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Punjab Was not Quiet
By K.C.Yadav
A general notion persists at the level of
both the historian and the layman that Punjab was “quiet” in the stormy
days of 1857. The Punjabis, especially both the “dominant” communities,
the Sikhs and Muslims, were, it is believed, absolutely loyal to the
British, and helped them in their hour of trial.
Fresh Evidence of
Punjab's Sacrifices in first war of independence Aditi
Tandoon
It has often been asserted that Punjab
didn't participate in the First War of Independence and Punjabis worked
against the cause. But Chandigarh-based eminent scholar of Punjabi studies
Harnam Singh Shaan has found irrefutable evidence showing that Punjab not
only participated in the War, but also its people smilingly laid down
their lives. Only they were never saluted for their role.
The 1857 Uprising
Ishtiaq Ahmed
The month of May 2007 marks the 150th
anniversary of a popular uprising in the Indian subcontinent against the
English East India Company. It has been described as the Sepoy Mutiny by
British writers because it originated among the native soldiers employed
and trained by the Company. The sipahis (Urdu-Hindi word for soldiers)
were dissatisfied with the way the British officers treated them, and were
particularly enraged over the introduction of a cartridge, allegedly laced
with cow and pig fat, to be used in the new Enfield rifles. It had to be
chewed open and the gunpowder was poured into the rifle.
Stories of Human Failings
and Flaws
By Jaspal Singh
Mohinder
Singh Ghagg is a peach farmer at Live Oak, California, U.S.A. he takes
keen interest in literary activities also. First collection of his short
stories titled ‘Asin Bhi Kujh Han’ appeared in 1988 followed in quick
succession by a collection of poems – Har Swer Har Swer. Ghagg is one of
the founder members of Sahit Sabha California and even now in his
mid-seventies he participates in literary functions with the same old zeal
that once attracted him to literature in his younger days. His second
collection of twentyone short stories Larrke Tum Kaun appeared a few
months back.
Awards of Pathaney Khan
to be Auctioned
By Malik Tahseen Raza
MUZAFFARGARH, April 25: Iqbal Pathaney Khan
braves a scorching day going about from one office to another, one person
to another, to give cards for the April 28 death anniversary of his father
Pathaney Khan.
Iqbal Pathaney Khan has arranged a folk music programme in his home town,
Kot Addu, in which local singers will sing kafis and song of Pathaney Khan
to pay homage to the great Seraiki singer.
Memories of a Town Known
As Sirhind
Book Review by B.N.Goswamy
Some towns, especially old
towns, carry about them a distinct aura. One may have never lived in them,
and yet their mere mention brings swiftly to mind a host of images,
associations, slivers of history. Consider Sirhind, the small town that
lies in the plains of the Punjab, on the great medieval highway that
connected Delhi to Lahore. Not many might give thought to the origins of
its name—it comes probably, as seen through Muslim invaders’ eyes, from
‘sar-i hind’, meaning, roughly, the very ‘gateway to
Hindustan’—but most Punjabis know it as the place where the two younger
sons of Guru Gobind Singh were martyred.
Punj Pani Flows Back In
History
By
Shoaib Ahmed
LAHORE, April 13: The fourth Panj Pani Indo-Pak Theatre
Festival titled ‘Reinterpreting history’ will open at Alhamra Art Centre
on April 18 (Wednesday). Ajoka Theatre has organised the six-day festival
in collaboration with Lahore Arts Council. Governor Khalid Maqbool will
inaugurate the festival.
Besakhi Festival Draws
to an End
News Item
TAXILA, April 14: More than 10,000 Sikh
pilgrims performed the last of their rituals of the Besakhi festival that
drew to a close at Gurdwara Punja Sahib in Hassanabdal on Saturday.
Muslim Re-united With
His Sikh Family
News Item
MIRANSAHIB: A Muslim brother was reunited
with his Sikh family after 60 years on Thursday. Sheikh Aziz, a resident
of Rawalakot town in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, was finally given
permission to meet his Sikh family living in Miransahib, a border town on
the periphery of Jammu city.
Building on a Dream
News Item
LAHORE, Va. On his first drive through this
central Virginia town, Noor Naghmi didn't notice the barns or cow pasture,
or the tractors driving by. He imagined gardens and domes and spires. He
pictured arabesque archways reflected in glossy pools. He saw all the
grandeur of his home town of Lahore, Pakistan, which he had left more than
three decades before.
Delhi and Lahore Twins?
By Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmed
I
spent a week recently in the Indian capital, Delhi, in connection with the
very last interviews for my book on the partition of the Punjab in 1947.
Coming to Delhi has always been like coming back almost home. Since my
childhood has been spent entirely in Lahore, my sensibilities to look for
Lahore wherever I go is a primordial weakness.
