PUSTAK PREMI: PREM SINGH BAJAJ: BOOK RELEASED BY PANJABI SAHITYA AKADEMI ON THE BIRTHDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2021 OF PREM SINGH BAJAJ
http://www.panjabdigilib.org/
13 February 1931-24 December 2019
“My love for books since childhood and passion for work encouraged me to be here. I never wanted to sit idle. So, after retirement, I approached then PSA president SS Johl who was kind enough to take me on board,” said Prem Singh Bajaj.
Prem Singh Bajaj, 86, repairing an old book at Punjabi Sahit Akademi’s library in Ludhiana on Monday.(Jagtinder Singh Grewal / Hindustan Times) https://www.hindustantimes.
Prem Singh Bajaj, 86, repairing an old book at Punjabi Sahit Akademi’s library in Ludhiana on Monday.(Jagtinder Singh Grewal / Hindustan Times)
Ludhiana: 86-year-old is pillar of strength for Punjabi Sahit Akademi library
“My love for books since childhood and passion for work encouraged me to be here. I never wanted to sit idle. So, after retirement, I approached then PSA president SS Johl who was kind enough to take me on board,” said Prem Singh Bajaj.
By Rameshinder Singh Sandhu | Hindustan Times, Ludhiana, Ludhiana: UPDATED ON MAY 02, 2017 12:41 PM IST
The public reference and research library of Punjabi Sahit Akademi located inside Punjabi Bhawan may be in a shambles, but it is still popular among both the young and the old for one reason – its 86-year-old librarian.
A majority of visitors who come here on a regular basis give credit to Prem Singh Bajaj who has served as the library director for 22 years now. He took up this post after retiring as the principal of Lajpat Rai DAV College in Jagraon.
Ask him what has kept him motivated even now, he says, “My love for books since childhood and passion for work encouraged me to be here. I never wanted to sit idle. So, after retirement, I approached then PSA president SS Johl who was kind enough to take me on board.”
“I may have worked here for over 20 years but not I have never felt bored as I chose a task that I knew will fit me the best after retirement.”
A regular here, Amandeep Singh, says, “He is an inspiration for all of us as his passion for work proves that age is just a number. I have rarely seen him sitting on a chair as he is always busy organising books or repairing old books on his own. Most importantly, he has added to the collection here, increasing the variety of books available for reading.”
When Bajaj joined, there were just 7,000 books. Today, the library holds 59,444 books on different subjects and themes that include not just Punjabi books but also Hindi, Urdu and English.
For literature lovers, there is a separate section for poetry, novels and plays. Interestingly, there are also many handwritten books in the library. These books often attract school groups from time to time as it is rare to come across them today. However, the cynosure of all eyes is the handwritten holy book of Sikhs – Sri Guru Granth Sahib penned in 1796 kept here according to Sikh rituals.
“The handwritten copy of Sri Guru Granth Sahib is among our special collections. It was donated by a local resident three to four years back,” says Bajaj.
Challenges faced by the library
Besides repairs, a paucity of space is the new worry. “As books are donated regularly, we are facing a space crunch. We accept the books as they enrich the variety and quality for our readers but a new wing is being made which will be ready within a year or two,” says Bajaj.
He adds, “Old books are withering away which is also a worry. But again, we have plans to digitalise them.”
The library opened its doors in 1960 and has been free to the public since then. It opens daily from 9am to 5pm except on Sundays.
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Partition migrant who made teaching Urdu his life’s purpose no more: https://indianexpress.com/
For nearly 24 years, Bajaj (88), a retired principal of Lajpat Rai DAV College in Jagraon, taught the language at a classroom housed inside the Punjabi Bhavan. The class was part of a six-month certificate course in Urdu run by Punjab’s Department of Languages. Written by Divya Goyal | Ludhiana |
Updated: December 25, 2019 5:21:52 pm
Partition migrant who made teaching Urdu his life’s purpose
Prem Singh Bajaj taking an Urdu class at Punjabi Bhawan in Ludhiana. (Express photo)
“Mere azeez doston, aaj kya tareekh hai….”
With these words, Prem Singh Bajaj, would scribble the date in Urdu on the blackboard and then explain the beauty of the language he loved teaching to a motley group of students huddled in small classroom inside Ludhiana’s Punjabi Bhavan. The groups always comprised of lovers of Urdu — young and old — with some wanting to pick it up early in life and others trying to learn the language after retirement.
For nearly 24 years, Bajaj (88), a retired principal of Lajpat Rai DAV College in Jagraon, taught the language at a classroom housed inside the Punjabi Bhavan. The class was part of a six-month certificate course in Urdu run by the Punjab’s Department of Languages.
