Book launch: Writers urged to translate great Punjabi literature

Punjabi authors should come forward and work on translations of great Punjabi literary work, says Ashfaq Saleem Mirza.

ISLAMABAD:

Punjabi authors should come forward and work on translations of great Punjabi literary work, said writer and intellectual Ashfaq Saleem Mirza on Wednesday.  

He was speaking at the launching ceremony of Muhammad Saleem Pasha’s travelogue “Niagara de des vich” (In the land of the Niagara Falls) at the Islamabad Culture Forum. In it, Pasha describes his experiences in Canada and compares the cultural and societal differences of two societies.

Mirza noted that Punjabi has suffered from disuse principally because Punjabi-speaking people have not encouraged their children to use the language, preferring Urdu instead.

Canadian Embassy Head of Communications Andrew NG said Punjabi-speaking foreign settlers in Canada had grown to a population of 300,000.

“It is the tenth most spoken language in the country,” he stated.

Poet and professor Jalil Ali praised Pasha’s work, saying that it is well-written and prompts readers to continue reading. Scholar Ali Muhammad Farshi added that Pasha has made significant progress in different literary spheres including poetry, journalism and painting.

For his part, Pasha thanked the audience for the positive reception of
his book.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 12^th, 2012.