Ghulam Haider: Punjab's
Pioneering Musician
By Harjap Singh Aujla
Master
Ghulam Haider was one of the all time greats amongst the pioneering music
directors of India. His life story is extremely fascinating. His meteoric
rise can be compared to that of a foot soldier, rising to the rank of a
general. I was perplexed to know that every write up about him starts from
the age of 25 or even later and ends up at his demise.
Tales of Our Land
By
Altaf Hussain Asad
PUNJAB, the land of five rivers, boasts of
many a historical edifice and monuments capable of stirring the inner
chords of any diehard wayfarer. One can catch glimpses of centuries-old
relics and historical remnants of times gone by in sheer abundance here.
The History of Painting in
Punjab
By
Saleem Pasha
Mela Charaghan Begins
News Item
LAHORE: The 372nd urs celebrations of Hazrat
Mahdu Lal Hussain will start in the city tomorrow (Saturday). Auqaf
minister, Sahibzada Saeed-ul-Hassan Shah, will formally inaugurate the
event on Saturday afternoon
Rare
Documents of and about Bhagat Singh
By Prof. Chaman Lal
It would be 76 years of martyrdom of Bhagat
Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on 23rd March, 2007. Last year at the
completion of 75 years of their martyrdom and in same year from 28th
September 2006, birth centenary programmes of Bhagat Singh started
nationally, somewhat at governmental level but more at non-governmental
level. Memorial programmes on Bhagat Singh have gained momentum since,
there have been lot of publications brought out in this period in Hindi,
Punjabi, English and many other Indian languages ...
Shaheed Bhagat Singh Birth
Centanary
By Harish Puri
During the last two years of his life Bhagat
Singh tried hard to clear the mist of confusion about his position and the
objectives of the socialist revolutionary movement he was leading. There
was was no regret about the murder of Assistant Superintendent of police
to avenge the national humiliation of the assault on Lala Lajpat Rai. Nor
did he rule out the use of violence in a revolutionary struggle. However
his ideas had undergone a tremendous change thereafter.
Gobalization
and Problematic of of Punjabi Culture
By Dr. Jaspal Singh
Culture
is usually juxtaposed with nature or the physical world which includes
both the organic and inorganic modes of existence. In fact human
intervention into the processes of nature produces culture which usually
manifests in the form of material achievements or acquisitions and the
different symbolic modes of communication. Material achievements are often
designated as civilisation and the symbolic expressions are simply called
culture. So culture can be material attainment as well as symbolic
manifestations.
Those Cofee House Days
By Anwar Syed
I READ history, but it is not often that I
think of my own past. The other day I went to see Professor K.K. Aziz, a
friend since we were kids in high school. We reminisced a bit and, among
other things, we talked about the Lahore Coffee House where we met almost
every evening between 1948 and 1952.
S. Mohider: The Soulful
Mucisian
by
Harjap Singh Aujla
IT
was the year 1956, a soulful melody in the voice of Lata Mangeshkar,
“Guzra Hua Zamana Ata Nahin Dobara… Hafiz Khuda Tumhara, virtually
everyday on the airwaves of All India Radio, Radio Pakistan and Radio
Ceylon. It was a song of the sub continent, soulful and haunting. It was a
song from a Madhubala film “Shireen Farhad”. Its composer was the
memorable S. Mohinder.
Sorrow of Jajjal
By Umendra Dutt
Manish is the future of his poor parents,
but at the age of two he cannot move, not even toddle. He is too small to
understand why he is like this. Manish suffers from cancer since his
birth. His father Tarsem is a daily wager. Manish lives with an abnormally
enlarged head, showing that he has other serious ailments as well. His
father has taken a loan of Rs 25,000. Tarsem and his wife are both
labourers; and they work in the nearby town of Rama Mandi. This dalit
couple has been spending hard earned money to save their only child. The
poor child cannot play with his toys, and his parents are not able to bear
the pain.
Punjab Holds the Key tp
Peace
By
Dr. Istaiq Ahmed
In which language do you
think? When I was ten years old, it became clear to me that I generally
think in English. Many years later, the repercussions of this seemingly
innocuous discovery became apparent....
The Line of Beauty -
Amrita Sher Gill
By Salman Rushdi
With her scenes of village life,
Amrita Sher-Gil dedicated
herself to painting the 'true' India. Strikingly attractive, outspoken and
intelligent, she died suddenly at only 28.
Salman Rushdie on the
inspiration for his flamboyant heroine in The
Moor's Last Sigh.
Three Distinguished
Punjabis Gone
By Dr.Ishtiaq Ahmedi
The last
few weeks have brought bad and sad news about the Punjab as three of its
very distinguished sons -- Munir Niazi, Sharif Kunjahi and O P Nayyar (Omkar
Prashad Nayyar) -- left this world, one after the other. I call it a
Punjabi loss for many reasons. The first and foremost is that all three
belonged to a bygone era when the old Punjab was one and Punjabiyat had
not been fractioned, bloodied and severed. The second main reason is that
all three remained steadfast in their loyalty to Punjabi.
