LANGUAGE KALEIDOSCOPE: 'O! East is East: and West is West, and…' the 'twain did meet & will continue to meet, at great cost; in Punjab: the Land of the Five rivers: JEHLUM, CHENAB, RAVI, BEAS, SUTLUJ; which continue to flow since ancient times, from the roof of the world: the Himalayas, along the plateaus, foothills, plains, deltas; into the Arabian Sea: for all successive River INDUS VALLEY civilizations: A very sacred land: every inch an imprint of almost all the major ancient religions: of the East: and of the West: whose priests and soldiers: here, one after another: all had their: wave and way, wars and warriors, sword and sway: : forging each other, till the seekers from amongst themselves, led by Guru Nanak, revolted proclaiming -'Na Mai Hindu! Na Mai Musulmaan'- Neither am I a Hindu! Nor am I a Muslim! - ushering in the latest revolutionary religion :Sikhism, of -'Ek Onkar Sat Naam'- There is One God: The True Name - : followed by -'the Sikhs'- the seekers - : followers of this new faith. These pot pourri *excerpts below, hence, glimpse facets: before: during: after: - 'The Gurus'- of : the Punjab & their Punjabiat: -

"Within the confines of the '5 Aab': the Punjab, the
Gurumukhi Script
was formalized
for recording
and preserving
the
message of the Gurus' Banies
which was being revealed
from time to time
to the Gurus.
This was done to
enable
even the illiterate common man
amongst their followers
to be able to read
and understand the
Message of the
Gurus Banies
in the language;
spoken commonly by them
without
having to follow the prevalent custom
of being depended upon
the highly educated
Pundit / Maulvi
scholars
to read
and interpret
the intricate messages
of the Vedas or
the Koran;
as was prevalent during this period of the Gurus times"

[ * Expert from : A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North - West Frontier Provinces: compiled by H.A. ROSE. Based on the Census Report for the Punjab, 1883: By Sir DENZIL IBBETSON, K.C.S.I., and the Census Report for the Punjab, 1892, and the Hon. Mr E.D.MacLAGAN, C.S.I., Pub : Director, Language Department, Punjab. ]

Home