Students denounce Punjabi University for burying key Punjabi dictionary copies on campus

PATIALA: Students of Punjabi University Thursday held a protest against burying of copies of the reprinted Mahan Kosh, a Punjabi encyclopedic dictionary authored by Bhai Kahn Singh Nabh, by the varsity officials.

Protesters claimed that pits were dug on the university campus, and bundles of 'Mahan Kosh' copies were dumped when student body members intervened. Students, led by Yadvinder Singh Yadu and Kuldeep Singh Jhinjar, accused the university administration of showing "disrespect" to Punjabi language and heritage. They said destroying the books in this manner amounted to "sacrilege" and agitated throughout the day.

The university had republished 'Mahan Kosh' over the years, but scholars flagged numerous mistakes in the latest edition. Sikh intellectuals, language experts, and cultural organisations have repeatedly demanded that the faulty copies be recalled and destroyed.

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On August 6, a delegation including Dr Khushhal Singh (Kendri Singh Sabha), Rajinder Singh (Khalsa Panchayat), Dr Pyara Lal Garg (former Registrar, BFUHS), Paramjit Singh (Sikh Missionary College), and scholar Amarjit Singh Dhawan met Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan over the matter.

The delegation warned that if the university did not act, they would take the matter to the public. In the meeting, Punjabi University Vice Chancellor Dr Jagdeep Singh assured Sandhwan that the flawed reprint would be recalled and destroyed within 15 days.

It was in consequence to that assurance that varsity officials began burying the books. Mahan Kosh, first compiled by Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha in 1930, is considered the first encyclopedia of Punjabi language, covering nearly 80,000 words with meanings and explanations.