‘Punjabi literature award aims at promoting peace’

LAHORE

Founder of Dhahan International Punjabi Award, Sardar Barjindar Singh Dhahan has said that this award is a continuous effort above any religio-political divide to promote peace and love through Punjabi, the mother tongue of millions living all over the world.

This was said by Sardar Barjindar Singh in his address at a reception ceremony held here at a local hotel on Sunday.

Barjindar Singh, a Canadian Indian, who launched the biggest literary award in Punjabi language back in 2013 from Vancouver, Canada, is currently visiting  Pakistan, along with his youngest sister.

He said that this award was initiated for the outstanding Punjabi literature, both in Shah Mukhi and Guru Mukhi is being awarded to the writers from Indian and Pakistani Punjab.

He said that prizes do not create writers but they work as a great initiative and source of encouragement for them. 

Barjindar Singh said that although he had not received any positive and encouraging response from the government and private sectors form India and Pakistan in the support of this award but, Pakistanis living in Canada, along with their Indian Punjabi brethren were giving quite a significant support.

Barjindar Singh maintained that the publishers should take a lead in this noble cause and they should suggest and send books for this award so that these books could also be distributed among the Punjabi youth to promote their mother tongue in Canada.

He said that his forefathers were among the earliest settlers in Canada and the USA and at that time Punjabi speaking people were just Punjabi without any division of religion or borders.

Renowned painter, intellectual and teacher Mian Ijaz-ul-Hassan paid tributes to Dhahan International for introducing such a great initiative for the promotion of the mother tongue and added that everyone should speak his mother tongue.

He added that as long as we don’t love our land and culture, we would never feel connected to it and the mother language is perfect vehicle for that connection.