‘It is unfortunate Punjabis feel ashamed of speaking in Punjabi’

Gurvinder Singh

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Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 20

Even though youngsters are told that Hindi is our national language, they must know that Punjabi is also our national language. In fact, the languages mentioned on Indian currency notes are all national languages and Hindi is a link language. But it is unfortunate that Punjabis hesitate and feel ashamed of speaking in Punjabi, said Prof Gurbhajan Singh Gill during a seminar organised to celebrate Mother Tongue Day at GGN Khalsa College today.

“We need to understand our cultural and language needs. The step-motherly treatment meted out to our mother tongue in our homes and outside is happening because we do not realise the damage it is causing to our culture and language,” he said.

“These schools which are set up on our own motherland, with our approval, have the temerity to prevent our children from speaking their mother tongue by imposing a fine,” he said. “But it is equally unfortunate that we don’t react and let it happen,” he said.

Professor Gill said our cultural crisis was bigger than economic crisis. Our language was gradually dying and it needed to become the language of science and technology, trade and commerce, and law and communication.

Sukhi Baath, a business man from Canada, who was the chief guest during the function, said the responsibility of making children realise the importance of Punjabi lay with their parents. He said his children and grandchildren were born in Canada, but they all spoke in Punjabi. It is an erroneous belief that people need to communicate in English to do business. He said he had five businesses, and all internal communication in the firms was done in Punjabi and even external communication, including messaging, sending emails to clients who are Punjabis, is done in Punjabi. All sign boards have information both in Punjabi and English, he said. “The first lesson in Punjabi needs to start at home and Punjabis need to realise the importance of giving precedence to our mother tongue,” he says.