Last Updated on December 8, 2020 at 7:45 pm
Prominent Punjabi singer Gurdas Maan was not permitted to speak on the stage at farmers’ dharna from the Singhu border. The reason why he was not allowed to speak is that he was accused of disrespecting the Punjabi language in a past episode.
On September 13 last year on the venue of “Hindi Diwas”, Urdu poet Sardar Panchi and Hindi writer Hukam Chand Rajpal had allegedly made some objectionable comments against the Punjabi language at Language Department of Punjabi University, Patiala.
On September 20, 2019, Gurdas Maan was asked to react on the matter during a radio show when he was on a Canada tour. Maan responded that these are controversies created by useless people. All these people do is criticism on social media. But those people who really want to promote their mother tongue and culture continue to work with dedication.
He said that people are debating over Hindi. He believes that there should be Hindustani language which should include words from other languages like Urdu and Punjabi too. He said that there is nothing wrong with Hindi. Many people watch Hindi movies and listen to Hindi songs. If one can listen to Hindi, then they can also read it. He believes that one should learn every language without rejecting whatever they have.
He believes that every nation must have one language so that every person of that nation can communicate like in India, people of north and south. And if every person of the nation can’t even communicate with each other then what is the point of being ‘Hindustani’. Nations like France and Germany have their own language. So, if our nation starts speaking a single language then what is the harm? He said that if we are stressing so much on our mother tongue (Punjabi) then we should also focus on (Massi) the mother’s sister (Hindi).
Many people in Punjab protested against his statement. However, he didn’t change or softened his stand in a press conference held a day after the radio talk show. In one of his show in November 2019, he advised his listeners to teach Hindi to their children. He said that sticking only to Punjabi would limit you where you are. It was also alleged by his critics that his stance on ‘one nation, one language’ was influenced by his wish to join BJP.
