Syllabus for Punjabi Literature Optional

UPSC offers Punjabi as an optional subject in the UPSC Civil Services Mains Exam. Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language used as lingua franca in the state of Punjab. It is also widely used in Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, and Haryana along with parts of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Jammu. It is one of the official languages of India and is written in both Gurumukhi and Persian derived Shahmukhi script. Punjabi literature syllabus consists of topics like the history of the language and literature, its major literary traditions, major dialects, and the development of the Gurumukhi script. It also includes a critical analysis of major works by famous authors in Punjabi. 

Section A

• Origin of Punjabi language: different stages of development and recent development in Punjabi language : characteristics of Punjabi phonology and the study of its tones: classification of vowels and consonants.
• Punjabi morphology: the number-gender system (animate and inanimate), prefixes, affixes and different categories of Post positions: Punjabi word formation: Tatsam. Tad Bhav, forms Sentence structure, the notion of subject and object in Punjabi: Noun and verb phrases.
• Language and dialect; the notions of dialect and idiolect;major dialects of Punjabi; Pothohari, Majhi, Doabi, Malwai, Puadhi; the validity of speech variation on the basis of social stratification, the distinctive features of various dialects with special reference to tones. Language and script; origin and development of Gurmukhi; suitability of Gurmukhi for Punjabi.
• Classical background; Nath Jogi Sahit
• Medieval literature: Gurmat, Suti, Kissa and Var Janamsakhi

Section B

• Modern trends Mystic, romantic, progressive and neomystic (Vir Singh, Puran Singh, Mohan Singh, Amrita Pritam, Bawa Balwant, Pritam Singh Safeer, J.S. Neki).
• Experimentalist (Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, Ravinder Ravi,Ajaib Kamal)
• Aesthetes (Harbhajan Singh, Tara Singh)
• Neo-progressive (Pash. Jagtar,Patar)
• Origin and Development of Genres :
  • Folk literature Folk songs, Folk tales. Riddles,Proverbs.
  • Epic (Vir Singh, Avtar Singh, Azad Mohan Singh)
  • Lyric (Gurus, Sufis and Modern Lyricists-Mohan Singh Amrita Pritam, Shiv Kumar, Harbhajan Singh)
  • Drama (I.C. Nanda, Harcharan Singh, Balwant Gargi, S.S.Sekhon, Charan Das Sidhu)
  • Novel (Vir Singh, Nanak Singh, Jaswant Singh Kanwal, K.S.Duggal, Sukhbir, Gurdial Singh, Dalip Kaur Tiwana, Swaran Chandan)
  • Short Story (Sujan Singh, K.S. Virk. Prem Parkash, Waryam Sandhu).
• Socio-cultural   Sanskrit, Persian Literary influences : and Western.
• Essay (Puran Singh, Teja Singh, Gurbaksh Singh)
• Literary Criticism (S.S. Sekhon, Attar Singh, Kishan Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Najam Hussain Sayyad).

Section A

• Sheikh Farid The complete Bani as included in the Adi Granth.
• Guru Nanak Japu Ji Baramah, Asa di Var
• Bulleh Shah Kafian
• Waris Shah Heer

Section B

• Shah Jangnama (Jang Mohammad Singhan te Firangian) Dhani Ram Chandan Vari Chatrik (Poet) Sufi Khana Nawan Jahan
• Nanak Singh Chitta Lahu (Novelist) Pavittar Papi Ek Mian Do Talwaran
• Gurbaksh Zindagi di Ras Singh (Essayist) Nawan Shivala Merian Abhul Yadaan. Balraj Sahni Mera Roosi Safarnama (Travelogue) Mera Pakistani Safarnama
• Balwant Gargi Loha Kutt (Dramatist) Dhuni-di-Agg Sultan Razia Sant Singh Sahityarth Sekhon (Critic) Parsidh Punjabi Kavi Punjabi Kav Shiromani