Asad Jjūtah
The political project of Siraiki Movement is to promote the agenda of decolonisation, especially of Punjab. Punjab is actually a British colonial construct. In a post colonial period, Indian Punjab was divided into three units (Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab) but the deconstruction never done at our side.
Forms of decolonisation in Siraiki Movement:
1- Language:
In 1837, British formed the Language Policy and for the first time, they said that English will be the official language and other vernaculars under it. As a result, Bengali language was set up for Bengal, Tamil, Kanra and Telugu languages for Madras and Gujrati, Marathi and Sindhi languages were set up for Bombay Presidency as Sindh was the part of Bombay presidency at that time (till 1935). Punjab was the only administrative unit where British chose to impose Urdu which wasn’t the native language of this region. In 1850s, Urdu was imposed as an official language. Behind it, it involved a long history of colonial attitude of British e.g. calling locals as Jaangli.
Seeing Punjab as a fort of their monarch after 1857, if they rule in India, they would strengthen power in Punjab. As a result, Urdu was imposed in Punjab and after in Pakistan as a National Language. There’s no movement in Pakistani Punjab for their own language. Language movement was very superficial there and for the first time this issue was raised loudly by Siraiki’s. They said Siraiki is their mother tongue and they want education in their own language, they worked for this cause. This basic issue of language was raised from Siraiki Wasaib and not from Punjab.
Decolonisation by Language: Self respect for own language, honour it, to love it, planning for its growth. If we give importance to our own language our self-esteem grow up, otherwise our self image is distorted.
“Decolonisation of language is decolonisation of mind.”
Ngugi (African writer and intellectual)
2- Debate of settler society v/s community:
After 1890s, we see canal colonisation process in central Punjab. On Chenab river, upper and lower Chenab canal colonies were built up and after that on Jehlum and Ravi too. Millions of acres of land was cultivated. Why cultivated? One view is, British needed it for Manchester textile industry and other said it’s a political-social engineering of colonialism in Punjab. It’s not only a project of canal irrigation but of social engineering.
Today landscape of central/upper Punjab is radically different from 1870-80s. There were small forests, deep waters and pastoral nomads were living there. With irrigation, social engineering project was that they would bring settlers from Indian Punjab, because these native people didn’t know agriculture. The whole demography changed on a massive level.
We see 30% population growth rate after 1890 in the districts of canal colonies. A large number of people migrated from areas like Amritsar, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Firozepur. So Basically, British made central Punjab a settler society. Settler Society isn’t a community. It has a settler mind-set and their relationships with locals are very hostile. Even today, if we go to areas like Samundri (Faisalabad), they call the locals as Jaangli. A disrespect for the land where they settled up and their neighbourhood. Settler society is very instrumental society not organic. Historical communities living together are organic. Basically, Siraiki Movement emerged from the experience of Settler society. We want to associate ourselves with our roots, indigenous identity, land, water, plants because these are part of our being like language. Being is that we adopt the environment where we lived, a special relationship built with that environment. It’s second form of decolonisation that Siraikis take the settlers critically and promote the notion of locality.
Landscape lies deep inside our psychology. An instrumental relationship builds with natural resources. Like, when we talk about dams, Punjab said, it has nothing to do with it. River, ecology, Forest and association with it, a settler mind never seen it as local. In contrast, Siraiki movement has an emotional relationship with landscape. If we go through the poetry of Khawaja G. Farid, he filled colours in Rohi, Cholistan. Like a prose “Rohi Rang Rangeelri“, sometimes he complains that he’s far away from it. Landscape is a material reality that effects our mind, it connects us with locality.
3- Administrative decolonisation:
Demand of province is a form of decolonisation, as in India three provinces was made of Punjab. British wanted to make large administrative units. As we see Bombay Presidency, Madras Presidency (Tamil Nadu, Andra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala). British fascination to make big administrative unit was to control the locals easily.
In India, local identity issues emerged in colonial period. Congress had to deal these issues. Nehru committee decided to make provinces on Linguistic Basis. And after 1947, we see a period of Administrative Redivisions. Madras Presidency divided. Punjab into Haryana, Hamachal Pardesh and Punjab, Bihar separated from Bengal and then Jhaarkand also separated from Bengal and Bihar. This process still goes on to deconstruct British administrative categories.
