Jamshedpur, Sept. 1: Youngsters of the Sikh community in the city will now have to spend more time learning the Gurmukhi script and its history.

Concerned over the unabashed ignorance about the script and the language among youths, members of the Sikh community have pledged to teach their children Gurmukhi in a bid to preserve their rich culture for the coming centuries. Members of the community who celebrated Prakash Utsav to mark 400 years of the Guru Granth Sahib today expressed concern over the waning interest of present generation in learning the religious script.

According to senior members of the community, most children do not know how to read or write Gurmukhi which is a matter of concern. “We are worried about the influence of western culture in our society. Parents are more concerned about teaching their children English rather than their own language,” said Daljeet Singh, a senior member of the community. He said the community was not against any particular language but one’s mother tongue cannot be ignored.

“I think this is the most appropriate occasion to take vow to promote Gurmukhi,” said Dilbagh Singh, a city-based Sikh scholar. “Communities have been wiped out because their young did not carry on their tradition. We have to learn a lesson from them and find ways to secure our future,” he said.

According to him, the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) has chalked out plans to teach Gurumukhi to children across the country. The main target-group will be Sikh children studying in English-medium schools. Several gurdwaras, including one at Jugsalai, recently started Gurmukhi classes in Gurmukhi and history of the Sikh communoty for children.

Bhupinder Singh, co-ordinator of the city chapter of the Sikh Missionary College, Ludhiana, said free books on Gurmukhi will be distributed among children studying in English-medium schools. “Guru Granth Sahib is based on universal truth and if our youngsters remains ignorant about the language, they will never learn about our philosophy,” he said.

However, the issue did not overshadow the Prakash Utsav celebrations.

Thousands of devotees took part in a coloyrful procession, taken out under the banner of Central Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee. JMM MP Sunil Mahato flagged-off the procession from the Bistupur gurdwara. The procession concluded in the evening at the Sakchi gurdwara.