Academics robs literature of popular touch

Chandigarh: Punjabi writer Amarjit Chandan is a product of the 1960s, a time when universities and colleges were considered a vibrant place for creativity. He often wonders if what he studied at the college really made any impact on his literary creativity. He finds the answer in the negative.
“In teaching, the syllabus comes first, followed by learning. Poor literature breeds poor syllabus. It is a vicious cycle. The quality of teaching in any language depends on the quality of syllabus. That further reflects the quality of its source, the literature written in the particular language.”
Though Punjabi literature has a glorious history of almost 1,000 years, starting with Sheikh Farid (1173-1265), the history of formal Punjabi teaching is a relatively recent phenomenon. According to the People’s Survey of Indian Languages, it was towards the end of the 19th century that a movement started for the development of Punjabi and for its use in education and administration.
It was only after Independence that Punjabi got due recognition and was used in education, mass media and administration. However, when it comes to formal Punjabi teaching, pioneer teachers Prof Sant Singh Sekhon and Prof Pritam Singh have mentioned in their memoirs that in the 1930s, the concept of diploma in Punjabi (Budhimani, Gyani, etc) was introduced in the University of the Punjab, Lahore, and MA in Punjabi was introduced five years after Partition.