FAISALABAD: The University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) will set up the Waris Shah building to work on the wisdom from messages of saints and promote Punjabi language which is being vanished from society.

UAF Vice-Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad announced this at a seminar titled “Syed Waris Shah” which was arranged by the UAF on Wednesday.

Punjab University’s Dr Asmatullah Zahid said that Heer Waris Shah was the encyclopedia of the Punjabi language and culture.

He said the people were forgetting the Punjabi language, adding that brotherhood was essential to keep the language alive.

Dr Ahmad said Punjab was blessed with rich culture, norms and values that must be preserved and transferred to the next generation to maintain the identity across the globe.

He said every person must be capable of communicating in Punjabi and respecting the Punjabi poetry.

He said the university had established the Waris Shah chair to spread the message of saints with the fragrance of folk culture.

He said the UAF being an agro-based and rural development varsity attached great importance to farmers.

Dr Ahmad said it was necessary to speak, understand and adopt the Punjabi language.

Dr Ayub, the chairman of Punjabi Department, Government Postgraduate College, Samanabad, said the new generation was forgetting about famous poets of Punjabi and the language. He said steps must be taken to keep Punjabi language alive.

Dr Afzal Ahmad, Dr Naveed Irshad, Dr Shaukat Ali and others also spoke.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2016