Punjabi Maboli Zindabad!
Early last month, UNESCO ’supposedly’ released a report that said Punjabi will become extinct in the next 50 years. Soon our one-man PR campaigners (we have many in our community) came to the forefront. In the lead was Kuldip Nayar, who said:
“I have gone through a report prepared by Unesco which says the Punjabi language will disappear from the world in 50 years. It shocked me. I am out to save Punjabi language and culture… Our roots, Punjabi language and culture, are decaying and none in Punjab is worried about it,” he said, adding, “I have been to Pakistan and people there also feel their new generation feels hesitant to converse in Punjabi.” [link]
Ranked in the top 20 most spoken languages in the world, it created quite a sensation to believe that within 50 years the Punjabi language would go extinct. However, some ACTUAL journalists that took the time to delve into the subject without jumping on the hysteria-bandwagon found that no UNESCO report ever existed. So I guess it begs the question, what was Kuldip Nayar reading when he said he ‘[went] through the report’? What was he reading that ’shocked’ him?
So while Punjabi does not seem to be endangered for the time being, it is under severe threat due to Punjabi Sikhs’ own lackadaisical treatment of it, as well as it not being a language of commerce. The World Sikh News report has some fine suggestions for its preservations. One of our own langa(w)riters had their own take as well.
So as we get ready for the weekend, I celebrate my maboli as a universal language. Punjabi Maboli Zindabad! Chak De!
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One solution to have a Punjabi language not only surviving but thriving on this planet is to do following things for a begining.
1 ) Each Sikh/Punjabi in his life time to translate one book from any where in this world into Punjabi language .
It will also require invention of new Punjabi words for which a central core group with a web site can be set up at a Punjabi Univ.
This will require not more than 15 minutes each day for 10 years of every PUNJABI.
Punjabi univ can then award the best translated book.
After all we are we not people of “BOOKS”
Harinder Singh before we can even take that step we need to be able teach our youth hell even ourselves (especially myself) how to read\write Punjabi, but more so speak it.
From my vantage point my nieces and nephews those born to parents who predominantly were either raised in the wester or even born here cannot speak Punjabi to save their life. They understand some of it but even the basics aren’t there. Though I can say my nieces and nephews whose parents came from India either in their late teens or even 20 are able to speak Punjabi but may never read\write it. Its not a blame thing but its just happens naturally Punjabi is spoken in one household more so than another.
My Wife and I were discussing this last night that our Punjabi speaking skills since moving to the States has gone down the tubes. Since moving and living in Socal we don’t speak it very often except amongst ourselves and sometimes around family, but even they tend to converse in English. When you don’t use something you lose it when you never learn it you don’t even realize your missing out losing something.
We only communicate in punjabi to the little ones in our family. I don’t think punjabi will ever disappear. As long as there’s Bhangra, there will be Punjabi.
From my own conversations, I’ve seen that some people in India attempt to speak Hindi/English or non-pendu Punjabi to be considered more educated. But I haven’t seen that to be the case in the states, at least in CA. Most of the people I know how to speak Punjabi or at least try to.
Dear All,
We need to improve ourself, our language our personality our faiths our daily Nitname, it should be a part of daily routeen.
W.G.K.K
W.G.K.F.
[...] posted in the past on issues surrounding the preservation of the Panjabi language here, here, and here. Be it anywhere from Panjab to North America, the preservation of the Panjabi language is [...]
it is quit nice and intresting i like it so carry on
Again I have tried to contribute to this mainly by teaching myself, and now writing stories in Punjabi which will and is shaky for Desi Punjabis, but I think at the right level fo western born punjabis. Please google Rupinderpal Dhillon or Roo Dhillon to find these stories written to encourage western kids to love Punjabi and relate to it
After all we are we not people of "BOOKS" ..we must become people of books Harinder, but I agree with most here the first step is to speak it
Go to a Punjabi Website Roop, this place is only about Sikhs
@Administrators of the blog.
Quick question: Can we express our views on this blog in Gurmukhi script? I recently discovered the way to type in Punjabi and can use some inspiration to build up speed.
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Stop writing in this alphabet, this is an English language website…diaspora Sikhs are not pindoos
Sewa if you dont know punjabi no problem.
But dont abuse people who Know it and love it.
GOD speaks in MANY languages ( wait till you see the aliens twitter ).
Incidentally the language of this website is
"Computer language "
" The first generation language (1GL). 1GL programming was quickly superseded by similarly machine-specific, but mnemonic, second generation languages (2GL) known as assembly languages or "assembler". This was followed by the development of "third generation" programming languages (3GL), such as FORTRAN, LISP, and COBOL. 3GLs are more abstract and are "portable", or at least implemented similarly on computers that do not support the same native machine code. ALGOL 60 was introduced, and most later programming languages are, in many respects, descendants of Algol..
So if you only know English that is none of the fault of other members of Homo-Sapiens species.