An Indian labourer tries to rest while pulling the rope of colonial-era punka, or fan. | Ellsworth Huntington, The Human Habitat, Page 145, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Sleep is a luxury for those ...
Punkah-wallahs fared low in the hierarchy of servants in British India; many belonged to lower castes who were sweepers or palanquin-bearers employed in the service of upper-caste households.
The great Indian summers, the lore of which was well known within British society, drew families of officers to travel to India during the era of Britain’s colonial rule. Pre-independence India did ...
The afternoon air has no breeze. Waiting for a “sawari” near the Shiv Mandir in Chirag Delhi village, the profusely sweating auto rickshaw driver Kuldeep Prasad picks up his punkah and starts fanning ...
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The historical role of punkah-wallahs in colonial India
Understanding the Punkah and Its Operators The scorching summers of India, well-known among British society, attracted ...
Can you guess what this unfamiliar antique was used for? It is 40 inches high and 35 inches wide and probably made of Southern Yellow Pine. It is called a “punkah.” It was made in the early 19th ...
Can you guess what this unfamiliar antique was used for? It is 40 inches high and 35 inches wide and probably made of Southern yellow pine. It is called a “punkah.” It was made in the early 19th ...
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