Documentary 

India 1992. Producer/ Director Joginder Kalsi during a visit to his ancestral village in the Punjab notices some significant and disconcerting changes in the village life. 

India.1997.  Kalsi again visits India and recognizes even more widescale change – especially new TV stations and the increased use of telecommunication. He documents his findings on videotape. 

Toronto 1998.  Joginder Kalsi shows some of his footage to Richard M. Landau, and explains the duality of the progress of Punjab in general combined with sweeping changes to village life. He decides this is worthy of a documentary. 

India 2000  Kalsi visits the Punjab and starts recording video footage, interviewing professionals at the Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, farmers and the general public. During recording he notices that a typical Punjabi farmer is just as aware of the mixed blessings of progress as are professional in the University. 

Kalsi documents how Punjabis are interested in daily life, work hard to feed their families and accommodate new, outside influences.  The video footage captures the lot of Punjabis who have settled around the world, and how they influence their ancestral land when they bring home the goods, language, culture, and values from other countries. Gradually, almost imperceptibly, the Punjabis adapt to external values without knowing their true impact. For example, the  new craze of TV captivates a younger generation thus effectively “de-culturizing”  the Indian culture. 

The video also captures how development is indeed a mixed blessing.  On the up side, a green revolution is taking place in Punjabi farming.  The hardworking people of the Punjab have been an example for all other Indian states.  Though the Punjab accounts for only 1.53% of India’s area, it produces more than 25% of India’s food. Despite its small area, the Punjab leads in many sectors: agriculture, prosperity and income, Infrastructure, consumer markets, and health. Yet, the video shows that the Punjab still falls short in in education, law and order. 

The video asks: What is future of a Punjabi village? It concludes that depends upon how much emphasis is placed on education; because only through education can a people truly determine what is best for their society at large.

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