“Punjabi is a dying language” - if you said this to calligraphy artist Kamaljeet Kaur when she was a child, all hell would break loose. “I would stand up and argue vehemently,” she says.

Then, seven years ago, she joined the School of Art and Fashion, Ludhiana, and realised that she might have been wrong all along. “Few students could speak the language fluently, leave alone read or write it,” she says.

Kamaljeet Kaur decided to promote the language using her art. Across Punjab, many artists, students and organisations are walking the same path - trying to promote Punjabi by giving it a hip, fun image.

Kamaljeet paints verses from gurbani on mugs, invitation cards, envelopes, visiting cards, book covers and lampshades, bringing the language closer to the masses.

“My fascination for letters grew with every painting, the way they place themselves close to each other, sometimes compact, sometimes interlacing and sometimes loose, they create beautiful images and ideas,” says the 40-year-old.

Elsewhere Arunesh Singh Gill, a 23-year-old final year student of SD College hand paints tees with Punjabi verses. “These were mostly designed for my friends, but of late I have started getting many orders,” he says. He showcases tees that have logos like Asi Punjabi At Heart and Ik Oankar.

“It’s my way of saying Punjabi is just as cool as English,” says Arunesh.

“Punjabi, which has developed from Sauraseni Prakrit, the chief language of medieval northern India, needs to retain its popularity,” says Kin Chang, an MA sociology student, from Manipur, at Punjab University. He learnt the language three years ago when he first came to the city.

“In order to promote the language, we wear T-shirts that have Punjabi verses, hold student forums with Punjabi song contests, sher-o-shayri nights and poetry mornings at the Lake,” says Chang, in chaste Punjabi as he logs on to the web page of Chandigarh-The Beautiful City, where other youngsters like him are doing their bit to promote the language and culture. 

Here, Jasjeet Singh, 24, lists out a few words each morning along with their meanings, while Sandeep Singh Tiwana refuses to converse in another language. “Our generation is blamed for not giving Punjabi its due, so we want to rise and prove them wrong,” says Amit Gupta, a final-year student of Punjab Engineering College, who will be holding an online Punjabi poetry contest on Facebook this week, where the work that gets the maximum ‘likes’ will be the winner.

“Next in the pipeline is a page titled - We love Punjabi,” says Gupta. 

 [Courtesy: Indian Express]

July 9, 2011