I grew up in Canada and I have never really integrated into Punjabi culture until of late. Recently, I have been listening to more and more Punjabi music( Sidhu, Karan Aujla) and from there I have realized people still give importance to castes. My father's last name is Chawla and my mom's maiden name is Sodhi, but sometimes i still don't feel like a real Punjabi. When I look at my extended family, no-one has cut their hair but I have seen people say(online) " Chawla is a hindu surname". I don't get why being Jatt is such a big deal.. I think both of my parents are from Khatri roots and I think that is higher than being Jatt, yet everyone around me acts like being Jatt is a superpower. I even saw a post on twitter saying " today is a good day to be a Jatt" or girls saying they are looking for a Jatt man only. I don't know why but this makes me so confused as to think if people actually make assumptions based on my surname. Is being a Khatri looked down upon in punjabi community and does it make u less of a Punjabi?
