Punjab Kala Parishad honors six personalities with Punjab Ratna and Punjab Gaurav awards

Making Punjabi the language of research and science is the need of the hour: Sardara Singh Johl

Chandigarh(The Uttam Hindu) :

Renowned economist and social activist Dr. Sardara Singh Johl said that making Punjabi the language of research, science, and technical subjects in Punjab is the need of the hour. Addressing the Punjab Ratna Punjabi Mat Bhasha and Punjab Gaurav Award ceremony organized by the Punjab Kala Parishad and its affiliated academies at Punjab Kala Bhawan here today as the chief guest, Dr. Johl said that a dual attitude towards the Punjabi language is a sign of slavery. He also emphasized that the use of simple Punjabi in research work and in the technological fields of science is even more essential. On this occasion, he shared his memories of Dr. Mahendra Singh Randhawa.

Welcoming the guests, the Chairman of Punjab Kala Parishad, Swaranjit Singh Savi, said that the Dr. Mahendra Singh Randhawa Literature and Art Festival is dedicated to the new creation of Punjab. The Kala Parishad dreams of connecting village culture, handicrafts, and fine arts, especially with entrepreneurship, so that the villages can be given a new economic direction. Renowned thinker Amarjit Singh Grewal said that Punjab's biggest concern is the future of its villages, especially the youth living in the villages, and the Punjab Kala Parishad is trying to address this challenge. Madhav Kaushik, President of Sahitya Akademi Delhi, said that Punjab is the land of scriptures and weapons, which has given birth to new consciousness and thought since ancient times. The Vice Chairman of Punjab Kala Parishad, Dr. Yograj Angrish, thanked the award-winning personalities and other guests. He said that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh Saund, and other prominent personalities participated in this festival.

On this occasion, Dr. Karamjit Singh, Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar, was honored with the Punjab Ratna Award, and Punjabi writer Banchit Kaur was honored with the Punjabi Mat Bhasha Award. Neena Tiwana received the Theatre Award, Dr. Dev Inder Singh the Fine Arts Award, Gurwinder Singh the Cinema Award, and Prof. Gurbhajan Gill was honored with the Punjab Gaurav Award in the field of literature. The award was presented by the chief guest, Dr. Sardara Singh Johal, along with Neelam Man Singh, Nirmal Rishi, Amarjit Grewal, and Gulzar Singh Sandhu.

Also present on the occasion were Ashwani Chatley, President of the Punjab Sangeet Natak Akademi; Dr. Atam Randhawa, President of the Punjab Sahitya Akademi; Gurdeep Dhiman, President of the Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi; and Dr. Harjit Singh, President of the Punjab Cinema and Digital Arts Academy, as well as Dr. Mahendra Singh Randhawa's grandsons, Ranjit Randhawa and Suchindra Randhawa.

The event was compered by Pritam Rupal. The ceremony began with the garlanding of Dr. Mahendra Singh Randhawa's statue.