World’s largest Punjabi dictionary to be launched by PILAC

LAHORE: The world’s largest Punjabi dictionary compiled by the Punjab Institute of Language, Arts & Culture (PILAC) is all set to hit the markets after its formal launch by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar in a few days.

Compiled in a period of over two years, the seven-volume dictionary can be considered the mother of all Punjabi dictionaries in the world due to its content and variety of words in it.

“The compilation of the dictionary was a daunting task for me as you cannot see such a rigorous research work in the Punjabi dictionaries in the whole subcontinent,” PILAC Director General (DG) Dr Sughra Sadaf said while talking to the media. She said that the dictionary would have all the diversification of words used by Punjabi poets both classical and modern, including Bulleh Shah, Baba Farid, Waris Shah, Khawaja Ghulam Farid, Shah Hussain, Baba Guru Nanak and Sultan Bahu. “It is a Punjabi to Punjabi dictionary but we are also planning to compile another one that would be from Punjabi to English for our younger generation that wants to read our Punjabi legends,” she said. She added “A team of 10 well-known researchers was hired by PILAC for the uphill task and now our future generations would be grateful to PILAC for achieving such a milestone in two years.”

“We have written to the CM for its formal launch and a huge inauguration ceremony would be held very soon in which people from different walks of life, including academicians, intellectuals, poets and artists, would participate,” Dr Sughra Sadaf said, who holds a PhD in philosophy and has 12 books on poetry to her credit in both Urdu and Punjabi languages.

Talking about the initiatives she took at PILAC during the last two years, she said that the Pride of Punjab Award was a great achievement. It is an award that is given to distinguished personalities in 10 different fields, including prose, poetry, visual arts, culture, film, music and drama, with a cash prize of Rs 0.3 million. She said over 50 books of Punjabi were translated into other languages in the last two years those also included the translations of Punjabi Sufi poets in English to facilitate the younger generation which was not much familiar with the old Punjabi language.

“A special Lok Studio has been established in PILAC to record and preserve the dying genres of our folk music of Punjab that is undoubtedly our rich culture,” she said. She was of the opinion that a language laboratory had also been established in PILAC where people get an opportunity to learn different languages, including Chinese, at a nominal fee. According to the DG, the PILAC organised conferences and a Melas (festivals) on the birth and death anniversaries of Sufi poets to pay them rich tributes. A culture Mela was organised recently in which over 150 Punjabi singers participated.

“There’s a dire need to normalise the relationship between India and Pakistan as we have very commonalities especially in both parts of Punjab, Pakistani and Indian Punjab. The opening of Kartapur corridor is a good gesture by Pakistan and India should also reciprocate the peace venture accordingly,” she concluded.