MALOUT FAMILY MOURNS ITS SOLE BREADWINNER
Twenty-four-yearold Janu, as the parents fondly called Kulwinder Kaur, performed to add glamour to weddings. Fighting poverty, braving gun-wielding men who often went wild in celebrations, Kulwinder was sole breadwinner of the family.
A pal of gloom descended on a suburban street of Malout on Monday where the dead woman’s parents sat in shock after performing her last rites.
“She was taking care of all of us... she was our son. Her brother had died and she was taking care of his three children as well, said Kulwinder’s father Baldev Singh, who works as a labourer.
DANCERS BRAVE GUNS, DRUNKEN MEN
The Dhillon market on Court Road in Bathinda is a hub of orchestra groups, where artistes narrate how they face harassment from the “uncivilized rich”.
Sonali, who runs a musical group, cancelled a wedding booking following Kulwinder’s death. “Bathinda has more than 100 orchestra groups, which perform in other cities of the state too,” said Sonali.
The girls are paid between ₹2,500 and 5,000 for a single show. “Dancing for hours together is common and sometimes it continues till 4am,” she said. “Poverty, of course, is the reason for these girls to perform in front of unruly revellers at night,” she added.
ARMED TO THE TEETH
As per the official record, Bathinda district alone has 24,000 firearm licences with around 20 new added to the list every day. Over 100 applications also come up for renewal of arms licences per day.