Central University of Punjab organized two-day Webinar Series on the Relationship of Punjabi with other Languages
Bathinda: The Department of Punjabi, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda (C.U.P.) under the patronage of Vice Chancellor Prof. Raghavendra P. Tiwari organized a two-day webinar series on the theme ‘Relationship of Punjabi Language with other Languages’ on 15th & 16th January 2021. Under this Webinar Series, two lecture sessions were conducted on the sub-themes i.e. ‘Punjabi & Sanskrit’ and ‘Punjabi & Urdu’. The invited expert speakers of this Webinar were Prof. Renu Bala, Former Professor, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar and Prof. Nashir Naqvi, Former Professor, Punjabi University, Patiala.
The programme commenced with the Welcome Address by Prof. R.K. Wusirika, Dean Incharge Academics. After this, Prof. Zameerpal Kaur, Dean, School of Languages, Literature & Culture and HoD, Punjabi Dept. mentioned that various research studies have validated that every language is linked with some other language and even there is a linkage between cultures & literature of different languages. She highlighted that the objective of this Webinar Series is to make our youngsters aware of the linkage of Punjabi Language to other related languages i.e. Sanskrit & Urdu.
In the first session, Prof. Renu Bala delivered a lecture tracing the development from Vedic to contemporary Punjabi Language & Literature. She mentioned that Vedic ‘Sanskrit’ Language is the base of many other languages including Punjabi. She added, that Vedic Sanskrit & Punjabi Language have strong relations with each other since ancient times, when Punjab was considered to be the home of Sanskrit language and people from across the world came to learn Sanskrit at Takshshila University. She asserted that the writers of ancient Sanskrit Literature including Rig Ved, Chand Shastra, Ashtadhyayi etc. have their relationship with the holy land of Punjab & the references of famous rivers and places of ancient Punjab are available in Sanskrit literature. She added that Gurmat literature contains many phrases of Sanskrit Language. She emphasized that because of this strong linkage both Punjabi & Sanskrit Languages have similarities in verbal pronunciation & grammatical rules.
In the second session, Prof. Nashir Naqvi gave a very interesting talk on ‘Punjabi & Urdu – Linguistic and Literary Exchange’. Prof. Naqvi said that it is sad that languages have been divided on the basis of religion. He said that languages never divide people, rather languages act as bridges between different communities. While elaborating on the relationship of Punjabi and Urdu Lnguage, he said that Punjabi has internalized a large number of Urdu words, thereby enhancing its repertoire. He also advised that students that while using language, we should take care of proper pronunciation, intonation, stress etc. After the lecture, participants enthusiastically shared their views with the speaker and participated in the discussion.
At the end, organisers expressed their gratitude towards the keynote speakers for delivering a scholarly lecture and thanked the C.U.P faculty & students for their active participation.