The normalization of relations between the two great rivals in South Asia has given rise to a lot of debate from every nook and cranny of the intelligentsia as well as from the media. However, the common man and the gentry of both countries still has reserved views and hopes from this new era of diplomacy and flexible politics.

The fiery topic of Media Unification, across the borders has been of special interest to the masses: Thanks to the many private channels broadcasting the message of freedom over the airwaves. At first it seemed as if it would be another exchange of delegations and cultural troupes across the Radcliff Line. Interest was aroused when actors and media personnel started crossing the borders. And thus, the idea of a common language for the convenience of getting across one’s message to the other was borne.

The intellects of both sides are still hugely divided over the issue. The clash here does not represent the Indians against the Pakistanis but encompasses a broader, and perhaps more serious spectrum of thoughts regarding the future of literature in both languages.

We need not go far into the details of the matter. The new generation that grew up amidst heightened tensions in the region during the Kargil episode and other regional skirmishes between the two traditional enemies, has very mixed views about all this. Both the countries have evolved into a more Westernized and moderate social setups. The current youth on both sides of the line have grown into a new breed of Pakistanis and Indians who have been exposed the West and its influence has been pretty apparent. The language has evolved into a more different, rather complex and complicated medium. The media has adopted this as the standard: from TV channels to radio stations. Everywhere an amalgam of English and local languages has given rise to “P-English” and “H-English”!

Now, the question arises whether a new script and a new approach towards this evolving trend is needed?
The answers are manifold and multidimensional. First and foremost, the hardcore classic lovers on both sides would never agree to the fact of introducing a new script and a new language that does not relate to what their gurus produced. This endangers the loss of the entire valuable and noble works produced in the past. By just embracing the new language they are endangering the very treasure of literature, that turns out to be the only memory of by-gone days: their prized possessions!

But the fact remains that in every era of literature and literary effort, the style of writing has changed; as the thought process evolved. Today, the new breed of writers speaks, understands, accepts and feels comfortable with the very lingo that has got wide recognition in their time. This new lingo presents us with a great opportunity to understand each others’ ideas and views. Just think of this as the Napster of South Asian literature.

The question of changing the script is still too hot to discuss set aside answer! It is till too early to tell whether we need a new script to share our views and ideas. The “Romanization” of both the languages is gathering pace with time and a lot of activists consider this an excellent opportunity to make the most out of this time, when both the sides are, at last seemingly, flexible and serious about creating a new era of peace and harmony in the region. But this idea has a lot of energy contained within. If this movement gathers momentum, the days of complete harmony of acts and ideas in the region seem not so distant!

But on the contrary, it arouses a lot of restlessness amongst the lobbies of classic literature junkies. For them this spells an end to the numerous years of hard work by the maestros of South Asian literature. They shall not settle for assurances about the validity of the works and their historical significance only. They need solid steps to prevent this literary wealth from being lost in the transition from old to new.

As we move ahead in this new era of, hopefully, sustained peace, a new medium of communication is required to make it last. It shall not be a question of who does it and why, it’s a matter of how we do it and when!

The new Pakistani leadership with its vision of “Enlightened Moderation” in the masses can be a prominent force behind this revolution. Although the hard-liners are still very dogmatic on the lingo war, still the crux of the matter is that every person who needs to get his message across to the other end must have a tool to do so; easy and simple. But if we keep on piling earth onto the matter of communicational ease, the future looks hazy.

All this is only possible if, and only if, we have a longer period without guns on the borders in the region. The Indian Government has already rejected the possibility of declaring Kashmir a non-military zone, the Pakistanis are dogmatic about the Monabao-Khokhrapar train service and the perception of peace and the region are slowly fading into the diplomatic tussle between the two Foreign offices!

But if, by a natural and geographical fluke, Pakistan and India decide to resort to peace and the terms “Free Trade” and “Common Identity” become commonplace, the language barrier would have to be eradicated. The region has seen a lot of blood and tears, many families breaking up, many children orphaned… just due to a geographical hedge, on fire by political and diplomatic fuel! All this needs to end. But at what cost? The only assurances the people need would be of lasting confidence, so that another Kargil does not arise; more buoyancy that no one will blame the other side of sponsoring “cross-border terrorism” and harboring “state terrorism”. This has to end someday… someday soon! Although this can be an optimists’ approach towards shrewd international politics, but our generations to come need a South Asia without the smell of gunpowder in the mountains and red snow on the glaciers! Without concrete measures from both sides, this very inspiration of serenity can lead to a disaster: One that can lead to centuries of bloodshed and disorder-something we really don’t want!