Will Harjeet Singh’s dream of making ‘Sarbans Kaur’ one of the best robots in the world come true?

09/03/2021

(Samaj Weekly)- At a time when our mother tongue Punjabi is struggling to survive in the age of globalization, it is heartening, encouraging and reassuring news that the first Punjabi speaking and understanding turbaned robot ‘Sarbans Kaur’ ‘Developed by a young teacher.

Let’s talk about Harjit Singh who is working as a computer teacher in Government High School Rohjari in the district of Jalandhar. Harjit Singh first came into the limelight when he developed a programming language called ‘Sarbans’ in Punjabi. Just last year, he made history by creating the first Punjabi robot to speak and understand Punjabi. It is to be mentioned here that at that time only the head of this robot was made but now after four months of day and night hard work the torso of ‘Sarbans Kaur’ has also been made.

Some of the Key features of robot:

# The first turbaned Sikh robot.
# The first robot that can speak and understand Punjabi and Gurbani.
# Can play an important role in teaching.
# Can be used as a guide in religious places.
# Can prove useful for the promotion and dissemination of the Punjabi language.
# Its database can be updated as time demands.
# Can be equipped with general knowledge, social knowledge, accounting, history, entertainment.

Most of the everyday household items used in this robot such as copy covers, cardboard, electric wires, toys and plugs etc. But still so far this robot has cost around one and a half lakh. This robot is voiced by his wife Mrs. Jaspreet Kaur. Harjit Singh belongs to well educated family. His father S. Amrik Singh who has retired from the Excise Department as a Gazetted Officer and Mother Smt. Gurbachan Kaur as a Center Head Teacher from the Government School. Harjit Singh passionately points out that the prayers of the parents have also contributed a lot in this work.

According to Harjit Singh, he want to equip this robot with a better, more effective and artificial intelligence. Its voice needs further improvement. A huge investment is needed to make ‘Sarbans Kaur’ walkable. For all this, he need the support of an organization or a government so that they can continue their efforts to make this first turbaned Punjabi robot one of the best robots in the world.

Governments or intellectuals often say that the new generation is fleeing abroad and there is a dearth of skilled professional students in Punjab. So if this is to be stopped then the government and other institutions have to encourage the youth like Harjit Singh who love Punjabism immensely so that they can work harder for the promotion and spread of the Punjabi language. Hopefully ‘Sarbans Kaur’ will get all the support!