Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region (north western India and eastern Pakistan).
In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken native tongue. Punjabi
can be subdivided into two varieties, Eastern Punjabi in both India and
Pakistan, and Western Punjabi
solely in Pakistan. There are some 104 million (2008) native speakers
of the Punjabi language; an estimated 76 million in Pakistan (2008) and
28 million in India (2001), and millions in the UK, Canada and Persian Gulf countries, making it the 10th most widely spoken language in the world. Native speakers of the Punjabi language and their respective diaspora are referred to as ethnic Punjabis.
The Punjabi language has different dialects, spoken in the different sub-regions of greater Punjab. The Majhi dialect is Punjabi's prestige dialect and shared by both countries. This dialect is considered as textbook Punjabi and is spoken in the historical region of Majha, centralizing in Lahore and Amritsar.
Along with the Hindko and Western Pahari languages, Punjabi is unusual among modern Indo-European languages because it is a tonal language.
Punjab women lead the way in arming themselves
Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service
Amrik Kaur of Tarn Taran has three weapons in her name.
Tribune photo
Chandigarh, September 1
Septuagenarian Amrik Kaur of Amarkot, a recipient of the Shaurya
Chakra, a top civilian gallantry award, wants arms licences for both
her daughters-in-law to carry forward the family tradition of keeping
its women armed.
Amrik Kaur —
once known as the “lioness of the border areas” — used to engage
militants in night-long encounters during the peak of militancy in
Punjab. Though she lost her husband Shahbeg Singh and domestic help
Mukhtyar Singh in one of such encounters, she refused to give up her
fight against anti-national and anti-social elements. In recognition of
her brave fight against terrorism, she was awarded the Shaurya Chakra in
1995.
“I am passing through
the most difficult and painful phase of my life right now. Besides
threats from those whom I fought during militancy, I lost both my sons
in recent years. But this has not diminished my resolve to continue my
fight. The threats never ceased; so I am always prepared to defend my
family and myself,” she says to reiterate her claim for issuance of arms
licences to both her daughters-in-law. Besides three personal weapons
in her name, Amrik Kaur has been provided two security guards by the
Punjab
Police. Amrik Kaur has been a torch-bearer of those Punjabi
women who refuse to be overawed by droves of gun-wielding militants,
dacoits, robbers or spoiled brats of big-wigs.
Investigations reveal
that the number of women seeking arms licences has seen a phenomenal
rise. There are more women in rural, remote and border areas who not
only have arms licences, but also got firearms endorsed on them —
generally small personal weapons such as pistols and revolvers — to put
the state ahead of others.
Among
those recently granted arms licences is the widow of a young Jalandhar
businessman and wives of at least five police officers in Ludhiana.
Those connected with political families and major business families are
also high on the list of arms licencees.
While
in urban areas the trend of possessing arms is restricted to young
educated entrepreneurs, professionals such as doctors, engineers and
businesswomen, especially jewellers and sportswomen, the group in rural
areas includes land owners and others from families where keeping
firearms is a tradition.
Many
women have more than one weapon to their name. In Ludhiana, for
instance, the wife of a businessman has three weapons. There are at
least three women in Jalandhar city who have two weapons each. Besides a
.32 bore revolver or pistol, the weapon of choice is the 12 bore double
barrel gun.
Information
obtained under the Right to Information Act reveals that there are
31,300 women in Punjab with arms licences and almost all of them have
procured weapons. Cases of women using a firearm in self-defence or
retaliation are hardly reported.
Recalls
Lok Nath Angara, Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Jalandhar Range,
“A woman named Nindro had opened fire in defence of a police party after
militants fired at me. Other than these two cases, I do not remember
any other incident in which women used their weapons.”
The
most recent case of women opening fire in public was reported from
Ludhiana’s posh Sarabha Nagar locality when a group of young women,
after a spat with young men, returned in a SUV and fired in the air to
send a message that they would not be booed.
“Licenced
weapons are rarely used in crimes. In fact, it is an asset in case the
licence is given to a rightful person. It is enshrined in police rules
and those with licenced weapons are at times called upon to assist the
state in maintenance of law and order, besides being given the task of
securing vital security installations and performing ‘theekri pehra’
during emergencies,” adds Lok Nath Angra.
“Keeping
a weapon for self defence at home is more in consonance with the
Punjabi feudal tradition. Interestingly, 90% of these weapons are seldom
put to use. Their use is limited to firing in the air on joyous
occasions,” says MF Farooqui, DIG, Ludhiana Range.
“I
recently granted an arms licence to a young widow to facilitate the
transfer of her deceased husband’s double barrel gun to her,” says
Surjit Singh Grewal, Senior Superintendent of Police, Moga.
Ishwar
Singh, Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, says nothing unusual has come
to his notice while granting arms licences to women.
“Of
the 1,601 new licences granted in Ludhiana since introduction of the
commissionerate system, only 29 have gone to women,” he says, holding
that only a small percentage of self-employed or entrepreneur women are
among the successful applicants. Otherwise, these licences have
generally been passed down as family heirlooms.
His
views are corroborated by Navjot Mahal, ADCP of Jalandhar, who says
only 16 women have been issued fresh arms licences since introduction of
the Commissionerate System of policing in the city.
Yurinder Singh Hyer, SSP, Jalandhar (Rural), says requests for arms licences from women are rare.
The
ban imposed by the Union Government on import of small and personal
weapons and the long wait for getting revolvers and pistols manufactured
by ordnance factories in the country have been no deterrent for those
getting new licences.
Women
from affluent families still prefer imported weapons, says an arms
dealer of Ludhiana, holding that “though no new weapon has been allowed
to be imported since 1984, some earlier imported weapons were now being
disposed
off.
