Can’t become original thinker if weak in mother tongue: Surjit Patar

Experts agree community’s collective will needed to revive popularity of Punjabi language

AMRITSAR: More than five decades since the reorganisation of Punjab on the basis of language, the state government is making efforts to restore Punjabi the pride of place it deserves but it needs a collective will of the people to make the initiative a success.

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On demand of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Punjab was reorganised in 1966 to preserve and promote Punjabi. However, like most regional languages, it is finding fewer takers in the younger generation.

“All regional languages are endangered in the country. The condition of Punjabi is worse. One of the reasons for this is that we relate languages to religion. We are witnessing a small improvement but more needs to be done. Today, parents want that they educate their progeny in English, while linguists and psychologists believe that no one can become an original thinker if he/she is weak in his/her mother tongue,” says Surjit Patar, Punjabi poet and president of the Punjab Arts Council.

“Punjabi is the 10th largest language spoken in the world, according to Unesco. However, it also adds that it could lose its status if the next generation stops using Punjabi in every kind of communication. First of all, it’s necessary for the government to introduce Punjabi as a compulsory subject in schools in the state,” he says.

‘SCHOOLS IGNORING PUNJABI’

Ravinder Singh Bhattal, the president of the Punjabi Sahit Akademi, Ludhiana, says, “There is no doubt that the condition of Punjabi is quite bad in its native land. I’ve seen in families that many Punjabi mothers converse with each other in Punjabi but turn to Hindi when communicating with their children. The role of the government is secondary. First, we are responsible for this situation. We should start with getting the name on our house or office nameplate and all kinds of invitation cards printed in Gurmukhi.”

While the bureaucracy prefers English in official communication, a considerable population of the state, particularly in the urban areas, speaks in Hindi, leading to an inferiority complex about the mother tongue. “Private schools, especially those that are affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education or Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), ignore Punjabi, which is shameful,” says Ramesh Yadav, the president of the Folklore Research Academy in Amritsar.

Jalandhar-based language activist Deepak Bali adds, “Ironically, Punjabis don’t take pride in speaking their mother tongue. Schools play a vital role and should make Punjabi mandatory.”

COURSE CORRECTION

Punjab higher education and language minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa says that it will be ensured that all government, semi-government and private schools, irrespective of the board they are affiliated to, teach Punjabi as a subject up to matriculation. “This is for the first time that the Punjabi Saptah has been organised for promoting the mother tongue. Next month, we will hold a two-day Punjabi film festival at the IK Gujral Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar. Besides, the Shiromani Punjabi Awards function that has been pending, will be planned soon,” he adds.