Last reprinted in 2019, Mahan Kosh unavailable now

Mahan Kosh, the prominent Punjabi language encyclopaedia and one of the most popular books, is not available now as hardly any copies have been printed by the state Language Department after 2019.

There seems to be no attempt to reprint the copies of Mahan Kosh, even though the demand for this encyclopaedia remains high.

Mahan Kosh was written by Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha. The book has been in demand for a long time. It was in 2019 when 10,000 copies of Mahan Kosh were reprinted. Before that the Department got it reprinted in 2011 for the eighth time, printing over 5,000 copies.

The book has around 1,250 pages and is considered the best guide to Punjabi language as it has old maps of India, Lahore and historic pictures that are otherwise hard to find.

According to writers and officials of the department, one can find every possible Punjabi word and its meaning in Mahan Kosh. The book costs at Rs 466 and is often available at a discount of up to 15-20 per cent.

Sources from the Language Department said there was a huge demand for the copies of Mahan Kosh and people wanted to know when it would be available.

Though Mahan Kosh printed by private publishers was available, it was costly compared to the copies printed by the Department. “Also, literature lovers prefer Mahan Kosh published by the Language Department over the others. The government must make efforts to ensure the availability of copies of Mahan Kosh. Though I don’t know when will that happen,” an official said.

Punjab Language Department Director Jaswant Singh Zafar, when contacted, said, “For the last few years, about 80 books have gone for printing, which have not been printed yet. Once these get printed, we will send Mahan Kosh for printing as well. Right now, we are waiting for those 80 books,” he said.

Notably, after Mahan Kosh was reprinted in 2019, Mela Ghadri Babeya Da was held in Jalandhar. Avid readers had shown interest in buying Mahan Kosh then as the District Language Department had put up a special book stall at the mela.

Another popular book by the name ‘Punjab’, edited by Mohinder Singh Randhawa, is also out of stock as it has not been reprinted for quite some time.