Author says ‘If political boundaries have torn Punjab asunder, the Punjabi language can renew and heal spirits and reopen our connections with one another.’
By Pushpinder Syal
In the past few weeks, an eminent academic Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmed, visited India from Stockholm, where he is a professor of political science. His book, The Punjab: Bloodied, Partitioned and Cleansed, describes the pain and suffering of the people of Punjab on both sides. In his lectures and interactions, he spoke about the complex sequence of events leading up to Partition, and the imperatives for people in both present-day Pakistan and India. The Partition of India meant, to a great extent, the partition of Punjab, as it was Punjab that suffered the greatest loss of its joint history, traditions, culture and language, apart from the tremendous loss of life and wealth of all the communities.
Listening to him, a thought arose: What would be the opposite of this that could become a possibility that might spell a phase of renewal for Punjab? Everyone on both sides of Punjab yearns for the spirit of Punjabiyat that they remember so well. But the present situation does not yield much ground for hope.
Little and big fires burn everywhere in both countries. Instead of moving towards a polity in which states, regions and ethnic groups coexist in a balanced federal framework, both countries practice a politics which is skewed and dangerous. Can such dispensations lead to effective participation in the world of the 21st century? As Dr Ahmed also stressed, the need of the times is mutual cooperation, trade and interaction which can make both nations strong.
While some of the more reasonable-minded people agree that such a process can be initiated, many others remain mired in the old agendas of prejudice and self-defeating rhetoric. Given encouragement at the political level, most ordinary citizens anywhere would vote for peace, economic prosperity and a good standard of living. But they are often persuaded to think otherwise, through callous perpetuation of ill feeling and hatred between communities.
Little and big fires burn everywhere in both countries. Instead of moving towards a polity in which states, regions and ethnic groups coexist in a balanced federal framework, both countries practice a politics which is skewed and dangerous
However, we may yet find other ways to seek renewal and healing. The spirit of a great culture does not die so easily. The advent of technology gives us pathways to find connections beyond borders. Recently there has been a proliferation of groups on the internet that are seriously engaged in bringing together vital elements and high points in the culture of Punjab, recognizing a shared history, language, folklore, literature, music and many integral areas of our life and culture. During the pandemic, scholars, musicians and writers participated in these online programs to talk about the latest developments in Punjab as well as in the Punjabi diaspora.
One such group that I came across serendipitously is the Lyallpur Young Historians Club, that held talks on many evenings on Punjab history, architecture, folk literature and music. Through these events, one heard of the work of Nain Sukh, a Lahore-based writer and repository of folklore in Punjab. One got acquainted with the work done to publish Punjabi books in Lahore by stalwarts of Punjabi language such as Zubair Ahmed. On the east Punjab side, one heard historians from different Indian universities and thinkers such as Des Raj Kali, and Sukhdev Sohal. There were also discussions on the farmers’ movement.
There was an interesting series in which every week, one town in the west and one town in the east were alternatively made the focus, and the speakers would give descriptions and tours of the towns, the architecture, historical monuments, and way of life. So, for example, on one side, listeners get to know all about Sargodha and on the other side they get acquainted with Kotkapura. Similarly, there are many Punjab Heritage groups online also from the diaspora, with discussions on poetry, music, performing and visual arts from Punjab’s rich history. You can hear musicians singing Bulleh Shah’s kaafis from the birthplace of the great poet. You can hear women singers, Harsakhiyan from Lahore, singing devotional hymns.
All these programs — talks, interviews, discussions — are in the Punjabi language, the thread that binds Punjab spiritually and culturally. The language policies made by governments gave Punjabi a raw deal, but its writers, poets, folklorists, singers and chroniclers have not let it down. Now efforts are being made by individuals and groups to make Punjabi speakers, who understand each other’s speech very well, but are not familiar with the script — Gurmukhi in the east and Shahmukhi in the west — learn how to read Punjabi. One such initiative is Jeeve Sanjha Punjab. They have designed simple introductory online courses to familiarize Gurmukhi readers with Shahmukhi script, and vice versa.
If political boundaries have torn Punjab asunder, the Punjabi language can renew and heal spirits and reopen our connections with one another.
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The writer is a former professor, Punjab University, Chandigarh
Courtesy: Indian Express (Posted on August 15, 2023)
