Punjabi literary fraternity demand tribunal on Language Act

Slamming the state government for its lax attitude regarding implementation of the Punjab State Language Act, writers across the state have announced their resignation from both state as well as district language committees. The writers have also demanded a language tribunal to ensure that all private and government teach Punjabi as a compulsory subject.

A state-level meet of Punjabi writers, poets, thinkers and intellectuals, attended by members of Kendriya Punjabi Lekhak Sabha, Punjabi Sahit Akademy and Kendriya Punjabi Lekhak Sabha, was held at Punjabi Bhawan on Monday.

After the meet, Dr Anoop Singh Virk, president of Kendriya Punjabi Lekhak Sabha, said, “This aim of the convention was to chalk out a plan to ensure implementation of the Language Act. In our meetings with government officials, we have seen that they are not very serious about propagating the language. Now, we have reposed all our faith in well-known poet Dr Surjit Patar and thinker Amarjeet Singh Grewal to ably guide our movement for developing Punjabi.”

Amarjeet Grewal said: “If we want sustainable development for Punjab, then we cannot just bank upon the 4 per cent English-speaking population of the state. We will have to take into account the others as well and for this we have to ensure that Punjabi is the official language of the state. All official work should be carried out in this medium.”

“The struggle to secure a rightful place for Punjabi is a tough one and the first step is unity among us writers. We need to connect with the people in the grassroots as no movement can sustain itself without the support of the masses,” said Dr Surjit Patar.

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