India, April 14 -- On-screen portrayals of Punjab and its culture are rarely complete without mustard fields, tall glasses of lassi, and for women, the unmistakable vibrancy of Phulkari dupattas. Across decades of cinema, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Jab We Met (2007), Phillauri (2017), and Laal Singh Chaddha (2022), Phulkari has come to visually define on-screen Punjabiness.

As the state celebrates the harvest festival Baisakhi today, here's looking beyond the Phulkari's visual appeal.

Translating to 'flower work', Phulkari is a deeply personal embroidery practice, created for weddings, milestones, and family keepsakes. The motifs carry coded stories of daily rural life, harvest traditions, fertility, joy, and belonging.

Any vi...