By Emanuel Sarfraz

Date:17-12-05

Source: The Nation

LAHORE - Our society is in the process of transition. Whims of the rulers and not the general public have been the deciding factors in determining the course of the nation. In the last five decades society was made to evolve by adopting a modus operandi in which the rich cultural heritage of the land was ignored.

Even though now efforts are being made to salvage what is left of the rich heritage but much damage has been done and the young generation is unaware about it. The degeneration of society due to loss of cultural values at the grass root level is alarming.

Punjabi is a rich and sweet language. The sufi poetry propagates the message of love and tolerance - elements direly needed to reform not only our society but that of the whole world. There is need to bring the people especially of the Punjab back to their roots. Some vulgar and abusive words have become more common and got associated with Punjabi. The trend of learning English and Urdu, which has many benefits, unfortunately has dealt a huge blow to the development of Punjabi language. Many Punjabi parents in the urban sprawls as well as in rural areas now discourage children not to speak the language of the land. Among the people who are trying to bring Punjabi back into the homes is Prof Saeed Ahmad of Rawalpindi. After writing many books on the Sufi poets he has now published 'Punjabi Folk Wisdom', a book that contains about 300 famous Punjabi proverbs translated into English. Some of these proverbs have been explained in detail.

The proverbs and short sayings are a testimony to the Punjabi language's richness. They deal with many specific subjects but most of them are about the lifestyles of common people. There are also proverbs on subjects such as weather, health, death, women, farmers and the poor people. These were once widely used in the society but now are mostly used in rural areas and by the old people. With the efforts of writers like Ahmad they may return in our everyday life, a factor that could check the process of society's degeneration.

Talking to The Nation Plus Metro on Friday, Ahmad said he was saddened to see the elements of immature and uncivilized society creeping in our social setup. "Just observe in your day to day life in the streets whereby if two men are quarreling about something the abuses they use are always directed towards women - passing derogatory remarks about the mother, sister or daughter of the other.

"This is degeneration of our society, which can only be reformed if we introduce sufi poetry and folk wisdom to the new generation," he explained.

Ahmad said he had taken proverbs from different sources but mostly from his grandmother, mother, relatives and friends living in the different areas of Punjab and NWFP. "Popular Punjabi sayings have been translated to give a better understanding of the social life of Punjab," he said.