“LANGUAGE IS KEY TO IDENTITY”: HARJOT BAINS GREETS PEOPLE ON INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY
• Languages Minister reaffirms commitment to boost Punjabi language, highlights initiatives undertaken for promotion of Punjabi
Chandigarh, February 21 (WISHAVWARTA);- On International Mother Language Day, Punjab Higher Education and Languages Minister S. Harjot Singh Bains calls on the people to embrace the mother tongue Punjabi in their day to day lives, citing its crucial role in education, communication, cultural preservation and sustainable development.
Extending greetings to people on the auspicious day, S. Harjot Singh Bains asserted that all languages are equally worthy of respect and reaffirmed Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government’s unwavering commitment to boost Punjabi language and cultural roots.
Taking the linguistic pride to every corner of the state, S. Bains informed that the Languages department has organised 13 events across Punjab on International Mother Language Day. The celebrations include Kavi Durbars, dramatic performances, language seminars, student speech competitions and literary discussions.
Highlighting a sweeping range of initiatives aimed at the preservation and global promotion of the mother tongue, the Languages Minister said that to honour those who have dedicated their lives to literature, the department is providing a monthly pension/financial assistance of Rs. 15,000 to needy writers, literati and their dependent families, besides, conferring 10 awards across various categories under the Best Literary Punjabi Book Award Scheme for the year 2025. Furthermore, financial assistance was extended to 11 Punjabi literary societies to enable them to organise events dedicated to the propagation of the mother tongue.
Cultivating a love for the language among students, he said that the department has organised Punjabi literary creation and poetry singing competitions across 20 district language offices. Similarly, Punjabi Children’s Literature Quiz Competitions were held statewide, with the finals hosted in Moga. Winners at all levels were felicitated with awards, fostering a competitive spirit in linguistic excellence.
The department’s year-long diverse array of literary events include five ‘Ru-b-Ru’ interaction programs with literary personalities, ‘Kahani Durbar’, ‘Sawan Kavi Durbar’ and a special seminar dedicated to Shaheed Bhagat Singh at Nawanshahr. The department also celebrated linguistic diversity through Tri-lingual poetry recitals, Urdu Mushairas, Hindi Day and Sanskrit Day. The year’s calendar also featured religious poetry at the historic Shaheedi Jor Mel in Sri Fatehgarh Sahib, the Minister added.
The month of November 2025 was dedicated as ‘Punjabi Month’, featuring 10 major events across the state to immerse the people with their linguistic roots, he added, while saying that the department has launched a large-scale project to digitally archive 1.25 lakh books available in its library, covering Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit and English. This initiative will provide global readers with unprecedented digital access to classic and contemporary literature.
Further bridging the gap between tradition and technology, the departmental website already offers world classic literature in Punjabi, along with a rich repository of dictionaries and glossaries.
S. Harjot Singh Bains stated, “Language is not just a means of communication; it is key to our identity. From supporting the families of our writers to putting 1.25 lakh books online, our government is ensuring that Punjabi not only survives but thrives globally.”
