Wednesday, April 4, 2007


School of Punjabi Studies
A bridge between the two Punjabs
Varinder Walia

Punjabi is still a favourite subject for students of Guru Nanak Dev University who appear in various competitive examinations, including IAS and PCS. This can be gauged from the fact that students of the School of Punjabi Studies have excelled in various fields, including civil services, teaching in India and abroad, electronic and print media. The department has the distinction of producing two vice-chancellors and pro vice-chancellors, registrars, deans of academic affairs, IAS, IRS , PCS and BSF officers, principals and eminent publishers.

This is the only department in northern India in which regular study of Persian script is part of the curriculum that bridges the gap between West Punjab (Pakistan) and East Punjab (India). It provides a window to Persian sources that help in research work. Study of Persian sources also help students to analyse folklore, culture, Pakistani Punjabi literature and meta-study. The department also arranges visit of Punjabi scholars from Pakistan, Canada, UK, USA, Russia and Japan, etc. that help students to study global Punjabi literature.

The School of Punjabi Studies has been receiving good response, which is evident from the fact that against 20 seats as many as 160 candidates had applied for MPhil last year. Many questions in the UGC tests are related to Pakistani literature. Students of School of Punjabi Studies are able to clear the national entrance tests because it (Pakistani literature) is part of its syllabi. The department has 29 students in MA(I) and 37 in MA (II). However, the BA (honours) program is not getting the expected response.

The department had received UGC's special assistance program worth Rs 40 lakh for creating infrastructure and arranging world-level seminars. The department has a language lab where more than 30 computers have been installed. The department has 25 research fellows who have passed the UGC's national entrance test. Last year as many as eight students won Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship. The scholars of the department like G.S. Frank were acclaimed in erstwhile Soviet Union. He was responsible for preparing a Russian-Punjabi dictionary and translation of many Russian political, social and literary classics into Punjabi. Interestingly, Frank did his Phd in Punjabi from the USSR. Atamjit Singh, another teacher of the GNDU, is serving in an American university.

Going back into history, the Department of Punjabi headed by Diwan Singh came into being in 1971 as purely a teaching department. Dharm Singh, head of the department, says that with a view to promoting research in the field of Punjabi language the Department of Punjabi Languages and Literature was added next year with Pyara Singh as its head. However, in July 1979, both departments merged under the School of Punjabi Studies.

Holds great future

Dharm Singh, professor and head
Dharm Singh, professor and head

Dharm Singh says that the students of the department have great future in the field of publications. Two students of the department Kulbir Singh Suri, son of novelist Nanak Singh of "Pawitar Paapi" fame and Gursagar Singh have been successfully running Nanak Singh Pustakmala and Singh Brothers and earned a great name in Punjabi world. The students of the department have great scope in electronic and print media, too. He says Harjit Singh, former assistant director, Jalandhar Doordarshan, Lakhwinder Johal, Jaswant Deed, Arthor Victor, Satwinder Satti, Harjinder Singh Randhawa and Varinder Kaur made the department proud with their achievements in the electronic media.

Manmohan Singh, a senior IPS officer who had done his Phd, is a noted Punjabi and Hindi poet and critic. Harbhajan Singh Bhatia, a senior teacher of the department attributes excellent placement of its students in different fields to its well-designed syllabi, inter-disciplinary approach and dedicated faculty members. Combination of courses like culture, folklore and teaching of immigrant literature is rare in universities. Till date, the School of Punjabi Studies has produced more than 250 Phd students. It has been publishing a research magazine "Khij Darpan" since 1974. More than 100 research-based books have been published by it.