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Norwegian Funding
Through the courtesy of your esteemed paper, I would like to draw
the attention of the Embassy of Norway in Islamabad and the
Ministry of Finance Government of Pakistan towards the ongoing
project titled Chitral Integrated Area Development Programme (CIADP)
funded by the Government of Norway. Initially it was conceived that
the project will be implemented by Rural Development Organizations,
environmental specialist and the District Government. At later
stage the project was outsourced to a consulting firm “Thrive” who
have come up with prime objective of profit making. The consulting
firm has no expertise or experience in rural development,
participatory development approach, civil society culture,
environmental assessments and public relations. At the very outset
two implementing partners, IUCN Pakistan and AKRSP have withdrawn
their support. Elected public representatives are not on board.
Recently local support organizations such as QASADO have also
developed serious differences on the modus operandi fallowed by the
profit-making firm. I know at this stage the Embassy of Norway
cannot revise the outsourcing contract given to Thrive, however it
is quite possible to correct the course through a monitoring and
feedback mechanism. The best way is to bring elected
representatives, the district administration and the P&D department
of Provincial Government on board through a well-taught steering
committee. It is a matter of taxpayer money on the part of Norway
and high expectations on the part of target population at the
receiving end. “Thrive” should not be let loose “to be thriving” on
the expense and cost of others.
Dr. Inayat Ullah Faizi,
Balim, Chitral NWFP.
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Khowar Language of Legends and our new
Generation
Respected Editor!
Yesterday I read the letter of Mr. Arif Khial, which was in a very
bad taste and the letter deserved to be ignored but I somehow
decided to write an answer. Hope you will publish it and Mr. Khial
will read it.
It was worth noting that Dr. Faizi in his letter
neither asked the Listeners to protest the use of the Plural "Pesa"
as an alternative for "tu" nor he asked someone (Jawab Talbi
Ki) to answer him as why Radio Pakistan Chitral is using incorrect
khowar language in their Khowar Programs. I don’t know how Mr.
Khial got this impression and based his whole letter on a wrong and
preposterous presumption. Dr. Sab’s letter was in a mood of
suggestion to the compeers and producers of Khowar programs on
radio Pakistan to use the correct words of Khowar so that the
endangered language can be preserved.
Urdu has the word “Aap” as an alternative for “Tum” and one should
use it. However, in most of the languages around the word there are
no such words, like in Pushto one would say “Ista Tabiat Singa day”
to both son and father. Same is the case with English, Dari,
Persian etc. etc. So if in Khowar the word “Pesa” is used for
plural it should be only used that way, why use “Pesa” when there
is “Tu” for singular? I will definitely prefer saying, “ta tabeat
kehca sher” instead of “Pesa tabeat kecha sheni” to my father. In a
nutshell using “Pesa” for a single person is completely wrong, when
there are words like “tu or ta” for it.
Every language has distinct characteristics and languages spoken in
a specific area by small group of people are normally vulnerable
and exposed to changes by external influence. This external
influence is like slow poisoning and it ends in the sudden demise
of the language. Among the medium of mass communications radio has
the largest spread. The language that is used in that medium has a
great influence on a large population because of its spread. Thus
If the language spoken on radio is correct it will help a great
deal in preserving the endangered language and if it is spoken in
the wrong way it will add its share in extinguishing the language,
just like rain in spring removing leaves from the trees as if the
breeze alone was not enough. The auditions of Radio and Television
around the globe are conducted in a way to ensure that the person
chosen to go on air have a grasp on the language he will be talking
in.
I strongly agree with Dr. Sab that correct usage of Khowar words in
Khowar programs of Radio Pakistan Chitral is ensured so that the
language can be preserved in its originality. The poor language is
already threatened by:
i) the “enlightened” Chitralis who prefer, that their children
should talk in Urdu or English but not Khowar and feel proud in
saying that, “Bairi hal-bekin deti ma azheli sahi khowar koko na
boni na” and
ii) the modern poets of Chitral who use 40% Urdu, 20% Persian, 5%
English and 35% Khowar in their Khowar poetry.
Best Regards.
Alizay Ali (Mastuj)
Peshawar University.
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