Everything Wrong With Punjabi
If you start counting on your fingers, you won’t get anywhere because there’s absolutely nothing wrong with speaking Punjabi or in the Punjabi language in itself but why are most of the Pakistanis in urban areas afraid to speak it or are on most occasions relegate it?
What is Punjabi?
Punjabi is the language of the land of Punjab, now sadly split by the Pakistan-India border. The word Punjab sprouts from the Punjabi words Punj and Ab, where they mean five and water respectively; that is because it is the land of the five rivers. Punjabi originally developed from the Prakrit language and was later influenced by Arabic and Persian. Punjabi is the most spoken language of Pakistan with more than 40% of the citizens being it’s native speakers whereas Urdu, the national language, has only 4% native speakers.
What is Communication?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of communication is a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior.
Focus on the words ‘common system’. Both of the participants must have a way of understanding each other. And it doesn’t matter what the onlookers think. If you find a Pakistani guy living in Japan, you’re likely to talk to them in Urdu, or even Punjabi, but you definitely won’t talk to them in Japanese because regardless of your proficiency levels in Japanese, Urdu has the highest chance of expressing your ideas in the perfect matter. And similarly, you won’t talk to a Japanese person in any language other than Japanese, no matter how bad you are, because that’s the only language they understand.
Enter, Stockholm Syndrome. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of Stockholm syndrome is a psychological tendency of a hostage to bond with, identify with, or sympathize with his or her captor.
What was the language of the captors of Pakistanis? English. Which language do we associate the highest status with? English. It’s psychological. We, as lowly, primitive humans, like to categorize people, to be above some people, or to be pushed down by others. Now, some people who’re fluent in English, not all, would feel a superiority around people who don’t speak English so well. This can apply generally to all types of people. They might be Urdu-speaking, Punjabi, or any other local language. Based on the same psychology, we’ve created another similar model where Urdu-speaking people are bullying some other people.
Urdu-Speaking Bullies
Even though this is changing, I feel that Urdu-speakers have an unnecessary superiority complex when it comes to Punjabi. The Muhajirs in Karachi and other major cities have a certain disliking for Punjabis for absolutely no substantial reason. Not only that, many Punjabis won’t speak Punjabi in public because they might feel inferior when it comes to that. Let’s look at some history.
Now, most of the Muhajirs from India were part of an educated community and from a more developed society. Throughout history, except Lahore, most of the pre-partition area of Pakistan was ignored when it came to human development, and to be fairly blunt, the majority of the people were still living in medieval times. Education and development were widely started in these areas after Pakistan was created. So, it’s natural for immigrants to feel superior at that point but it’s completely wrong now.
There are some reasons why non-Punjabis might feel uncomfortable around Punjabis. Vishal Chopra summarizes these qualities in one of his answers on Quora. These obviously, do not strictly apply to everyone.
- Punjabis have a loud tone in general and this might disturb the people around them. They like loud music, they like to dance a lot. Can’t stop anyone from celebrating, can we?
- Punjabis can pick fights easily. Punjabis never back down from a fight, ever. And this is why they might be perceived as aggressive.
- This one is a little controversial. It’s not that all Punjabis use a lot of swear words but Punjabi has been portrayed as an abusive language. Cusswords exist in all languages and it’s the people who pollute the language, not the language itself.
- Punjabis seem to present a lack of civic sense. Once again, this isn’t a problem with the Punjabis specifically, it’s a problem with lack of social manners and public etiquettes. And because Punjab has the highest population, a great number of people in rural areas do not adhere to schooling and thus keeping the new generation uncivilized.
The truth about Punjabis is that they’re very lively people. When they’re happy, they party hard; when they get angry, they break bones. They feel all of their emotions completely. They’re the most fun-loving and caring people once you’ve bonded with them.
Punjabi by Creed
I’m not Punjabi by birth. I’m a native Urdu-speaker; my ancestors migrated from India. I’ve had members of my family show disrespect towards Punjabi and I always pondered over it, it seemed very illogical to me. I grew up in Lahore, surrounded by this rich Lahori culture. However, I remained detached from it. That’s partly because I’m what you’d call a burger. Until a few years ago, I used to dislike Urdu too, my mother tongue and Punjabi was a big no. Even though I had heard Punjabi my whole life, I detested it myself. Well, not anymore.
