Punjab’s Maha links recast

Vandana Shukla in Pune

When granth dindi, a procession of books, was carried out on Pune streets, traffic stopped. Punjabi writers and poets, not used to such honour in their home state, were overawed. They sang and danced. 

The first three-day (from November 18) of the Vishwa Punjabi Sammelan re-forged 700 years of literary assimilation between Punjab and Maharashtra. Namdev, a saint of Varkari sect of Hindus, stayed in Ghuman, Punjab, till his death in 1350 and over 60 of his verses were incorporated in the Adi Granth, the sacred book of the Sikhs. The tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, gave the Adi Granth, the status of a living Guru, at Nanded, Maharashtra, where he left his body. 

At the inaugural three Maharashtra political stalwarts; Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Chief Minister Davendra Fadanvis and NCP boss Sharad Pawar tried to outsmart each other with their literary credentials and acumen for Punjab’s history. Politics was off, and so were their pictures on the programme sheet. Punjab da puttar, Dharmendra, regaled a packed auditorium by reciting couplets penned by him. He was in good company. He didn’t disappoint. 

“Such events open a new window, they inspire us to do something in Punjab to restore dignity of writers and artists,” said Ludhiana-based poet Jaswant Zaffar. 

In 2014, the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, held its 88th annual conference at Ghuman, in Gurdaspur district. The Gurudwara Committee and the Punjab Government played host to litterateurs and pilgrims from Maharashtra. The 350th birth anniversary year of Guru Gobind Singh was an opportune time to host Punjabi writers in the culture capital of Maharashtra; initiating a process of literary assimilation. A popular Marathi daily carried a report on the proceedings in Gurmukhi. 

About 200 writers and poets, from all the three Punjabs – from India, Pakistan and overseas – spoke about topics confronting Punjabi language and literature. The Pakistani delegation could not come, leaving a gap. The deliberations focused on two major issues; lack of contemporary content and the dilution of Punjabi language. “Punjabi writers have a tendency to delve in the past. This is the reason for the disconnect with the young generation,” commented literary critic Surjit. 

A lack of contemporariness in the literary content was evident; most writers sang paeans about the writings of the ten Gurus. The poetry sessions too stressed their martyrdom. One expected more diversity in a literary festival of international reach; the level of discourse left much to be desired. 

“Writers in Punjab have a responsibility to re-establish the tradition of rebels like Bhagat Singh. They must challenge the establishment,” said Milind Joshi, president Maharashtra Sahitya Mandal. Punjabi writers seemed enthused by the influence of the richness of literary traditions of Maharashtra. Surjit Patar’s anthology of poems, translated into Marathi, was released, a first step towards literary collaboration. 

The hosting of Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad’s conference resulted in opening of a degree college in Ghuman and a building and infrastructure for establishing Bharatiya Bhasha Bhawan. Surjit Patar, VPSS president, said: “Punjab has gone through a long history of assimilations and dismemberments. We hope this is a beginning of the process of new cooperation that will result in greater literary activity.” 

The promised financial support from the Maharashtra government was withdrawn following the code of conduct enforced for the civic elections. Then came demonitization. Pune’s Punjabi community and Punekars in general made the festival possible by their individual efforts.