|
Punjabis command respect in Iran |
|
|
|
|
Written by Varinder Walia, Tribune News Service, Amritsar
|
|
Monday, 19 November 2007 |
 Punjabis command a lot of respect in Iran due to the 700-year-old historical Punjabi-Persian link. Their mother-tongue is taught in certain schools there.
Talking to The Tribune here,a prominent businessman from Tehran, Parvinder Singh Chandok, said in view of their age-old relations with Persia, Punjabis could play a significant role in cementing relations between India and Iran. There were around 200 NRI families in Iran. All of them commanded respect among the local populace. The minorities were safe in Iran, claimed Chandok.
Persian was the official language in Punjab for 700 years and the Department of Persian Studies, Patiala University, had to its credit great contributions to encouraging Persian in Punjab. It had published a dictionary of Persian Punjabi and various other translations from Persian to Punjabi and vice versa. Late Gulphant, Sikh Persian scholar, had done a great job in popularising Persian in Punjab.
Chandok said the link between the two languages should be exploited to strengthen relationship between India and Iran.
“Let us not forget Guru Gobind Singh was the greatest scholar of Persian language and ‘Zafarnama’ is an example of it,” he said.
There existed a tremendous scope for business opportunities for Punjab in Iran. The first business-generation target between Punjab and Iran was $ 500 million, he added.
Chandok said the Sikh community had been a vibrant small community in Iran since more than a century with their third or fourth generations living there now. The community, comprising around 100 families, had its own gurdwara, school and cremation grounds. There were around 200 Indian families in Iran. Most of the Indians preferred to remain in Iran despite turbulence there, he said.
He urged the government of India and Punjab to send high-level delegations to Iran and study feasibilities for cooperation and investment. Agricultural projects could be the focus between Iran and Punjab for joint ventures.
Chandok was honoured with a “siropa” (robe of honour) by SGPC executive member Rajinder Singh Mehta for his achievements in Iran.
| Comments () >> |
 |
| Write comment |
| You must be logged in to post a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet. |
 |
