Shout Out to People Interested in Punjabi Literature & Language

[ਰੂਪ ਢਿੱਲੋਂ]

Looking to contact British Born and Raised Punjabis who

1) Are reasonably fluent in Punjabi

2) Can read and write Punjabi

3) Potentially have an interest in reading punjabi and possibly writing in it

This year is the year that on a language census you could do your bit to help the status of Punjabi language.

What my colleagues and I are interested in is looking for like minded British Punjabis who could help rekindle the use of Punjabi as a written and read language for the benefit and use of British Born Punjabis to help make this language last in this country. It is particularly important to Sikhs yet is neglected by western Sikhs who just about only speak it.

Kulwant Kaur Dhillon is the President of the UK’s Punjabi Literature and Art organisation based in Southall and is actively looking for like minded people to help promote ans participate in reading by establishing book clubs etc

I am supporting her in this as as yet the only UK born and raised Punjabi writer.

In short we are looking for like minded individuals.

Please contact me via here

Or email Kulwant on kulwantdhillon@hotmail.com

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hdMSzhJq8zE&pbjreload=101

Just to give some clarity, the object of this article / request is to reach out to those raised in the west who can speak Punjabi and want to learn or explore either existing Punjabi fiction or want fiction in Punjabi created for them or want to be the creators.

Punjabi is historically linked to being a Sikh, but also knowledge of Gurmukhi is needed to really understand the Granth for yourselves without the filter of others who may have their own reasons for not quite actually telling one what lies within. So for those interested in Sikhi this is to instigate a conversation between the young willing to learn Punjabi and native speakers who can pass their knowledge on. Hopefully a conversation will convert into new ways of learning Punjabi that will work for the western raised Sikh/ Punjabi (any religion). The goal here is not to accumulate likes for the article but for those who are genuinely interested in reading books in Punjabi to instigate Book Clubs locally and if not able to do that join a national group with the same interest. Currently we have Electronic media such as Zoom to enable that.

Despite what I have said this must not exclude non British born but essentially is to spark interest in them in Punjabi.

Kulwant Dhillon is the Padaan of Punjabi Sahit Kala Kendar in Southall and a conduit to British Based Native Punjabi writers, artists and teachers. Please contact her

I myself am a British born and raised Punjabi Novelist who has become established over the last few years and wants to help UK Punjabis fall in love with Punjabi Literature and have access to books to read that they enjoy. My latest offering is Sindbaad a Punjabi Sci Fi novel, about which people can contact me. It is the first step in the effort to make Punjabi accessible for UK born Punjabis who can already read Punjabi. The second step is to encourage you to write stories in Punjabi. And hopefully we can create a forum amongst for this….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OoBPjTxDzk

[GurjantGnostic]

On 9/20/2021 at 2:28 PM, ਰੂਪ ਢਿੱਲੋਂ said:

Looking to contact British Born and Raised Punjabis who

1) Are reasonably fluent in Punjabi

2) Can read and write Punjabi

3) Potentially have an interest in reading punjabi and possibly writing in it

This year is the year that on a language census you could do your bit to help the status of Punjabi language.

What my colleagues and I are interested in is looking for like minded British Punjabis who could help rekindle the use of Punjabi as a written and read language for the benefit and use of British Born Punjabis to help make this language last in this country. It is particularly important to Sikhs yet is neglected by western Sikhs who just about only speak it.

Kulwant Kaur Dhillon is the President of the UK’s Punjabi Literature and Art organisation based in Southall and is actively looking for like minded people to help promote ans participate in reading by establishing book clubs etc

I am supporting her in this as as yet the only UK born and raised Punjabi writer.

In short we are looking for like minded individuals.

Please contact me via here

Or email Kulwant on kulwantdhillon@hotmail.com

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hdMSzhJq8zE&pbjreload=101

Just to give some clarity, the object of this article / request is to reach out to those raised in the west who can speak Punjabi and want to learn or explore either existing Punjabi fiction or want fiction in Punjabi created for them or want to be the creators.

