Punjab is state in north India. Its capital city is Chandigrah. It is the common capital of both Punjab and Haryana states. The name of Punjab means `The Land of five Rivers’. It is a large lowland or plain. When India and Pakistan be come independent, the Punjab lowlands were divided into two parts. The larger part was given to Pakistan and the smaller part becomes our state of Punjab. Amritsar is the largest city in Punjab state it is the Sikhs religious centre. The Sikhs golden temple located here. It is the holy place of the Sikhs.
The lowland of Punjab state is not flat, but slopes gently, across this lowland flow the Satluj and the Beas Rivers. The soil of the lowland is rich and good for farming.
Punjab has three seasons: summer, monsoon and winter. In summer, Punjab becomes very hot and dry. The rainy season or monsoon lasts for three months from July to September. Most rain falls at this time of the year. During winter it becomes quite cold. The sun shines brightly and a little rain falls. These help the winter crops to grow. Punjab does not get enough rain to grow crops all the year round in the dry season; water is taken from the rivers to the fields by canals. Were there no rivers, wells are dug. Many of these are tube ~wells with large eclectic pumps.
The state gets water and electricity from Bhakra Nangal Project also. The Bhakra Dam has been built across the river Satluj in Himachal Pradesh. There is another Dan at Nangal in Punjab. The Bhakra Dam forms a very large lake which is called the Gobind Sagar. In winter and summer this water is used to irrigate the crops. It is also used for producing electricity. The electricity is used in factories, in towns, n villages and for working the tube –wells.
Farming is the chief occupation of the people of Punjab. Wheat is the most important crop. It grows during the Rabi or winter season. The seeds are sown at the end of the rainy season. The wheat plants grow during the winter months. The fields get water from rain and canals or tube –wells. Fertilizers are used to make the plants grow strong and healthy. Everywhere the fields are bright and green, by the middle of March the wheat beings to ripen. The plants first turn yellow and then light brown. The crop is then cut the wheat is collected by the end of April.
Farming has hanged in Punjab. At one time most of the work was done by and. The fields were dug by ploughs pulled by bulls. Water was taken out from the canals and wells by buckets. The farmer and his family cut or harvested the crop with sharp knives. Today it is different, tractors plough the fields. Pumps lift the water from the canals or wells. Harvesting is done by giant machines called harvesting combines. They cut the crop and separate the grain from the chaff.
Punjab grows more wheat than it needs. The extra wheat is packed in gunny bags and is sent in motor trucks or by railway wagons to be sold in other states.
Other crops are also grown in Punjab. In the drier areas, bajra and Jowar are sown. Sugar –cane, cotton, and rice are planted in summer or Kharif season. In winter fields of yellow mustard are seen besides the green wheat.
Day by s=day more and more factories are being built in Punjab. There are flour –mills for grinding wheat; factories for making sugar and cloth and oil-mills here the mustard seed is crushed to make oil. In the city of Jalandhar ports goods such as cricket kits, hockey sticks and footballs are made. Woolen pullovers cardigans, shawls and hosiery goods are made in the factories in Ludhiana. All these mills use electricity to work their machinery.
The farmers’ of Punjab is healthy and hard-working. They eat and drink well and lead simple lives. When the crop is harvested there is much merry –making, singing and Bhangra dancing, Punjab is one of the richest states in India. This is because its people are interested to learn new ways.