After his retirement from the college, Bajaj also served as director of Punjab Sahit Akademi’s reference library for over two decades and took its collection of books from 7,000 to 62,000. The collection now boasts of 3,000 rare Urdu books.
On Tuesday, Bajaj passed away at his residence in Vikas Nagar of Ludhiana after a brief illness. His son Tajinder Singh Bajaj said his father died while still doing what he loved the most. He added: “Since some days he wasn’t keeping well but on Monday he insisted that I take him to the library. I dropped him on a scooter and he spent three hours there. Five days back, he took his last Urdu class. Despite being unwell, he was worried about students as their exams are approaching. He said two of them were very good and could possibly score well. He was very excited to see their results…He had come back from Australia few months back and had again started going to library and teaching Urdu. That is where his heart was forever.”
Born on February 13, 1931, Prem Singh Bajaj had migrated from Sargodha in Pakistan to India during Partition. While he was a postgraduate in Punjabi, he would often call Urdu his “love and passion”. If it wasn’t for Bajaj’s personal efforts, the Department of Languages might have wrapped up the course way back, not just because it hardly ever had more than fifteen students, but because there was no other teacher who would teach Urdu for Rs 2,500 a month.
“A serious effort is required to preserve a language. If I did this job for Rs 2,500 a month for two decades, doesn’t mean every teacher would do it. You need more batches, proper classrooms and qualified teachers and salaries for them,” Bajaj had told to The Indian Express in February 2017. Initially, he had even refused to take Rs 2,500 from the department but agreed after insistence.
Speaking to The Indian Express in 2017, he had added: “I loved reading and studying Urdu literature when we lived in Sargodha (now in Pakistan). My heart did not allow me to leave the language that I studied till Class 10 back home at Khalsa High School in Farooqa of Pakistan. I refused to leave Urdu and decided to tell people here in India how beautiful this language is. How can a language be Hindu or Muslim. It is an Indian language. And how can a teacher be Sikh or Muslim or Hindu. I am an Indian and can teach whichever language I love. Urdu to ek khazana hai..It (teaching) is my duty for Urdu.”
‘Dedicated his life to Urdu’
“It is nearly impossible now to find another man as committed and dedicated as Bajaj who gave his life to literature and Urdu without any monetary gain. He nurtured the reference library in Punjabi Bhavan like his home and kept Urdu classes going without expecting anything in return from the government. Few days back when I went to meet him, he was still busy teaching Urdu. The greatest tribute to him now would be that government doesn’t let his two projects die,” said Malkiat Singh Aulakh, a writer from Ludhiana.
Ravinder Singh Bhathal, president, Punjabi Sahit Akademi, told The Indian Express, “It is like we have lost our father. Punjabi Sahit Akademi’s library has lost its most dedicated caretaker who gave thirty years of his life to keep this library and Urdu classes running. We have no idea from where will we get someone to replace him and who will take care of his treasure of books now with same dedication as him.”
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Passion for Urdu brings a teacher and seven students together in Ludhiana
When Bajaj enters, some rise to help the octogenarian to the blackboard. But, he signals he can manage on his own. “Mere azeez doston, aaj kya tareekh hai,” he begins as he writes the date in Urdu.
Written by Divya Goyal | Ludhiana |
Updated: February 23, 2017 9:38:18 am
Urdu, Urdu teacher, Ludhiana Urdu teacher, Prem Singh Bajaj, Prem Singh Bajaj ludhiana, Ludhiana students, Urdu class at Punjabi Bhawan, india news
Prem Singh Bajaj during Urdu class at Punjabi Bhawan in Ludhiana. (Source: Express photo by Gurmeet Singh) https://indianexpress.com/
A SMALL room at Punjabi Bhawan in Ludhiana looks like a government office storeroom with its clutter of typewriters, discarded fans and worn-out furniture, but what sets it apart is a blackboard. Perched on wooden stools around a table are seven people, ranging in age from 68 to 22 years. What brings this diverse group here every day is their love for Urdu, taught by the 86-year-old Prem Singh Bajaj. It is 11 am and Bajaj is expected any minute. But, until then, students practise what they have learnt in class on each other – Urdu couplets and poetry.
When Bajaj enters, some rise to help the octogenarian to the blackboard. But, he signals he can manage on his own. “Mere azeez doston, aaj kya tareekh hai,” he begins as he writes the date in Urdu.
For over 22 years now, Bajaj, a retired college principal, has been teaching the six-month Urdu certificate course run by the Department of Languages of the Punjab government, almost single-handedly trying to keep alive in the new century a language and script that were in common use in pre-Partition Punjab but gave way to Gurmukhi on the Indian side after 1947. Even today, an older generation of Punjabis is more comfortable reading the Punjabi language in Urdu script, rather than in Gurmukhi.
