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CHANGING LIFE STYLE
The culture of Lahoul is very rich and it remained isolated from outside world for long time. The decades of isolation made them easy to preserve and retain their culture. But now with passage of time, there is a change in every field of Lahoul. Here we will try to get the summary of few changes that have occurred in Lahoul. The most important factor responsible for the change in Lahouli lifestyle is development of roads. Government has linked each and every village with each other with some exceptional places. It made easier for people to access in Lahoul and making close contact with them. It also resulted in smooth transport of agricultural goods. With the development of roads people exchanged their ideas, knowledge and thinking with each other resulting change in every field of Lahoul. In SOCIETY, people following different castes live here like Swangla, Bodh, Shipis, Lohars etc. Bodhs profess Buddhism and others Hinduism. The inter dinning and intermingling between any of these castes was prohibited. But in modern Lahouli system we can see certain changes and flexibility in the customs. Now the people of different castes can inter dine or intermingle without any restriction but there are exceptional people who are still adherent to ancient rules.
The position of WOMEN is also very respectable in compare to olden times. Like earlier, she was limited to household jobs and working in their fields. They were not preferred to get higher education. But in modern times we can see that girls are getting higher education in Kullu, Chandigarh or in other reputed institutes. They are now working in government and private sectors. They are now taking active participation in politics and in other fields which was earlier considered as men dominated area. Government is also encouraging Lahouli women for stepping forward. Lahoul has its own DIALECT according to their valleys prevalent there from very ancient times. Due to advancement and modernism, maximum of our families are settling outside Lahoul. The children of these families are ignorant of their mother tongue. They are unable to talk with their grandparents in their mother tongue. They must be encouraged to talk and understand their mother tongue. Only then we can, in true sense preserve our rich culture.The traditional DRESS, ORNAMENTS and FOOTWEAR is also suffering setback because of modern ideology. Like earlier Lahoulis used to wear poolah, made of straw, but now it is rarely seen. It is replaced by boots and leather shoes. The DRESSES which were worn by Lahouli men or women also changed with the time.
The women wore long woollen gown or 'cholu' known as 'kater' with 'chudidar pyjami' and men wore woollen long coat like gown with pyjama. But with advancement we can mark a change in their dress also. They now use imported clothes and jeans from the plains. It is true that our youth prefers to wear modern and more convenient dresses from plains but during some special occasions they still like to wear traditional dresses. The pattern of HOUSE construction is also changing with the passage of time. The lower storey in earlier times was made for the cattle and upper storey contains interior or winter room, an outer or summer room and a veranda. The houses were built with rubble masonary and wooden structure in the walls topped by flat roofs. But now it is rare, the people are using cement, bricks, tiles, marbles etc like plains. As a result of the touch of modernity, we can see change in the construction of the pattern of houses like now we have kitchen, drawing room, bedrooms, store, bathroom and also guest room. The FESTIVALS like 'Dashen', 'Yor' or to organise 'Rana' is now not so popular with exception of some places. The main festivals or occasions that Lahoulis celebrate are Fagli, Halda, Pori and 15 August.The source of ENTERTAINMENT has also undergone change. In olden times people used to pass leisure time by having gossips, sitting together, dance or making merry.
Now the favorite pass time of people is watching television, using computers and also making full utilisation of cell phones despite living in such a hard region. Modernism has made them aware of new techniques in AGRICULTURE also. The high quality seeds, good insecticides, new techniques of farming are now followed by the Lahoulis. They are now using chemical fertilizers with manure which has increased the productivity of crops and resulted in high income. They are now cultivating new crops like hopps, charma, apple, vegetables etc with traditional ones like potato, peas, kuth, manu etc.There is a change in CATTLE rearing also . Like earlier, people domesticated churu, sheep and goats for the purpose of milk and meat in numerous. But now churu is replaced by 'jarsi' in maximum part of Lahoul. The domestication of goats and sheeps has also gradually on its way out to a great extent. Lahoul is also known for its joint FAMILY system, which is now suffering severe setback because of modern lifestyle. Now the people prefer nuclear family because of one or the other reasons. Lahoul is known for its ancient peculiar tradition but change is a natural phenomena. We should maintain our rich culture and tradition along with modernism. Our youngsters are the foundation stone of future Lahoul. They are playing a key role in shaping Lahoul with a mixture of traditional values and modernism.
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