Opinion | The Herd Mentality and the Decline of the Punjabi Language

In today’s fast-paced world, there is one thing that seems common among most people the herd mentality. Everyone blindly follows others without thinking for themselves. If we talk about the Punjabi language, sadly, it too has become a victim of this herd mentality. This mentality does not begin in society; it starts right from our homes.
I really don’t understand why people today feel embarrassed or inferior when they speak in their own Punjabi language. Because of this, Punjabi has become a language associated with shame. People continue running after international languages, forgetting that they could take their mother tongue along with them. In this modern era, learning or promoting Punjabi is not at all difficult it’s all about the love and respect we have for our mother tongue.When a common person steps out of their home, we often see that to appear more respectable or high-status, they rely on English even if their English is broken or limited. Yet, they feel proud and honoured while speaking that broken English. On the other hand, if they don’t know English, they switch to Hindi. It’s absolutely fine to learn and know different languages be it English, Punjabi, Hindi, Bengali, or Turkish. Learning other languages is very important today. But how fair is it to completely forget one’s own language and feel ashamed while speaking it? You can even see this on a person’s face the hesitation, the discomfort when they treat their mother tongue like something inferior. Nowadays, children are first taught English or some other foreign language at home, but teaching them their own mother tongue feels like a burden. Parents fear that if their children speak Punjabi, they will be considered “rural” or “backward.” But that’s not true at all.
Our mother tongue is an art, it is the only language through which a person can express every emotion, every feeling, every joy and every sorrow in a deep, heartfelt way. No one can express their emotions with the same depth in a foreign language as they can in their mother tongue. This clearly shows that by abandoning our own language, we not only deceive our culture but also our own emotions. The problem starts from home itself. When parents admit their children to school, they check whether English is taught, whether the school has all the necessary facilities but they rarely ask whether Punjabi or Gurmukhi is being taught there. In many schools today, Punjabi is offered only as an optional subject and in some, it has completely disappeared. Perhaps, outside Punjab, it might be acceptable to teach Punjabi optionally, but in places where Punjabis or Sikhs are in large numbers, not teaching Punjabi is no less than a crime.
This discrimination against Punjabi has gone to such an extent that even people who know Punjabi very well, and whose listeners also understand it perfectly still switch to other
languages in public places just to show off their false prestige. I repeat again speaking other languages is not a bad thing. But if we replace our own language with others in our daily lives, how will Punjabi progress?
Learning other languages is certainly important, but they should be used only when needed for example, if the person in front of you does not understand Punjabi. In that case, yes, you can use another language to communicate. But nowadays, the situation is reversed even when both people know Punjabi, they still prefer speaking another language, fearing that speaking Punjabi might make them seem less educated or low-status. This is not just the story of Punjabi it’s true for many mother tongues. Everywhere in the world, people seem weak when it comes to their native language. Such an attitude prevents the growth and preservation of our language. If we look around markets in Punjab, we’ll see that most signboards are written in other languages, while Punjabi — the state language and mother tongue missing. When Punjabi starts disappearing from our homes, how can we expect to find it outside? The discrimination against Punjabis begins within families which is why we fail to see it thriving in society.
Punjabi is such a sweet language that even harsh words sound like sugar when spoken in it. Organising large event campaigns for a few days cannot truly promote Punjabi. The real promotion begins with a single person, within one’s own home, every time we speak a word of Punjabi with love. Promoting Punjabi is not only the responsibility of teachers — it is something that must come from the heart, from within our homes and our surroundings. If we start small by speaking Punjabi politely and proudly with every child, elder, and friend at home I believe Punjabi will live on. If shop boards and public signs are written in Punjabi, that too will mark a new beginning for Punjab. Supporting our mother tongue means keeping our literature alive. By embracing Punjabi and Gurmukhi in our daily lives, we keep our culture, history, emotions, and the sacred words of our Gurus eternal.
Punjabi is already admired globally, whether it’s Punjabi songs, poetry, conversations, or folk music people love it. This clearly shows that learning and promoting Punjabi is not difficult at all. We must consider it our pride and honour to carry our mother tongue forward. Wherever we go, wherever we live, let us walk with our Punjabi language always and forever.
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