“I loved reading and studying Urdu literature when we lived in Sargodha (now in Pakistan). Those were the most memorable days of my life. My heart did not allow me to leave the language that I studied till Class 10 back home. I refused to leave Urdu and decided to tell people here in India how beautiful this language is. How can a language be Hindu or Muslim. It is an Indian language. And how can a teacher be Sikh or Muslim or Hindu. I am an Indian and can teach whichever language I love,” says Bajaj, who did his schooling from Khalsa High School, Farooqa, in Pakistan.
After retiring as principal of Lajpat Rai DAV College in Jagraon, Ludhiana, Bajaj started what he calls his “duty” for Urdu. Not only as teacher, but he is also the brain behind a library on the Punjabi Bhawan premises, having some 3,000 rare Urdu books. “We transported Urdu books from far-off places through old friends and acquaintances. Those were the days of struggle but anything for Urdu,” he says.
“Aashiq,” says Bajaj, asking students the plural. The youngest student, 22-year-old Bhavneet, is quick to make a wild guess: “mashooka”. There are laughs all around. “I asked the plural in Urdu not synonym in Punjabi,” quips Bajaj.‘Gusalkhana’, says Bajaj. “Sir, you mean bathroom? Wow this is an Urdu word,” says Sandeep, another 22-year-old, surprised that it’s the same in Punjabi.
Bajaj keeps his students engaged with sher-o-shayari and his memories of the language.
‘Doston, Urdu ek bahut hi khoobsurat zubaan hai, ek khazaana hai. Paper mein aapko aath number ki chitthi likhni hogi. Mere paas bhi meri puraani chitthiyon ka ek khazaana hai. Unn chitthiyon ki aaj bhi bahut ahmiyat hai. Sabke liye nahi, mere liye,” he says, as he explains to students the question paper pattern of the 50-marks exam they will be appearing for in July to clear the course.
Some 40-odd students registered for this free-of-cost Urdu class in January but the number has now come down to 8-10. “Let’s see how many still remain in the battleground till July,” jokes Bharat Bhushan (47).
A sling bag hanging off his shoulder and a smartphone in hand, 65-year-old Baldev Singh says he is learning Urdu because of his interest in literature, hakeemi (ayurveda) and astrology. A retired employee of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited, he says, “Urdu is deeply involved in all three fields and after retirement, I made it a goal to learn Urdu.”
For Bharat Mahajan (24), Bhavneet (22) and Sandeep (22) — three college students — it is love for cinema, script writing, lyrics writing and a dream to be a writer that landed them here. The only female student in the class, Sarabjit Kaur (27), is studying the language to pursue her research better. An MPhil student in history, she says, “I wasn’t able to study many Urdu texts of the medieval period. Now, I can understand quite a lot.”
Harminder Singh (68) says he had wanted to learn Urdu since his school days. “My father said he had no money to give me Urdu coaching but it was my zidd to learn it no matter at what age.”
“Real estate business is really down and I had too much of spare time. Then, why not an hour for my love, Urdu? I was amused when I saw people writing this curly script. It is so beautiful. Basically, it is love for Urdu script that got me here,” laughs 47-year-old property dealer Bharat Bhushan.
The students say it is only because of Bajaj’s personal efforts that Urdu is still being taught by the Department of Languages. Course books, which were not available in Ludhiana, have been arranged from Malerkotla, the only Muslim majority town in Punjab.
“A serious effort is required to preserve a language. If I did this job for Rs 2,500 a month for two decades, doesn’t mean every teacher would do it. There needs to be more batches, proper classrooms and qualified teachers and salaries for them,” says Bajaj.
With Bajaj keeping unwell, the department has now hired Mohammad Eid M Karim (69), another Urdu teacher for Rs 5,000 a month. The raise came after repeated pleas from Bajaj.
“It will be grave injustice if Punjab and central government ignore the efforts of Bajaj saab, who gave his life to keep Urdu alive in Punjab. He deserves an honour for his lifetime service. I will never be able to take his place but will try to teach with the same dedication. There is no Muslim, Sikh or Hindu when it comes to love for a language,” says Karim. https://indianexpress.com/
Forwarded By: Balbir Singh Sooch-Sikh Vichar Manch
http://www.panjabdigilib.org/
PUSTAK PREMI: PREM SINGH BAJAJ: BOOK RELEASED BY PANJABI SAHITYA AKADEMI ON THE BIRTHDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2021 OF PREM SINGH BAJAJ