LAHORE: A Punjabi annual literary and art journal, Baramah, was launched at Punjabi Complex, Qadhafi Stadium, on Thursday.

The ceremony was presided over by journalist Hussain Naqi with Prof Saeed Bhutta, Mazhar Tirmazi, Faiqa Khan and Zubair Ahmad, editor of the journal, among the speakers.

Mr Zubair said he and Amarjit Chandan had started a Punjabi annual magazine for Punjab on both sides of the border.

He said it was not a magazine belonging to any specific group or school of thought and that only quality literature and art would be printed in it.

“The earlier Punjabi magazines were not covering history, film, TV and music. We would focus all types of literature and art, including paintings and pictures.”

He said the inaugural edition had stories, poetry, articles on various subjects, history of Punjab, films, memories, pictures and paintings.

Mr Tirmazi termed launching of the magazine the start of a third wave of Punjabi language, saying that his friends and he had started a Punjabi magazine, Rut Lekha, in the 1970s but they could publish its eight editions only. Later, they had started a Punjabi language daily, Sajjan, under the editorship of Mr Naqi.

Mazhar Tirmazi shared his memories of the 1970s and 1980s and activism for Punjabi language and how he turned to writing poetry in Punjabi.

Mr Bhutta said starting a Punjabi magazine was like documenting the history of the region for future generations.

Mr Naqi said the mother languages had started reviving all over the world. He termed the language issue a political problem, saying the political elite did not want to teach children in their mother language as they thought Punjabi was a radical language.

Faiqa Mansab also spoke in the event moderated by Ammara Ahmed.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2019