In Pakistan, it didn’t happen. Punjab is a colonial administrative category which is deconstructed in other side of the border and it’s the demand of Siraiki’s to deconstruct here also. Administrative units should be made linguistically and depends upon locals and their claims. State never answered. In 1980, many movements arosed stating decolonisation is incomplete. Siraiki is also a post-colonial movement and they have seen many form of decolonisation and articulated it.
Means of decolonisation in Siraiki Movement:
Three main means to decolonization are:
1- Recognition (سنڄاݨ)
Recognition is not same as identity. Identities are different, given and inscriptive as well. It has many forms. Recognition (Re-Cognition) is not simple as knowing, when we critically explore it and its. Recognition process is associated with misrecognition. When we’re misrecognised, then we feel to recognised ourselves and others. In the process of recognition, you see yourself again and also study the relation with other. It is a field of mutual recognition. Gaze and the way of seeing each other is very important in recognition. By the lack of understanding that how others views us cause misrecognition. Misrecognition is primarily political.
As a poet writes:
تساں ساکوں ڈٹھا
اساں تہاکوں ڈٹھا
اساں تہاکوں جیویں ڈٹھا
تساں اویں ڈٹھا نا
For Siraikis, recognition process is knowing of our own language, geography, roots, ecology, environment and the knowing of significant other to which we’re associated. It’s a decades long uneasy political-cultural process in which communities dialogue and communicate with each other. So, For Siraikis one mean of Decolonisation is Recognition that we shouldn’t be called Punjabi.
میں تسا
میڈی دھرتی تسی
تسی روہی جائی
میکوں آکھ نا پنج دریائی
So by the way of intellectual process, political action we recognised ourselves and challenge misrecognition. An important Political thing attached with recognition is redistribution. It means we should be recognised with our rights, like we need administrative unit, shares in NFC award, right to study our language to our children, right of self-determination for our lands and rivers. Class question is also there with redistribution. When you’re not recognised, you will not be given your rights because they’re related with your recognised being. Recognition process is very circular, Punjabi’s also got the opportunity of recognition under the pretext of Siraiki. Siraikis pose the challenge of recognition to Punjabis.
2- Cultural Movement (1975-2000):
It’s the process of going to masses because culture is the feel related to people. Organising of local Mela’s, Jhumar (Local Dance) as resistance, dialogue with people that what we’re and what’re our issues, that was cultural movement. Medium of instructions in school, courts and for education etc. In very rare cases, societies involved in language planning and in the case of Siraikis language planning, from the naming of language to script, publishing literature all done by the society, State is not involved at all. It’s very difficult to name the language, making the script and billions of people agreed with that. Siraiki’s done with it.
3- Movement for regional autonomy:
Until 2000, you will not see the political articulation of the Seraikis in a forceful way. 2008 particularly is the era of political movement, which is now articulated because the issue of Siraiki Province brought up for the 1st time in Parliament. In 2010, a resolution passed. It’s a miracle that, the resolution was tabled in Punjab Assembly for partition of Punjab. According to our Constitution, without passing out from provincial assembly, national assembly cannot talk about any new province. Siraikis were successful to get the resolution passed from Punjab Assembly that Punjab should be divided. After that, resolution tabled in National Assembly. A parliamentary commission was made and after their process, commission published a report which is available on NA website. On the basis of this report, a bill was passed from the senate for constitutional amendment with 2/3rd majority. But it was not presented in National Assembly for many reasons.
There’s a strange cycle of recognition, when we say we’re Siraiki, others called us Southern Punjabi. It is a 30 years long struggle of recognition that we’re Siraiki, our language is Siraiki, we are Wasaib and all they call us is Southern Punjab. The recognition we got now, can never be snatched away. You call us Janobi Punjab or whatever, this is a constant perpetual process, the recognition we acquire on the name of Siraiki will never be reversed. A debate on the name of administrative unit is also of recognition.
Siraiki movement is the movement which is a kind of becoming, the thing which is not concluded yet. Blessing is, perpetual becoming which has a potential of transformation, change and growth. Siraikis have that potential because they’re in the process of becoming with full pain. It’s a blessing for us. We live with possibilies we’re not at the terminal stage.
