LAHORE: Speakers at Afkaar-eTaaza literary conference on Saturday spoke on a host of topics related to social, political and cultural issues.

In a session titled `Cultural destruction in Punjab` writer Mushtaq Soofi said destruction of culture was a process of history and whithout it society could not move forward. Explaining the factors involved in the destruction of culture in Punjab, Mr Soofi said when foreign conquerors came to this part of world many things changed.

In 1849 machine was introduced in the subcontinent which played amajor role in changing all spheres of society.

He said the old system was swept away by modern education and that also affected language immensely. He said destruction of language was the worst thing because all languages were scared and it was the language with which the societal set up was attached.

The British, he said also exploited the faith and identity issue in the subcontinent when it came to Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims that led to intellectual and spiritual destruction.

Dr Pippa Virdee, a professor of history at Demontfort University, UK, said in the East Punjab there was a constant effort to preservethe Punjabi language. She said there was a big revival in the history of East Punjab. Ms Virdee lamented over the fact that in west Punjab girls were shy of speaking Punjabi. `Why don`t we own this language,` she posed a question.

She said the situation was almost same in east Punjab, attributing it to `generational shift`. To her, pop culture, specially music, had also great innuence on the language and interestingly this had a masculine dominated narrative.

Poet Mehmood Awan said the Punjabis not communicating in Punjabi language were suffering from `self hate syndrome`, adding that their children took Punjabi as an `uncivilised` language. He saidsuch an attitude by west Punjab had given the space to the Sikhs to monopolise the language. He said the state also played a very negative role when it came to Punjabi.

Zia regime gave voilance to an otherwise romantic Punjabi cinema, he added.

In another session `Mughal Art, Ideology and the Construction of Kingship` Prof Kathrine B Asher threw light on the Mughal`s architecture, their way of ruling and the landmarks they left behind in the shape of dif ferent monuments. She discussed Emperor Akbar`s philosophy and his rule along with Sher Shah Suri`s public services and those rendered by Shahjahan and Jahangir.