the guidance he had given, the student may give gifts (guru dakshina) as a token of appreciation.
