Foreword To 'Piplanwala Stories And Reminiscences' By S.S.Dhami

Piplanwala : Stories and Reminiscences is a collection of stories, sketches and the events written by a sensitive Punjabi emigre who has responded to the delicate and nostalgic call of the soil. Set in the environs of a roadside village in the Doaba region of the Punjab, the characters and the events parade in the pages and flash back the concrete image of the rural life before and after the contemporary comparative prosperity. The simple rural folk, resigned to their destiny, guided by their faith in the rites, rituals, the miracles and the deities, were transformed by an economic revolution. It changed the whole perspective of the people. The socio-political changes took place in the wake of new political awareness. The writer observes the scenario during his intermittent visits from abroad.

Couched in simple and straight expression, the pieces in the collection are penetrating and provocative. The stories can surely form a convenient base for the study of changing pattern of the Punjabi culture.

I am glad that the University undertook the responsibility of publishing this book. I believe the readers will not only enjoy reading this absorbing volume but will have a peep into our representative folk culture.