Punjabi singer Gurdas Maan used inappropriate language during his stage show in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada when a few Punjabi activists protested against the recent remarks regarding Hindi-Punjabi controversy. The Punjabi singer faced criticism from the Punjabi diaspora following his recent interview on a Canada –based Punjabi radio station where he stated the ‘one nation one language’ line.
During the interview, Gurdaas Maan ridiculed these protests and protesters, saying it was “vehlian da kamm” (idle people indulging in such things). Though he did underline the importance of mother tongue Punjabi, he encouraged the concept of one nation, one language, saying: “I say it should be Hindustani (language), which has words from Punjabi and Urdu… It is essential that one nation should have one language… France has its own language, so has Germany, and if our country has one (language), then what is wrong with that. If we lay so much emphasis on mother (tongue), then we should also love maasi (Hindi)”.
Following his interview, Gurdaas faced a storm of criticism from the Punjabi citizens, who had announced that they will be holding a protest outside the venue of Gurdaas Maan’s show. As the show started, Maan spotted a Sikh with a poster against him. Looking at the poster, Maan said: “Desh ch chitta rehan nahi dena, daahdi ch chitta rehan nahi dena” (We shall finish the drugs in the country, and we shall also not leave white in beard).
During the show, Gurdaas Maan tried to clarify his remarks and said that he was all for Punjabi, however learning other languages, especially Hindi, would open more vistas for people across the country.
A few of the protestors outside the show were streamed live tearing off the tickets of Gurdaas Maan’s show.
One of the protestors, Chanajeet Singh Sujjon from Canada, who has also written a Punjabi book, spoke to the TOI and said that when several people tore off their tickets, he and his friend Bhupinderjeet Singh decided to go inside the venue.
“We wanted to tell him that people were angry over his remarks. We got two tickets, and I carried the poster with ‘Punjabi maan boli da gadaar’ (traitor of mother tongue Punjabi). As he came on the stage, both of us got up and raised slogans against him. It was at this moment that he looked at us and used the expletive,” he said.
