By Shafqat Tanvir Mirza:

The dawn, August 18, 2011

DAWN in its editorial on Oct 6 commented on children’s literature that “while literature was reasonably available in Urdu and even English by Pakistani authors. In neither language, let alone the provincial languages are there enough locally written and published books for children and teenagers — despite the fact that the link between reading and honed intelligence is well-established … Pakistan must encourage writers, poets and schools to turn their attention to children’s need”.

It seems a good advice. First of, this advice should be extended to provincial governments, particularly to the Punjab government, which ignore its own people’s language called Punjabi/Seraiki. The government keeps ignoring the language despite the fact that in Punjab University degree examinations, the number of Punjabi students is more than the students of Urdu, Arabic and Persian. This conclusion was drawn from BA/BSc results declared last month. The intermediate examinations results of the Lahore Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education indicate that Punjabi is one of the most elective subjects among the candidates (it may be remembered that English, Urdu and Islamiyat are compulsory subjects in FA exams).

Incidentally, in some colleges Punjabi is taught as an elective subject but there are no teachers of Punjabi in schools across the province. Despite this odd, 76,000 candidates appeared in Punjabi in Lahore board’s class nine exams. What more solid proof is needed to convince the Punjab government about the demand for Punjabi subject that 33 per cent of the candidates for matriculation are appearing in Punjabi?

That number justifies the need to introduce Punjabi as a subject and to provide teaching staff in schools. Dawn suggests that “… at the policy level it should be understood that higher education reforms will not count for much unless they are bolstered by improvements at the lower level”.Punjab government’s apathy towards its people and their language is unprecedented. Under unhealthy cultural influences from outside the province, the language of the people is being looked down upon as the “uncivilized language” or in the most sophisticated term “underdeveloped form of Urdu”. A propaganda has been carried on for the last 150 years that “Urdu is the developed form of Punjabi”, the idea introduced by Hafiz Mahmood Sheerani and the early British rulers who occupied the Punjab and replaced Persian with Urdu.

They also thought it convenient to introduce Urdu as the second official language as well as the medium of instruction in schools. Its all native administrative staff was trained in Urdu which was the language of the big cities of the Ganga-Jamuna Doaba. It is a strange fact that all languages or dialects of Doaba have their folk literature, particularly folk songs, but Urdu is the only unfortunate language which has no its folk tradition.

On the other hand, all languages spoken in the Indus Valley have vast treasures of folklore which at best serve children and teenagers. It is another issue that as Punjabi, Balochi, Kashmiri and Pushto were not taught in schools or they were not made medium of instructions in primary schools, therefore their oral literature and tradition were also damaged. So far Pushto is concerned the PPP-ANP coalition has introduced Pushto as a compulsory medium of instruction at primary level. It is being opposed by non-Pushto speaking areas like Hazara and Dera Ismael Khan and some other parts of the province.

The Punjab government has criminally ignored the Punjabi language in education, communications and administration. In communications, Punjabi has a few literary magazines which are being regularly published and distributed. Some of those have been certified by the circulation bureau. The previous government of Pervaiz Elahi had committed to providing five per cent of officially paid publicity to Punjabi newspapers and magazines. Though the Punjabi media needed more ads, unfortunately the new government of the N-League discontinued this five per cent quota to Punjabi newspapers and magazines. Now it issues just a symbolic advertisement to Punjabi papers. A good quality Punjabi monthly Pukharoo, a children’s magazine, was initiated some 10 years back. It continued its publication till 2010. It was ABC certified but the present government did not help out the paper and it was closed down.

One wonders that Hamdard Foundation regularly contributes its advertisements to at least two Punjabi magazines, but neither the Punjab government nor other businesses like Qarshi thought it fit to oblige the Punjabi journals.
Children’s literature is being produced in Punjabi and some of our writers have almost earned a place in that genre. Among them are: the late Farkhanda Lodhi, Muhammad Iqbal Najmi, Muhammad Siddiq Hal, Muhammad Ahmad Shad, Saeed Farani, Ahmed Shad, Riaz Ahmed Shad, Ilyas Ghumman and Kanwal Mushtaq. Some prose books on the life and teachings of the Prophet (PBUH) have also been written and published. The late Irshad Punjabi compiled some books, including Aal Mall Thhal which includes 100 songs which are presented while playing hand ball — a genre purely exploited by girls.

A piece in praise of the ball;
(The girl’s ball is decorated with flowers and when the game started it went sky high. In the night it glittered like
moon and with much difficulty it was brought back on the earth.)