Hello Beautiful people!
We all have a phrase. A phrase that defines our life, one which you attempt to live by, or just something you say all the time. With this new era of slang I hear people say YOLO, turn up, low key, and a plethora of other words that may sometimes slip out of my mouth too.
But today I want to introduce a new phrase, a phrase that many of you know and many of you don’t- Chak De Phattey! (Chuck- they- phutay)
I’m Punjabi (A person from the state of Punjab, India), and Chak De Phattey is a phrase of the punjabi Language. Its literal meaning is “Pick up the Phattey”, Phattey are wooden planks. The phrase was first coined years ago when the Sikh Warriors were fighting the Mughals. After the Sikhs would end a battle, they would move on to the next city and destroy the bridge as they crossed, picking up the wood planks of the bridge yelling, “Chak de phattey!”
After that brief history lesson, your probably wondering why “Pick up the wooden plank” is my phrase of choice. Well, even back then the phrase was used to signify a victory, a phrase used to pump up and encourage the warriors, to keep the optimism up, and to give them confidence to move on. So basically Chak de phattey combines YOLO, “Just do it”, “And then some”, along with a long list of optimistic terms all into one three worded phrase. Simple.
So….
Before a big exam- Chak De Phattey!
Before you compete in a sporting event- Chak de Phattey!
Before you enter a party- Chak De Phattey!
When you wake up every morning to start a new adventure in life- Chak De Phattey!
I hope you all learned a new phrase today, or learned to look at it in a new way. All of our lives are busy, stressful, and no where near perfect. But staying optimistic and encouraging yourself (and others) makes life just a tad easier!
Chak De Phattey!
-J
Chak De Phattey! 