Punjabi pop scaling new heights

THIS refers to the article "Punjabi Pop hits the Jackpot!" (February 19, 2000) by Nonika Singh.

Today Punjabi pop music is scaling new heights of popularity. There are more than a dozen pop singers who are entertaining people with their melodious voices. Most of the folk singers like Hans Raj Hans, Sardul Sikandar, Surjit Binderakhya and even Gurdas Mann have switched from singing folk songs to pop numbers to remain popular with audiences.

Today Punjabi music has also taken Bollywood industry by storm.

Punjabi numbers play an important role in making a film a hit. Punjabi songs in films like Major Saab and Soldier have contributing to making the films super-duper hits.

SUNIL DOGRA
Chandigarh

Sindh and India

This refers to "Tap-root" (Feb 19) by Deepti. The writer has explained how the word Sindhu became enonymous by giving its name to Pakistan’s province Sindh. I wish to add how the word India came into existence.

The Britishers, rulers of undivided India, called the Sindh people Sindhia occasionally. With the passage of time, this word get corrupted to Sindia and then India.

RAJ KUMAR MINHAS
Jalandhar

Vaastushastra

The Nemai Das in the article "Surviving nature’s wrath" (February 19) has highlighted the fact that in the cyclone-ravaged areas of coastal Orissa, the only structures that stood their ground through the catastrophe were Hindu temples, which had been conceived according to the principles of Vaastushastra and Khagolshastra (astronomy). This means that planning and lay out of the constructions as per Vaastushastra and Khagolshastra is based on scientific principles.

Khushwant Singh in an article had called Vaastu rubbish. It is hoped that the learned writer and other intellectuals like him would revise their biased views on Vaastushastra.

O.P. SHARMA
Faridabad

Elizabeth Anderson

This refers to Illa Vij’s article "Elizabeth Anderson" (February 19). In 1860, even in the countries like England when medicine as a career for the women was unthinkable, a pretty young lady named Elizabeth Anderson exercised strong will to become a doctor.

Brilliant persons like Anderson teach us not to lose heart when we face trying situations. We must overcome difficulties to succeed in life. We should realise that encountering a difficulty is the first step towards success.

RAJDEEP SINGH
Phagwara

Firaq Gorakhpuri

This refers to Khushwant Singh’s write-up "Hindu poet of Urdu" (January 29). Raghupati Sahai Firaq Gorakhpuri was not only a poet par excellence, but also a vigorous literary critic and a great litterateur with a keen sense of humour and a wonderful command over English, Urdu, Persian, Hindi and Sanskrit. His father, Munshi Gorakh Prasad "Ibrat", was also a poet.

Firaq was a prolific poet. In 1964, he declared that he had written about 20,000 couplets of ghazals. Instead of adopting an ornate and showy style on writing poetry, he couched his verses in a clear and simple language, which immediately found a response in the heart. He was proud of the imagery he used, and rightly remarked:

Aihl-e-dunya Firaq ko sun lo/Koee aisa sukhan-tiraaz nahin (O’ the people of the world! Hear the verses of Firaq. There is no other such eloquent poet).

Firaq’s poems, ghazals and rubaaiyaat (quatrains) are characterised by dignified poetic grace and unique ideas. He was a poet of love and beauty. Sorrows of life also found frequent mention in his verses.

Upon being awarded the Jnanpith award, he said with pride: Aaney vaalee naslein tum per rashk karein gee ham-asro/Jab un ko ye khayaal aaey ga tum ney Firaq ko dekha tha. (The coming generations will envy you, my contemporaries, when they think that you had seen Firaq).

BHAGWAN SINGH
Qadian