Punjabi is historically linked to being a Sikh, but also knowledge of Gurmukhi is needed to really understand the Granth for yourselves without the filter of others who may have their own reasons for not quite actually telling one what lies within. So for those interested in Sikhi this is to instigate a conversation between the young willing to learn Punjabi and native speakers who can pass their knowledge on. Hopefully a conversation will convert into new ways of learning Punjabi that will work for the western raised Sikh/ Punjabi (any religion). The goal here is not to accumulate likes for the article but for those who are genuinely interested in reading books in Punjabi to instigate Book Clubs locally and if not able to do that join a national group with the same interest. Currently we have Electronic media such as Zoom to enable that.

Despite what I have said this must not exclude non British born but essentially is to spark interest in them in Punjabi.

Kulwant Dhillon is the Padaan of Punjabi Sahit Kala Kendar in Southall and a conduit to British Based Native Punjabi writers, artists and teachers. Please contact her

I myself am a British born and raised Punjabi Novelist who has become established over the last few years and wants to help UK Punjabis fall in love with Punjabi Literature and have access to books to read that they enjoy. My latest offering is Sindbaad a Punjabi Sci Fi novel, about which people can contact me. It is the first step in the effort to make Punjabi accessible for UK born Punjabis who can already read Punjabi. The second step is to encourage you to write stories in Punjabi. And hopefully we can create a forum amongst for this….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OoBPjTxDzk

What a great way to not only connect people with Punjabi and Gurmukhi, but each other all over the world. 

[sevak]

Im interested in learning and improving my Punjabi. What a loss, we have to depend on English. Renounced our Gurmukhi script. 

[dalsingh101]

9 minutes ago, sevak said:

Im interested in learning and improving my Punjabi. What a loss, we have to depend on English. Renounced our Gurmukhi script. 

Who's renouncing the Gurmukhi script? 

[sevak]

51 minutes ago, dalsingh101 said:

Who's renouncing the Gurmukhi script? 

Sorry for the confusion. I mean its not being taught in schools, less importance is paid towards learning, more on English translation and transliteration. Just feel that way. 

[dalsingh101]

56 minutes ago, sevak said:

Sorry for the confusion. I mean its not being taught in schools, less importance is paid towards learning, more on English translation and transliteration. Just feel that way. 

It was the majority of desi parent's who were originally not interested in making sure their kids knew Gurmukhi. Apart from rudimentary (and usually very poorly taught) classes in Gurdwaras. They didn't value it over formal education. I had classes for GCSE Panjabi in my school, only a fraction of the Sikh kids in the school attended them (3, including me!), they had the option to chose this at age 14, but they obviously didn't.  Now, some other communities were not remotely like this, (Urdu classes were ram packed!) and and you can see how the difference in attitude has led to one group being much closer than their roots than the other. 

That all being said, I think initiatives like this are exactly what are needed to try and address the apparent apathy. 

Apnay are more likely to promote this stuff than learning to read Panjabi by the looks of it?  

[sevak]

54 minutes ago, dalsingh101 said:

It was the majority of desi parent's who were originally not interested in making sure their kids knew Gurmukhi. Apart from rudimentary (and usually very poorly taught) classes in Gurdwaras. They didn't value it over formal education. I had classes for GCSE Panjabi in my school, only a fraction of the Sikh kids in the school attended them (3, including me!), they had the option to chose this at age 14, but they obviously didn't.  Now, some other communities were not remotely like this, (Urdu classes were ram packed!) and and you can see how the difference in attitude has led to one group being much closer than their roots than the other. 

That all being said, I think initiatives like this are exactly what are needed to try and address the apparent apathy. 

Apnay are more likely to promote this stuff than learning to read Panjabi by the looks of it?  

The gif of two punjabi dancing. I know one of them personally and know the location of dance as well. He is very much into Sikhi.

[dalsingh101]

6 minutes ago, sevak said:

The gif of two punjabi dancing. I know one of them personally and know the location of dance as well. He is very much into Sikhi.

That bhangra paa-ing has a tendency to make us look like clowns.  

 

[sevak]

1 hour ago, dalsingh101 said:

That bhangra paa-ing has a tendency to make us look like clowns.  

 

The same people did outdoor kirtan in that same location. Bhangra is just folk dance. 

[dalsingh101]

4 minutes ago, sevak said:

The same people did outdoor kirtan in that same location. Bhangra is just folk dance. 

