Bartānvī Panjābī | |
|---|---|
 Distribution by regional area | |
| Total population | |
| 700,000 (2006)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| MainlyEngland · Smaller communities inScotland,Wales andNorthern Ireland | |
| Languages | |
| English · Punjabi[a] · Hindi · Urdu · Bagri | |
| Religion | |
| Sikhism · Hinduism · Islam · Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Punjabi diaspora · British Indians · British Pakistanis · British Mirpuris |
British Punjabis are citizens or residents of theUnited Kingdom who either have total or partialPunjabi ancestry or heritage, originating in thePunjab region ofPakistan andIndia. Numbering 700,000 in 2006, Punjabis represent the largest ethnicity amongBritish Asians. They are a major sub-group of theBritish-Indian andBritish Pakistani communities.[2]
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The United Kingdom is home to the largestPunjabi diaspora after Canada.[2] Immigration from thePunjab region to the UK began during thecolonial era, when Punjab was aprovince of British India. Punjabi migrants in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were mainly domestic servants, seamen working on British merchant ships and visiting civil servants or students seeking professional qualifications.[2] A notable early figure wasDuleep Singh, formerMaharajah of theSikh Empire, who was exiled to Britain in 1853.[2] His daughterSophia Duleep Singh became a prominentsuffragette and a pioneer of women's rights in Britain.[3]
The first significant Punjabi migration began in the 1950s when labour shortages in the UK following theSecond World War led the British administration to encourage recruitment from across theCommonwealth.[4][5] The vast majority of these migrants were men from India and Pakistan, who after a period of acclimatisation began to settle permanently and invite their friends, wives and children to join them.[6] These migrants often found work in the manufacturing, textile and service sectors, including a significant number atHeathrow Airport.[7] The town ofSouthall in westLondon became an early hub for Punjabi migrants, and would become the country’s premierBritish Asian town, dubbed Little Punjab.[8]
In the 1970s, there was widespread migration of Punjabis fromEast Africa, many of whom had retained their British passports following the independence ofKenya andUganda. East African Punjabis are known as twice migrants, and came to the UK amidst growing discrimination at home, symbolised by theExpulsion of Asians from Uganda in 1972.[9] Unlike earlier Punjabi migration to the UK, East African Punjabis migrated as families. Many were successful businessmen or professionals with savings and able to adjust quickly to life in Britain.[10]
In the2011 UK Census, 273,000 people identifiedPunjabi as their first language. Of these, 271,000 were inEngland, 23,000 inScotland, 1,600 inWales and a smaller number inNorthern Ireland.[11][12] Thus, Punjabi is the third most commonly spoken language in the UK.[13] TheSouthall area of Greater London is home to a significant Punjabi population.[2] The total population of Punjabis in the UK is estimated to exceed 700,000.[1]
Immigrants from the Pakistaniprovince of Punjab are mainlyPunjabi Muslims, with smaller numbers ofChristians.[14] The majority originate from thenorthern andcentral parts of Punjab, such as:Pothwar,Rawalpindi,Attock,Chakwal,Jhelum,Jhang,Faisalabad,Gujranwala,Gujrat,Chiniot,Sargodha,Toba Tek Singh andLahore.[15][16] Punjabis are estimated to comprise one-third of the British Pakistani population, making up the second largest sub-group afterMirpuri Kashmiris.[17] The tribes to which British Pakistani Punjabis belong includeJats,Gujjars,Awans,Arains,Rajputs and several others likePathans of Punjab andKashmiris of Punjab.[18]
The population ofIndian Punjabis in the UK has been estimated at 466,563 in 2011, based on an earlier estimate that they constitute 45% of the British Indian community. Of these, majority areSikhs while the rest are mainlyPunjabi Hindus.[2][15] The areas where they predominately originate from areJalandhar,Amritsar,Ludhiana,Kapurthala,Bathinda,Hoshiarpur,Nawanshahr andMoga. The UK has the second largestSikh diaspora outside India, afterCanada.[2]
Punjabi culture strongly defines the identity of British Punjabis. Thebhangra form of music was popularised by Punjabi immigrants in the UK during the 1970s.[19] England has long been associated with theAsian Underground scene which gave rise to Punjabi pop music, especially among the younger generations.[20]Punjabi cuisine is also highly popular in the country.[21]Chicken tikka masala has been called a "national dish" of Britain.[22]
Punjabis are known for their entrepreneurial activities.[23] Research byTeesside University shows that the British Punjabi community is one of the most highly educated and successful in the UK.[24] Notable businesspeople includeSurinder Arora who ranks amongst the wealthiest Britons.[25][26] Other Punjabis have achieved notability in the theatres of British politics, sports and entertainment.[27]
We now estimate the Punjabi community at about 700,000, with Punjabi established as the second language certainly in London and possibly within the United Kingdom.
... Kalesh kinship is indeed orchestrated through a rigorous system of patrilineal descent defined by lineage endogamy
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