LAHORE: A call has been made to declare Punjabi official language of Punjab and the medium of instruction at primary schools.

Speaking at a session at the Lahore Literary Festival, they urged the people to revive their rich heritage of Punjabi literature, music, dance, sports, and festivals.

The session, titled “Tradition of Punjab”, was moderated by Punjabi poet Afzal Saahir, who talked about resistance history of Punjab in hisotry. He said Punjab had 5,000 years of history and it fought against Alexander, Mughals and the British with bravery.

He also highlighted the contributions of the Punjabi language poets, such as Bulleh Shah, Baba Fareed, Shah Hussain and others, who enriched the Punjabi literature.

Poet Sarwat Mohiuddin spoke about folk songs of the region. She said the Punjabi folk songs tradition is thousands of years old and women became the voice of this tradition.

She said the Punjabi songs also narrated the history of their times and continued to evolve till this day. “Our women cultivated the crops and also made songs on it and all the songs are deeply rooted in the land.”

Journalist Sohail Warraich talked about different sports events of Punjab, saying local sports were not being promoted in the province.

“In the past Pehalwan (wrestlers) and Kabadi players were our heroes, but now cricket is more popular.”

He said the state treated Punjabi culture in a discriminating way and most of the Punjabi sports had almost vanished from the region.

Writer Neelum Ahmad Bashir discussed Punjabi language theatre, film and TV plays, saying Punjabi films and theatre had ended. She said in the past, watching films with family was a recreation in the region and Punjabi songs were popular. “We are also witnessing that Bollywood movies are including a Punjabi language song to make the film successful,” she said. Punjab Walled Cities Authority DG Kamran Lashari also spoke.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2024