Artist: Punit Kaur
Work Title: ਬੀਜ. A seed
Medium: Video/Performance/Spoken Word
Artist Statement: In this spoken word piece, Punit touches upon the various issues that Punjabi womxn may face in their community (such as female feticide, sexism, etc) through her own story. She uses symbolism of plants and seeds since agriculture is so important in Punjab. She also pays homage to the prominent womxn who have shaped her who into who she is. She hopes that this piece can bring empowerment and healing to those who hear it as well as insight.
Poem Text:
ਬੀਜ. A seed
A seed that has travelled from 7 seas.
7,534 miles away, all to grow in a foreign country.
before this seed even received an opportunity to grow, the plant was already unwanted.
the fruits that would come from this plant would be a “burden” ਬੋਜ
especially if they were too ripe.
Ripe as in too sweet.
Ripe as in too full of juicy nectar
Ripe as in too sexy.
ਬੁਲਦੀ ਜਾਂਦਾ
Ripe as in the fruit “would talk too fucking much.”
Ripe as in too empowered.
Ripe as in too educated
Ripe as in ready to burst and uncontrollable!
(integrate too, emphasize too, cuz excess)
it was forbidden,
Just like the fruit Eve had touched that released havoc on earth.
Forbidden
As the generation of fruits before her
and the generation before that
and the generation before that.
who all couldn’t grow,
even though they were the root of all being.
The bearers of warriors, poets, and saints
The bearers of unspoken pain
They were buried away
forgotten,
forsaken,
Suppressed
And oppressed
Though not ripe, they became the soil that fertilized the roots,
fed this new seed.
In a country who doesn’t give a fuck when it comes to India’s daughter.
the seed planted its roots to Grow a home an ocean away.
Despite
the
ਮੀਂਂ,
nehri,
tufaans
it faced whilst growing.
*translation*
It grew.
Grew to survive,
To bloom,
To blossom
To fucking thrive
and become in a land that was foreign.
All because the womyn before me.
To my ਬੰਦੀ ਮੁਮੀ , ਮਾਂ, ਬੀਬੀ, ਮਾਸੀ , ਤਾਈ,
And especially to my courageous ਲਾਲ ਪਾਪਾ, who believed in this seed to allow it to grow into an educated ripe ass, juicy ass fruit. 💛🌶
All because the fruit before me.