Punjabi is not his mother tongue but he is its true son. He requests bus drivers not to play dirty songs, especially when passengers are on board. He goes into marriage places and requests the bride and groom not to allow the playing of vulgar music at the wedding. He is man on a mission.
During this bicycle expedition to promote Punjabi, Panditrao Dharennavar, Kannada-origin assistant professor at Post Graduate Government College, Chandigarh, on Thuraday submitted a memorandum to deputy commissioner Arshdeep Singh Thind. In it, he sought the state government's direction for check on vulgarity in the lyrics of popular Punjabi songs. He them moved on to Zira.
Panditrao, who is from Karnataka, has written eight books in Punjabi and translated Japji Sahib and Sukhmani Sahib into Kannada. He has also translated holy book Zafarnama (the letter by the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, to Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1705). "Aurangzeb was the greatest of the Mughals and ruled over the largest of any empire in Indian history," said the teacher. "His empire extended from Kabul in Afghanistan to areas bordering Madurai in South Indian state Tamil Nadu, Translating Zafarnama was tough because it is in Persian verse."
Panditrao is out on a mission to create awareness about the holy origin of Punjabi. "I do believe that by highlighting the holy origin of Punjabi, I can create a wave against vulgarity in popular Punjabi speech and songs."
Source : HT