Enriching Punjabi literature
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By P.D. Shastri

SATYA PAL GUPTA has worked to the gap between Hindi and Punjabi literature. The former chairman of the Haryana Sahitya Akademi, he has carried out extensive research on the Hindi literature of Punjabi, written in Gurmukhi script.

He gained access to the hidden treasures lying in the archives of Moti Bagh Palace at Patiala and other palaces in the erstwhile PEPSU. He salvaged the name of some 500 writers of repute and a total of 5,000 works. To this category belong the 52 poets of Guru Gobind Singh’s court at Paunta Sahib. Due to their proximity to the Guru, these geniuses exercised a lot of influence on the thinking of the people and in their own way made history. Their language was Braj bhasha-which is similar to Hindi although the script is Gurmukhi. To this genre belongs Bhai Santokh Singh’s Suraj Parkash, and some other works. The titles of these works include Balmiki Ramayan, Ram Charitmanas, Mahabharata, Bhagavadgita, Upanishads, the Puranas, Yog Vasishtha, Gulistan, Bostan, Hanuman Natak, Mudra Rakshas and several other topics.

Among S.P. Gupta’s notable works are Gurmukhi Lipi main Hindi Sahitya and Punjab ka Hindi Sahitya.

That this genre of Gurmukhi literature is very voluminous goes without saying. The manuscripts of the works of the 52 poets at the durbar of Guru Gobind Singh weighed 9 maunds — though a large part of it was lost during the rule of the Mughals, still much of this priceless treasure has still to see the light of the day. Not only poets, but also persons belonging to the royal class tried their hands at writing Punjabi poetry. Among such poets were Maharaja Rajinder Singh and Maharaja Narindra Singh of the house of Patiala; also Maharaja Vikram Singh and Kanwar Fateh Singh of Kapurthala and other rulers. However, most of this work is lost or is gathering dust in archives.

In the course of his work, both as an author and as a researcher and critic, S.P. Gupta received many accolades and awards. The All India Hindi Sahitya Sammelan conferred on him an honorary degree of Sahitya Maho-Mahopadhyaya; the Haryana Government conferred on him the award for the best Hindu literature in 1977, for his outstanding service in the field of literature. He was honoured as an eminent writer by Haryana Hindi Sahitya Sammelan in 1971. The Writer-Journalist Forum of Haryana also honoured him in 1968.

He retired as Joint Director, Public Relations. He served as a link between two warring languages and two competing states. Most of his research work relates to Punjab and Haryana. He has also authored Punjab mein Hindi ki Pragati, PEPSU mein Hindi ki Pragati. He has published Haryana - Ateet and Vartman, Haryana Mein Rachich Hindi Sahitya, Nyaya Ka Path, Pap Ka Prayaahchit (one act plays) Natik Shikasha Kyon, Chintan Aur - Vichar. He has edited Jagriti, the Punjab Government public relations paper on Gurmukhi Lipi mein Hindi Sahitya, Sanchita, a book on articles published by Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi, a reference book on Haryana published by the Public Relations Department of Haryana and Haryana’s Contribution to Hindi literature published by Haryana Sahitya Akademi.

Gupta says that Hindi literature has been enriched by many people who wrote in Gurmukhi. According to Gupta, if all these manuscripts are transcribed into Devnagri script the literature of Punjab will receive as much respect as is given to the works of Mahakavi Surdas and Tulsidas. He claims that these works are of a very high standard. He also emphasises that these works are secular in nature and have strong under currents of communal harmony and religious and cultural unity.