It took me some time but I realized that it’s a part of my identity; a part of me that I refused to accept. That’s when I encountered Punjabi poetry. That’s when I realized that Punjabi has the power to change hearts. It has the power to touch your heart better than any other language because this language is your own. I still remember the first poem (or part of a poem) I read. It was written in my school’s assembly hall with a picture of a man I later would come to admire immensely.
Aewain Larda Shaitan De Nal Bandaya
Kadee Nafs Apnay Naal Laryaa Naee
Akhe Peer Bulleh Shah Aasmani Pharhnaa Eh
Jehdaa Mann Vich Wasdaa, Ohno Pherya Nai
Translation:
Oh Man, What do you fight Satan for?
When you don’t fight your own Ego.
Bulleh Shah’s Mentor says, why do you seek what is in the Heavens?
When you don’t discover what is hidden in your heart.
And then, being a fanatic for poetry, began reading up on other Punjabi poets such as Waris Shah, Hazrat Sultan Bahu, and Mian Muhammad Baksh. And now, I only regret the time when I was unaware of these hidden gems. How sophisticated must a language and it’s writer be to portray their ideas with such fluidity. It was indeed a language of wise men.
Apart from poetry, I got attached to Punjabi music and some modernized genres such as Punjabi rap and Punjabi blues, and I’m pretty sure no one else can get the bhangra done better than the Punjabis. Qawwalis are another major entertainment that’s best enjoyed in Punjabi and the list goes on. I’m not saying everyone will like these but just don’t put them in a bad light if you don’t.
Take Pride in Who You Are
A small message for those small-minded people, stop judging people based on their language. Stop allotting them status based on the language they speak, stop declaring their education-level based on the language they speak, struck off the word paindu (uncivilized) from your dictionary if you want to do it this way. If a person speaks Punjabi, by no means, does it mean that he or she is uneducated. I used to be uncomfortable around Punjabi too; now, I welcome it with open arms, because I enjoy the way they talk.
Part of the problem comes from our national policies as well. Sindhi and Pashto are taught in schools in their respective provinces but then why isn’t Punjabi taught in schools within Punjab. We’re losing a huge part of our culture, our heritage, by cutting off the newer generation from it. I demand that schools in Punjab should include Punjabi in their curriculum. You might be shocked to hear that the Punjabi department of Punjab University was set up as late as 1970. Nonetheless, the study of the Punjabi language remains rare in all levels of education.
I still haven’t learned all of Punjabi, I’m still struggling with Urdu but I’m trying, trying to understand the blood that runs through my veins, and I’m sure it does through yours’s too. Why fight it. That’s who you are and there’s nothing wrong with it. Keep your head held high when you speak Punjabi or any other language for that matter. Own yourself, be a Punjabi, Sindhi, or a Balochi, and be proud of your heritage. And once you’ve done all that, become a true Pakistani, where all these cultures harmonize into a single strong entity.
I’ll end the article with another poem from Bulleh Shah. Another piece of magic that’ll touch your heart. Enjoy.
Vaikh Bandeyya
Asman Te Urde Panchi
Vaikh Te Sahee Ki Karde Ne
Na O’ Karde Rizq Zakheera
Na O’ Bhuke Marde Ne
Kaddi Kisse Ne Urday Panchi
Bhukke Marde Vaikhe Ne?
Banday Hi Karde Rizq Zakheera
Banday Hi Bhukke Marde Ne…
Translation:
O’ Human Being
These Birds Flying
Do you see what they do?
They don’t store any food with greed
And they don’t die of hunger
Has anyone seen flying birds dying of hunger?
It’s greedy Human that store food
It’s Humans that die of hunger.
Bibliography:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communication
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Stockholm%20syndrome
https://www.thesufi.com/aewain-larda-shaitan-de-nal-bandaya-kalam-bulleh-shah/
http://pu.edu.pk/page/show/ba_gen_pattern.html
https://www.thesufi.com/vaikh-bandeyya-bulleh-shah-poem-with-translation/
