Punjabi novels have been reasonably successfully in dealing with all themes that are familiar to an average Punjabi, be they Sikh, Hindu or Muslim. However, modern media, most notably film and music, actively competes with this little respected language. In such a scenario how can Punjabi language overcome the influence of the modern media.
Surely the way forward has to be more introspective?
In light of this, perhaps, the popular novels of writers such as Jaggi Kussa and Nanak Singh have limited scope because they are mistakenly taking on what cinema can do better? Also from a Diaspora point of view, unless you are an NRI, western born Punjabis cannot relate to themes that are stuck in the romantic Punjab of the writer’s imagination. This and the current craze among Punjabis to become western means that Urdu, Hindi, and English literature are doing better. And why should they not? English literature has explored all possible themes in the last two hundred years; it has also changed with time. It too had to fight the cinema, although globalisation is clearly on its side, by encouraging its writers to write about their experiences.
Such experiences can often be alien to a majority of readers, but it has the power to influence the few who in turn improve the language. These enhancements cannot be achieved merely by aiming to satisfy the consumer. This is a lesson that I have learned the hard way when I published my Punjabi novel Neela Noor. Yes, a few who understood what my purpose was in writing that novel appreciated it. The majority, however, did not.
The act of writing a book supposes readers. Consciously or unconsciously the writer will consider publication of his work, so the work must be in a form favourable to the reader. A novel is an artificial art form that gives the public what they want. Books excite our emotions and reflect a society that we can relate to; a society that we will reject or accept. However, there have always been novels that broke convention. European literature in the 19th century, for example, generously captured the widest range of topics. In Punjab, according to Dr. Gurdial Singh, most readers have no imagination, so the focus on dukh sukh appeals to the majority. However every author’s attitude is inevitably bound up in his writing, in the events he selects to write about, the words he uses, the emphases he places, and in the justice he does to his characters.
The position of the artist changes, depending upon the cultural needs of his society; he is seen as a tradesman, an entertainer, someone to be patronized as an ornament to civilisation. Once his panoramic novels have been written what is he to do next? By the 20th century the exploration of the self was under way. Content was sacrificed to form. The more abstract the writer, the art, the less it reflected public experiences, the more the ego. This coincided with industrialisation, as it is now doing in the 21st century Punjab. The writer who understands himself is the one really with the message for others.
In this context my contemporaries in the West want to be more Punjabi and are looking for something, clinging on to religion, and a culture manifested by Bollywood and Bhangra. But this is not enough. That is why Sahit is needed. However they can only receive this in English literature. But, why? Because the Punjabi language writer’s experiences are of the immigrant, and not the Western born. And his market back in Punjab is leaving him. So the only solution is to reflect their broken view of the language, which is the broken view of the author - the author of this article. I had purposefully written in imperfect Punjabi to reflect the Western born generation; in my imperfect Punjabi, because the grammar has taken on English rules. And,why not? Did this not happen to Spanish in Latin America, and French in Canada.
Thus, if like the European novel, the Punjabi one is to survive, the writers need to think differently, and not care for stories but give something else that modern Punjabi cinema or music does not provide. Otherwise it is the end of Punjabi Sahit. Sufism was fine, as was the partition (1947) and immigrant writing. It is all irrelevant now. There are 3000 Punjabi writers, and it should mean 3000 unique experiences. That limits audiences, but who cares? They will not have the mass market, but each of these 3000 writers will have several people reading their work, and who will relate to their experiences.
Let us not forget that a true writer writes for oneself and not others. This is the lesson I have learned.
