Hujra is considered as one of the most important parts of Pashtun culture for centuries, where people interacted with each other, but this tradition is losing its hold, importance, and popularity and is on the decline continuously for the last four decades.
The hujra in Pashtun society used to be a symbol of unity and it was a hub of social activities and a place for informal education, as hundreds of people of different ages used to get together and discuss different social and political even international issues.
Besides social and political debates, many other events are hosted at hujra from resolving community issues to wedding ceremonies; however, it is now threatened due to different negative factors. According to the elders, a hujra was not only a place for social gatherings but also an institution for informal education, where everyone had equal opportunities and exposure. It paved the way for a culture of constructive debate among the people who had different opinions on an issue.
Talking about the dying hujra culture, Farmanullah, 90, said, “I would like to say that the decline in hujra culture highlights the flaws in our Pashtun way of life because those who forgot their culture have lost identity in the world and the history will prove it in the case of Pashtuns too.”
According to Farmanullah, hujra was a sign of unity, love, and care for each other, but this culture is dying, meaning the Pashtuns have lost unity, love, and care for each other. Apart from hujra, the other place for gatherings in Pashtun society is a mosque. The mosques are considered a place for religious congregations. On the other hand, the hujra is social and political in nature. It is the place where guests to are entertained, thus a symbol of hospitality for which the Pashtuns are known around the world.
“Beside many other factors, the modernisation and advance in technology have very badly affected this great culture, as no one in the current era is ready to give time to social gathering at hujra. People are more interested in computers and mobiles.” Farmanullah said.
He further added, “There are still some huge hujra buildings in many villages but there is no sign of human activity in these structures. They are lying empty and as far as I know militancy has a big role in the decline of this tradition, thus ruining our culture.” Many experts and Pashtun elders list insecurity and religious extremism as the reasons for this decline. Adam Khan, 69, acknowledged modernization as one of the reasons for the decline but said parents were not ready to let their children come to hujras due to security threats and religious extremism that had badly damaged debate culture.
He said, “Everyone used hujra as the common guesthouse. The guest of one was considered as the guest of all and the people served the visitor with great passion and hospitality.” Hujra has also played an important role in the promotion of the Pashto language as it helped in teaching Pashto literature to the new generation.
Khan Zaman Kakar, a Ph.D. scholar of Anthropology, said in the old kinship-based communities, the hujra culture was very strong, but it was affected by the changes in political economy and the introduction of modern means. He said hujra had been replaced by television, mobile, and many other modern tools.
Answering a question, he said the people who used to gather at hujra had a better worldview and vision. A good thing about the hujra culture was that it was developed by our people indigenously, while the modern culture was colonial in nature and had been imposed on the people.