Sharif Kunjahi - Serving
His Language
By Safir Rammah
IN a short span of less than one year, the
Punjabi language has lost some of its brightest stars: Amrita Pritam,
Munir Niazi and now Sharif Kunjahi.
As a poet, prose writer, teacher, research scholar, linguist,
lexicographer and translator, Sharif Kunjahi served the Punjabi language
with unwavering dedication throughout his long and productive life in many
more ways than his eminent co-travellers. The modern era of Punjabi
literature, as far as Muslims’ contribution to it is concerned, began with
Sharif Kunjahi, and with his death the last living link to the early days
of modern Punjabi literature stands severed.
Realistic and Balanced -
Sharif Kunjahi By
Afzal Mirza
first read
some Urdu poems of Sharif Kunjahi in one of the magazines of the
progressive writers movement which was at its peak during the first few
years after partition. The movement which was initiated just before World
War II was inspired by the rise of communism in Soviet Russia and the
sensitive young men of that period saw in it the emancipation of the
wretched of the earth. The economic depression of that period had its
effect on India and famines ..
Sardul Kawatra and his
Soulful Music Harjap Singh
Aujla
Sometimes
I feel that there are several important aspects of the history of Punjab,
which have gone unrecorded. Although Punjabi pop music is currently
dominating the musical scene of India, yet no one has taken pains to
discover the pioneering times of its mother, the folk and light Punjabi
music. I have hardly seen any material on the history of Punjabi cinema.
This article is an attempt to record whatever I know about the history of
Punjabi film music.
Sharif Kunjahi Passed
Away News
Item
GUJRAT: Punjabi poet and intellectual Prof
Sharif Kunjahi died of cardiac arrest here Saturday night. He was 98.
Munir Niazi
By Mowahid Hussain Shah
The last time I met Munir Niazi was during
the end of Ramadan, when he dropped by my office appearing fragile and
wearing an Afghan cap. He said that he was going to be there for half an
hour. He stayed for four hours. Frail and ailing, his mind was as lucid as
ever. Recalling snapshots of the conversation, he bemoaned the paucity of
creativity and the difficulty of finding someone with whom a quality
conversation could be held. Also, he expressed his abiding apprehension of
not becoming like ‘everyone else’. Munir was never ‘everyone else’. In the
words of Robert Frost (whom he admired), he ‘took the road less traveled’.
Anti-Colonial Angst
Book Review By
Atamjit Singh
Punjab
Centre for Migration Studies has published 5 booklets to "highlight the
lives of overseas Punjabis who have either made a substantial contribution
to the society in which they have settled or have played a vital role in
building Diaspora Punjabi communities' institutional infrastructure". One
of the booklets focuses on Gopal Singh Chandan
(1898–1969), a settler in Kenya who ultimately left the country of his
choice. But he made significant contribution to the social cause, trade
unionism and anti-colonialism.
The Dynamics of Sikh
Diaspora
Lecture by
Dr. Bal Anand
Before
examining the complex contours of the Sikh Diaspora, it may be noted that
the overall Indian Diaspora has been estimated at over 25 million – an
unconfirmed source has put the number of Sikhs abroad to be around 3.7
million – is spread across more than 110 countries. The Indian Diaspora
has certainly emerged, in the recent years, as a significant economic,
social and cultural force in the world. P.M. Manmohan Singh has stated
that “the NRIs’ remittances – over 20 billion annually - with the
significant proportion from the Gulf – has been an important factor in
keeping the country’s current account deficit in the balance of payments
in a zone of comfort”
Punjab's Tragedy
Visited by Punjabi
Diaspora-
Book Review
By Dr. Jaspal Singh
Prof. Harbhajan Singh from
Kala Sangian in Kapurthala district in Punjab is a well-known NRI Punjabi
writer who left for the States some six years ago in search of greener
pastures. In India he remained associated with the Naxalite movement of
the seventies and for some time he was a whole time revolutionary totally
committed to Marxism Leninism and the thought of Mao Tze Dong. Before
moving to America he had published two collections of short stories, one
collection of poetry, three novels and three collection of prose.
Rooting for the Roots
By Sonia G. Handa
TWO Punjab born Indio
Canadian politicians, a matured trade unionist, Harry Bains member of
British Columbia Assembly and Harinder Takhar, a minister in Ontario
province came to look for their roots. Some nostalgia and some
nourishment. They were concerned in their own way about the state of
affairs in Punjab. It is election time here and they are surprised at the
kind of money being spent and also the frog jumping of Congress and Akalis.
