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Punjabi Literature
Gurmukhi brings Pakistan Punjab closer to
India’s
Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service
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Click on the Picture above to access the Website of Punjab
Society which is "committed to amelioration of Punjabi scripture". |
Title of
Punjabi magazine ‘Lehran’, published in ‘Shahmukhi’ (Persian script) from
Lahore which has now started teaching ‘Gurmukhi script’ to its readers.
— Photo by Rajiv Sharma |
New bridges
are being built to establish people-to-people contact between two Punjabs.
While the monthly Punjabi magazine, ‘Lehran’, published from Lahore took the
initiative to publish literature in ‘Shahmukhi’ (Persian script) and its
transcription in ‘Gurmukhi script’ simultaneously, many Punjabi writers in
Pakistan have started following the trend.
The Editor of
‘Lehran’, Mr Akhtar Husain Akhtar, has endeavoured to teach alphabet of
Gurmukhi to the readers so that gap between Punjabi writers and readers of
both the Punjabs could be bridged up.
Dr Joginder
Singh Kairon, a noted Punjabi writer and a former Chairman of the Punjab Text
Board, said that this trend would help writers of both the Punjabs to study
the source material available in ‘Gurmukhi’ and ‘Shahmukhi’ scripts.
Dr Sukhdev
Singh Khehra, a Professor of Punjabi School of Studies, Guru Nanak Dev
University, said that more than 60 per cent of Punjabi literature of medieval
period was available in ‘Shahmukhi script’ only.
Hence, it is
the need of the hour to learn both the scripts to study and research. Dr
Khehra said that the university had been making sincere efforts to bring both
the Punjabs closer by teaching ‘Shahmukhi to the students of MA (Punjabi).
A subject of
‘Pakistani literature’ is also a part of the academic course. Dr Khehra who
had done his Ph.D. on ‘cultural consciousness in Punjabi literature’ had
dished out unique information about the robust Punjabi character by reading
Punjabi novels of Pakistan.
Many Punjabi
novels, authored by Fakhar Zaman, who was a minister during Bhutto’s regime,
had used symbols to write about the hanging of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
Though his
Punjabi novels were published in Gurmukhi script due to the efforts of Dr
Karnail Singh Thind, a former Registrar of Guru Nanak Dev University yet
Pakistan’s Punjabi literature is being published in ‘Shahmukhi and Gurmukhi’
scripts simultaneously.
Dr Jatinder
Jolly, a Reader in GND varsity’s Punjabi Department who had done his
doctorate on ‘Pakistani literature,’ said that the publication of Punjabi
literature in both the scripts would go a long way in bridging the gap
between Punjabi writers of both the Punjabs.
Ms Jagjit
Kaur, a research fellow of the department, has been doing research on
Pakistan’s Punjabi literature under Dr Jolly these days.
Some of the
books which were published simultaneously in ‘Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi’ scripts
included ‘bolde athru’ by Amin Malik and ‘Kurlandi tan’ by USA-based
Pakistani writer Ashraf Gill.
These books
were printed in the press of noted Pakistani Punjabi writer, Illyas Ghumman
who is based in Lahore.
A series of
books of Urdu writers of Pakistan have been published by Mr Kulwant Singh
Suri, the son of famous Punjabi novelist Nanak Singh.
The books are
a blessing for literature lovers and have brought priceless poetic art to the
doorstep of a common man. For Punjabi singers, musicians and composers the
easy-to-read script would open doors for more meaningful milieu of songs
compared to the current trend of music scores.
(This
Write-up was carried in the online edition of The Tribune in 2004)
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