That don't take away from what I'm saying it makes us look like. And bhangra culture isn't as innocuous as that. It has reverberations on the panth.  

[sevak]

2 hours ago, dalsingh101 said:

That don't take away from what I'm saying it makes us look like. And bhangra culture isn't as innocuous as that. It has reverberations on the panth.  

I understand what you are saying. Its modern bhangra singers - and dirt depicit in the videos. But how did this happen? This has all come from Western Culture — same video styles, geared towards women.

[dalsingh101]

14 hours ago, sevak said:

I understand what you are saying. Its modern bhangra singers - and dirt depicit in the videos. But how did this happen? This has all come from Western Culture — same video styles, geared towards women.

Let's not downplay how the bhangra industry is a primary force for promoting casteism amongst us too. Here in the UK, a lot of apnay are sick of it. It's like every time we celebrate something, we have a bunch of grinning blokes in girly costumes prancing about on stage.  It makes us a laughing stock. 

 

Then we wonder why these types of buffoon caricatures emerge........

 

 

That's why things like intelligent literature are so important, gives people a less clownish way to engage with their culture. Plus they might learn some new stuff. Use and develop their brains. 

 

 

 

[dalsingh101]

@sevak

Bhai ji, what about all the other 'cultural' stuff  bhangra culture promotes. I know a lot of my generation, when younger, would get plastered to these types of tunes (myself included). It's like a form of brainwashing. Many have problems down to this (as least partly) many decades down the line. Some of them are 'brown bread' (i.e. dead). Also, bibbian start doing it too!

 

 

 

 

 

[sevak]

1 hour ago, dalsingh101 said:

@sevak

Bhai ji, what about all the other 'cultural' stuff  bhangra culture promotes. I know a lot of my generation, when younger, would get plastered to these types of tunes (myself included). It's like a form of brainwashing. Many have problems down to this (as least partly) many decades down the line. Some of them are 'brown bread' (i.e. dead). Also, bibbian start doing it too!

 

 

 

 

 

I dont consider the above to be Bhangra. This is some westernized things.

Bhangra & Giddha are our traditional folk dance, performed with decency. 
 

No Alcohol is allowed. 
 

[dalsingh101]

34 minutes ago, sevak said:

I dont consider the above to be Bhangra. This is some westernized things.

Bhangra & Giddha are our traditional folk dance, performed with decency. 
 

No Alcohol is allowed. 
 

The word bhangra itself is derived from 'bhang' or cannabis that peasants used to take around harvest time when celebrating getting the crops in. If you really are from this background, you should know that afeem or opium was also taken by many farmers to keep working for a few days straight when they had a small window to cut down the crops. Singing suggestive songs about one's pubbhi was also a part of this 'culture'.

The west (or brits specifically) are responsible for a lot of our problems, but the drinking one can't be put on them. That was part of jut culture long before they came. And it still continues to this day.  It's no use being in denial about these things. They are what they are. 

[sevak]

Do it without bhang, alcohol, drug. 
You can do Naam Simran while doing Bhangra.

[GurjantGnostic]

5 hours ago, sevak said:

Do it without bhang, alcohol, drug. 
You can do Naam Simran while doing Bhangra.

Yes. More Shastar Vidya, and Aikido too. Dancing is healthy done right. 

[dalsingh101]

13 minutes ago, GurjantGnostic said:

Yes. More Shastar Vidya, and Aikido too. Dancing is healthy done right. 

Fair enough, but not dressed up like a girl prancing about on stage in front of all and sundry. And not putting your own women folk on display where other communities come and lech on them either. In rural Panjab this might fly, but if your in a urban, multicultural environment, with lots of other races/communities that value masculinity and decorum, you look like bozo the clown on stage. Keep it private, in the family. 

[ਰੂਪ ਢਿੱਲੋਂ]

Let's keep this thread more about what it was orginally, trying to get people to focus on learning Punjabi ( Gurmukhi) to read and write, be it for reading fiction, history or the Adi Granth. I agree with everyone re the other points. The fact is 99% of Punjabi music is not produced in the west. It is produced in India so its a mute point to blame western culture. We the Punjabi public consume this crap and have been dong so for decades. Look how Hindi Cinema portray Sikhs as stupid angry warriors only. The image is either the anti Muslim Sunny Deol of Gaddar fame, or Akshay Kumar of Singh is King. We buy into it and make weak jokey Punjabi films with singers who can't act etc. It all adds to the problem.

