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Is Punjabi language on its way to extinction? This question appears to be generating a lot of angst on the small screen. Doordarshan Jalandhar’s morning show, Sajjri Saver, dealt with this issue by initiating a phone-in discussion between viewers and an invited guest. There was a lot of emphasis on the role of parents in promoting the language. Many felt that educated middle-class Punjabi families prefer to converse even with each other in Hindi or English rather than Punjabi, which is a stumbling block in the language’s progress as it breeds estrangement among children with their own mother tongue. Some went to the extent of expressing fears about the survival of Punjabi culture in its pristine form. Zee Punjabi’s Khabarsaar, too, took up the issue in two editions. In the first edition the invitees discussed the challenges that Punjabi language faces from western culture, and evaluated the threat to its existence. In the second edition the likes of Nahar Singh, Kesar Singh Barwali and Shamsher Sandhu examined the changing character of Punjabi music and its relationship with the emerging socio-economic trends like materialism and globalisation. Both the editions were rather alarmist vis-a`-vis Punjabi language and culture’s future, ignoring the fact that assimilation and adaptation make a culture more vigorous. For example, Europe’s pagan traditions like Santa Claus and Viking Festival (Up-Helly-Aa) have meshed well with Christianity to fashion a distinct European identity. The assimilation of various influences from other languages and cultures may not be to the Punjabi purists’ liking. However, even if Punjabi language and culture evolve into something quite different from their existing pastoral-theological moorings, let us not forget that Punjabis are dynamic by nature. So how can their culture and language remain static? Zee Punjabi & ETC Punjabi appear to be all set to recapture Punjabi attention, going by their recently aired shows. Although Zee Punjabi’s Sohni saver, Excuse me please and Pindan vichon pind have been quite popular among the audiences, it is ETC Punjabi’s Tadka Punjab da, Main ki karaan and Laughter house that have been making inroads into the competition’s TRP citadel. Re-launched in June, 2009, the 14-episode-long new series of Tadka`85 was a gastronomic journey to various towns in Punjab that boast of distinct traditional cuisines. The anchor, along with regular customers of various eateries, slurped up Patialay di lassi, gobbled up Amritsari machchi (fish) and enjoyed a repast at a roadside dhaba. And yes, there were glimpses of the five-star lifestyle, too, not to mention our variegated cultural sounds and symbols. Women-related issues have become the most engaging discussion points on various talk shows. ETC Punjabi’s Main ki karaan is one such, which invites experts to answer queries from female viewers. The topics range from legal rights, beauty culture, gynaecology and nutrition to fitness and female foeticide. It is not merely a phone-in show but women can send in their queries through sms, emails etc, too. The show appears to have struck a chord among targeted viewers. The reasons are not far to seek. The experts are authentic and inspire confidence among women who hesitate to approach medical/psychological/legal professionals owing to confidentiality and reliability related issues. There is a symbiotic relationship between comedy and Punjabi TV. The Zee-ETC Punjabi twins, over the decades, have given us such quality comedians as Gurpreet Ghuggi, Bhagwant Mann, Ranbir Rana and Sudesh Lehri. Now it is the turn of a new crop of comics. Laughter house features five humorists — Mintoo, Chottu, Dhanveer, Suri and Attri. With the passage of time, these new kids on the Punjabi entertainment block may well graduate to the national television.
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