PUNJAB AND PUNJABI IS O.K. BUT OTHERS…..
JAGJIT SINGH
Strange, funny, unbelievable!
Is it really so! It took me a pretty long time to confirm and then believe what my computer showed me. It did not use the red pencil, a customary indication for spell check and mark as 'wrong' the word Punjab. While in the previous line of my article on a developmental issue, it advised for spell check of the name of every other state I typed- Kerala, Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan and Tamilnadu. All high
profile states of India in some respect or the other, often remaining in international news for some quality or the other, but not finding place in the computer
software.
To be doubly sure of my computer’s familiarity with this low profile state of north India, I deliberately changed the spelling of Punjab to Panjeb. The computer was quick to mark it wrong and advise me to go for spell check. I clicked the right button of the mouse and immediately came the options- Punjab, Punjabi….
Great, marvellous, balley balley, bai shava shava. My Punjab and Punjabis are so mashhoor (popular) that they will leave behind other states and communities and be the privileged ones from India to figure in the globally used computer software- I had never imagined. I was thrilled and genuinely so for my dear Punjab and daring Punjabis being so popular, so global. But I was disappointed and upset too for other states of my loving country. And justifiably so. Kerala achieved astounding success in human development through high literacy and low child mortality. This South Indian State earned kudos from no less an organization than the United Nations. The state is privileged to have found mention in many of U.N. high profile publications which present it as an imitable model for other developing nations grappling to eradicate the slur of illiteracy and healthlessness. Rajasthan has been the most favorite destination of the tourists from other countries. Then how they escaped the attention of computer software makers? I am amazed.
Hyderabad is known and counted amongst the best cyber cities of the world for producing the finest computer software used globally. Even two Bills ruling the heart of millions- Gates and Clinton have been greatly fascinated by this city. Even President George Bush made it a point to visit Hyderabad during his visit to India in March 2006. Still this city doesn’t figure in the software of my computer. I am pained and puzzled too.
Just to reassure myself, I again typed Hyderabad. But sorry, the city was marked with red lines indicative of the word not in the memory of my PCs software. May be computer spells it differently. With this hope, I clicked the right button. ‘Hydria’ and ‘Ignore all’- prompt came the reply which did not match with my Hyderabad- the great Cyber City, South-bound tourist's favorite destination and retired bureaucrats' first choice for post-retirement life.
Sounding satirical and unbelievable because it is written in lighter mood- You may say. And there is weight in your point. O.K. No problem. Let you check it for yourself and confirm what I said. So let us start. Open your computer and go to the Microsoft Word. Now type the names of the states of India mentioned above. Aren’t they marked wrong with red pencil advising, as it does in other cases of mis-spelt words , for spell check? Now type Punjab and Punjabi and see the result. No red mark, no advice for spell check. Both are O.K. and accepted by your computer. Isn’t it wonderful? Convinced that I was not bluffing or telling a lie! Do you think I can ever do that with my enlightened readers? Never. I don't think I need to give any further proof to prove my point.
But I am still not able to find the reason for Punjab and Punjabi being present in the computer software. It is a very low profile state compared to others. It did not create identity in any high tech thing or area for that matter. Neither did it produce any great technocrat of international repute. An average Punjabi is either seedha sadha kisan (simple farmer) or an apt motor mechanic. Then what is the special quality of Punjab and Punjabis that attracted attention of the computer software makers? Only god knows.
The question is still unanswered and disturbing my mind. May be the learned readers would be able to enlighten me on this. I eagerly wait for the reply to my question.