 

But that is all for another thread. Re this one , the focus is simple

1) Create your own local book club

2) Create your own local groups to teach Punjabi properly 

3) Or contact Kulwant Dhillon and see where that leads

 

[sevak]

6 hours ago, ਰੂਪ ਢਿੱਲੋਂ said:

The fact is 99% of Punjabi music is not produced in the west. It is produced in India so its a 

ਵੈਸਟਰਨ ਤੌਰ ਤਰੀਕੇ ਇੰਡਿਯਨ ਸੋਸਾਇਟੀ ਵਿਚ ਆ ਚੁਕੇ ਹੁਣ.

ਇਹ ਕਹਿਣਾ ਤੀਖ ਹੋਵੇਗਾ ਕੈ ਵੈਸਟਰਨ ਕਲਚਰਲ values ਨੇ ਸਾਡੇ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਸਬਯਾਚਾਰ ਦਾ ਬੇਰਾਗਾਰਕ ਕਰ ਦਿਤਾ . ਸਾਂਨੂ ਲੋੜ ਨਹੀਂ ਗੋਰਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਫ਼ੋੱਲੋ ਕਰਨ ਡੀ 

[ਰੂਪ ਢਿੱਲੋਂ]

2 minutes ago, sevak said:

ਵੈਸਟਰਨ ਤੌਰ ਤਰੀਕੇ ਇੰਡਿਯਨ ਸੋਸਾਇਟੀ ਵਿਚ ਆ ਚੁਕੇ ਹੁਣ.

ਇਹ ਕਹਿਣਾ ਤੀਖ ਹੋਵੇਗਾ ਕੈ ਵੈਸਟਰਨ ਕਲਚਰਲ values ਨੇ ਸਾਡੇ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਸਬਯਾਚਾਰ ਦਾ ਬੇਰਾਗਾਰਕ ਕਰ ਦਿਤਾ . ਸਾਂਨੂ ਲੋੜ ਨਹੀਂ ਗੋਰਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਫ਼ੋੱਲੋ ਕਰਨ ਡੀ 

sahi gal...par kale western dee nahi gal hai,. assi western diah changian aadataan nahi chukde ( jive mard zanani dee barabari, jaas kanun dee izzat, jo khud izzat karda insaan nu,) par barhiaan addataan chuk de ne ( drugs, aseelpuna vagair vagair),,gal hai sadie bollywood ne vee khus ay sab kujh promote keeta hai

[ਰੂਪ ਢਿੱਲੋਂ]

I tried promoting all this on City Sikhs but ultimately left that page as they are Fake Sikhs and always decline non english posts 

[GurjantGnostic]

7 hours ago, ਰੂਪ ਢਿੱਲੋਂ said:

I tried promoting all this on City Sikhs but ultimately left that page as they are Fake Sikhs and always decline non english posts 

Nailed it one like an author.  Lol. City Sikhs. 

[GurjantGnostic]

Hmm. The Gurmukhi punjabi google translates way better than romanized punjabi. 

[ਰੂਪ ਢਿੱਲੋਂ]

On 9/25/2021 at 10:50 PM, dalsingh101 said:

It was the majority of desi parent's who were originally not interested in making sure their kids knew Gurmukhi. Apart from rudimentary (and usually very poorly taught) classes in Gurdwaras. They didn't value it over formal education. I had classes for GCSE Panjabi in my school, only a fraction of the Sikh kids in the school attended them (3, including me!), they had the option to chose this at age 14, but they obviously didn't.  Now, some other communities were not remotely like this, (Urdu classes were ram packed!) and and you can see how the difference in attitude has led to one group being much closer than their roots than the other. 

That all being said, I think initiatives like this are exactly what are needed to try and address the apparent apathy. 

Apnay are more likely to promote this stuff than learning to read Panjabi by the looks of it?  

Yup