Some comparison between India and Canada is not odd particularly about,
governance, elections and the party system.
Author Brings a New
Language to Light
By Victoria Allen
"We speak and think in English but
communicate with our parents in Punjabi. This is the way we all speak and,
according to some experts, it is the second most spoken language in this
country."
Split families: Bridging
a Great Divide
By Ramesh Vanayak &
Harinder Baweja
THE frail, stooping frame stood inches short
of the white line on the road. It's called Zero Line, a no man's land that
divides India and Pakistan at Wagah border, near Amritsar. That divide, as
much as a chasm caused by unfortunate history, had prevented Shamli Bai,
75, from meeting her brother Veer Bhan -- now Sheikh Imam Buksh of Mouza
Kot Khalifa, district Bahawalpur, Pakistan -- a sibling separated in a
panicked crowd. Her eyes fixed ahead, Shamli, who lives in Rajpura, near
Patiala, scanned the crowds. She was looking for only one person, her
Punnu.
Urdu Translation of Baba
Farid's Poetry Launched
By Jonaid Iqbal
ISLAMABAD, Jan 8: The Pakistan Academy of
Letters (PAL) on Monday launched Urdu translation of the poetry of Khwaja
Fareed Ganj Shakkar, a great saint whose benign teachings had greatly
influenced the people of southern Punjab.
The Oral Historian By
Noreen Haider
Born in a small village in Tehsil Chiniot,
Professor Saeed Bhutta opened his eyes in a place where Punjabi classical
poetry was recited with fervor, and the ambience was essentially sufi. He
grew up listening to the legacy of his rich culture and tradition embedded
in literature and folk of his land and found his true calling in the
preservation of Punjabi folklore which was carried through generations of
traditional storytellers but was mostly oral.
Remembering Munir Niazi
APNA Report
Academy of the Punjab in North America and
Pakistani writers and journalists residing in Washington metropolitan area
held a meeting on January 2, 2007 at Abshaar restaurant, Springfield,
Virginia in remembrance of renowned poet Munir Niazi who passed away on
Tuesday, December 26 in Lahore
Munir Niazi -
Complete Poet of Our Times
By
Nirupama Dutt
A baby boy born in the obscure village of
Khanpur near Hoshiarpur on April 9, 1928, had to migrate to the promised
land of Pakistan when he was still 19 and his family settled down in
Sahiwal. The trauma of displacement, in the mass migration from and the
struggle to start afresh imprinted itself on his sensitive soul. The pain,
however, was channelled into poetry and he was to be acknowledged as one
of the greatest poets of the classical tradition, equally proficient in
Urdu and his mother tongue, Punjabi. Many renowned sang his ghazals
singers Mehdi Hasan made his famous verses very popular by lending his
voice to them:
Death of a Giant
News Item
KARACHI: Heralded as the poet of fresh and
rather mysterious images, Muneer Niazi is no more with us, but his amazing
and thought-provoking poetry will never die down.
Answering Intizar
Hussain’s questions
by
Khaled Ahmed’s TV Review
agree with Intizar that
language shouldn’t be treated like a factory. But if the state treats
human beings as madrassa-produced clones fighting covert wars with their
minds switched off....
Judging Urdu unfairly
by
Intizar Hussain
KHALID Ahmad’s recent
comments about Urdu seem to confer a seal of failure on the fate of this
poor language.....
Hot Seat (Talk with
Abrar-Ul-Haq)
by Maliha Mansoor
It has been more than a
decade since he made an explosive entry on the pop music horizon and Abrar
ul Haq is still hailed as the undisputable Bhangra King.....
Patriotism on both sides
by
Maheen A. Rashdi
Nationality is something to
be proud of, but it’s time we progressed beyond waving flags and chanting
slogans......
A perspective on ethnic
nationalism
by Murtaza Razvi
This brilliant academic from
Australia has dwelled at length on telling us Pakistanis what he thinks is
wrong with us....
BJP attacks Punjabi Poet
Paash by
South Asia Post
THE bigoted mindset of the
right wing Bhartiya Janata Party is full display these days....
Gurdial Dalal’s
Autobiography
by Dr. Jaspal Singh
Biography is not a very
popular genre in Punjabi. Sometime a stray writer does make an attempt to
pen an autobiography which...
Sikhism is eco-friendly
by
Prabhjot Singh
The uniqueness of
identifying gurdwaras with common Punjabi trees is unprecedented. Even the
Gurbani refers to various species of trees, which are useful to
mankind....
PAL published record
books last year
by
Jonaid Iqbal
The record of literary
output of the nation’s writers’ during the year 2005 have been documented
in a set of three books....
Separate dept for
cultural heritage: CM
by
Staff Reporter
The Punjab government is
establishing a separate department for the protection of cultural heritage
in the province and repair/renovation of historic buildings..... |
