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<h1 class="gmail-heading1"><span>Panjab University senate rejects MHRD directive on use of 'Rajbhasha' in offices</span></h1><span><a target="_blank" class="gmail-auth_detail" rel="author" href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toireporter/author-Vishakha-Chaman-479250376.cms">Vishakha Chaman</a></span><span class="gmail-time_cptn"> | <span><span>TNN</span></span> | <span>Nov 4, 2018, 10:05 IST</span></span><div class="gmail-leftsocial gmail-sticky"><div class="gmail-toiwidgets_social"><span class="gmail-fb gmail-show_sprite gmail-toishare"></span><span class="gmail-twitter gmail-show_sprite gmail-toishare"></span><span class="gmail-gplus gmail-show_sprite gmail-toishare"></span><span class="gmail-linkedin gmail-show_sprite gmail-toishare"></span><span class="gmail-pinterest gmail-show_sprite gmail-toishare"></span><span class="gmail-comment-slider gmail-show_sprite gmail-toishare" style="background-color:rgb(202,202,202)"></span></div></div><div class="gmail-topsocial gmail-actions"><div class="gmail-toiwidgets_social"><span class="email gmail-show_sprite gmail-toishare"></span><span class="gmail-print gmail-show_sprite gmail-toishare"></span><span class="gmail-fontd gmail-show_sprite gmail-toishare"></span><span class="gmail-fonti gmail-show_sprite gmail-toishare"></span></div></div><img src="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/thumb/msid-66495540,imgsize-528534,width-400,resizemode-4/66495540.jpg" alt="Picture for representational purpose only" title="Picture for representational purpose only"><span class="gmail-img_cptn">Picture for representational purpose only</span><div class="gmail-article_content gmail-clearfix"><span><div class="gmail-section1"><div class="gmail-Normal">CHANDIGARH: <a class="gmail-key_underline" href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Panjab-University">Panjab University</a> senate on Monday rejected the directive of Union ministry of human resource development (MHRD) on the use of 'Rajbhasha' (<a class="gmail-key_underline" href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Hindi">Hindi</a>)
in offices and various societies. While former Union railway minister
and former Chandigarh MP Pawan Bansal said that Punjabi should be given
priority, Chandigarh BJP chief Sanjay Tandon said that nothing can
undermine the importance of Punjabi in Panjab University.
<br>
<br>As soon as the matter came up for discussion, Bansal said, "Punjabi
is our mother tongue and it is my opinion that priority should be given
to the language." He added that Rajbhasha is important but Punjabi
should come first and its importance should be enhanced in PU.
<br>
<br>The university had formed a five-member committee and was
considering setting up a directorate of Hindi on the campus. However,
the senate has now decided that no such directorate should be set up.
<br>
<br>Senator
Rabinder Nath Sharma argued that around 200 colleges affiliated to PU
are in Punjab and keeping that in mind, the honour of Punjabi should be
maintained. Another senator Prabhjit said it was practically not
possible to implement the use of Hindi at the university offices and
departments.
<br>
<br>Elaborating that both the languages
have their own importance, Tandon said while one language is the right
hand, the other is the left one. "This issue of language was a sensitive
issue and the sensitivity of the matter should be understood by all. We
all communicate in Punjabi at our homes and it is our mother tongue.
The importance of Punjabi will remain as it is and nothing can undermine
its importance," he added.
<br>
<br>Senator DPS Randhawa said issue should be taken ahead to represent that no language should die. "<a class="gmail-key_underline" href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Sanskrit">Sanskrit</a>,
the mother of all languages, is already dead," he said, adding that
emphasis should be laid on mother tongue so that the language does not
cease to exist. However, senator Gurmeet Singh, who is also the
chairperson of the Hindi department, clarified that the MHRD directive
was received during the term of former VC Prof Arun Kumar Grover and not
the current vice-chancellor Prof Raj Kumar.
<br>
<br>Stating the technicalities about the
use of the term 'Rajbhasha' for Hindi by MHRD, senator Chaman Lal, who
has been a Hindi officer and repeatedly addressed vice-cahncellor Prof
Raj Kumar as 'manyavar' during the meeting said, "Rajbhasha, rashtriya
bhasha and matribhasha are three different things. Panjab University
should have an inclusive language policy but prime importance should be
given to Punjabi."
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<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div></div>