CHANDIGARH: ‘The five member Panthic committee and its allied militant outfits served an ultimatum on the Punjab government, semi-government and autonomous organisations to switch over to Punjabi medium in all official work by December 10 or “face the consequences.”

The 13 page “notification” bearing the signatures of the committee members Dr Sohan Singh, Mr Wadhawa Singh, Mr Mehal Singh, Mr Satinderpal Singh and Mr Harminder Singh and the chiefs of the five outfits, Mr Sukhdev Singh Babbar, Mr Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala, Mr Paramjit Singh Panjwar, Mr Rachhpal Singh and Mr Daljit Singh has given detailed instructions how to go about introducing Punjabi language at different levels.

The militants thus announced their arrival on the state’s “cultural and language” scene also, where their presence will be felt by those who chose to ignore the directive on the use of Punjabi as a vehicle of communication, within and outside government offices.

Eulogising the contribution to the enrichment of Punjabi language by such pirs as Baba Farid, Waris Shah, Bulle Shah, Shah Hussain, Bhai Vir Singh, Bhai Pooran Singh, the press note said out of world’s recognised languages Punjabi had the 18th position.

The main thrust of the press note issued is on blaming the Punjab chief Secretary, Mr S.L.Kapur, for the “neglect” of the mother tongue in the state. He has been charged with “sidelining” the language and rendering the languages department to “zero status” so that Punjabi was not popularised and propagated.

Then it goes on to list what it had in mind: Each secretary or head of the department should circulate the instructions on the use of Punjabi among the employees, making available copies (which, perhaps, have been dispatched to officers) and display the same on the notice boards. All nothings on files are to be done in Punjabi and attempt should be not to “Sansknitise” the language by using difficult words.

State government correspondence with the centre will be in Punjabi. All signboards, “nameplates, writings on milestones, names of state roadways buses etc., should be in Punjabi, in beautiful handwriting with correct spellings so as to show to the world the state’s love for its mother tongue. The language has to be given its due with no prejudice against other languages and. without yielding, to other languages.

The militants want the offices to go in for new typewriters, electronic if available, and gradually develop new typefaces by corresponding with the makers of such machines. The note has dealt at length with the education department. And its directorates vat ‘school, college ‘and’ university levels.

Article extracted from this publication >> December 7, 1990