CHANDIGARH: To promote Punjabi language and culture, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said all signboards in the state would have Punjabi on the top.Citing the examples of other states, Mann called upon the people to join a mass movement to promote the Punjabi language. “All signboards on private and public buildings across the state should be in Punjabi,” he said.
Mann was addressing a gathering to mark the Punjabi language month at Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar.The CM also cited the examples of states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and others where people show a lot of respect to their mother tongue by putting up all signboards on their shops and commercial establishments in their native language.
He exhorted Punjabis to make sure that all the signboards are put up prominently in Punjabi with other languages as a mark of respect to the mother tongue. Mann said people should ensure that the signboards in Punjabi are put up before International Language Day on February 21. He underscored the need for making this a mass movement as a mark of respect for the mother tongue.
He also called upon the Punjabi community within and outside the country to promote Punjabi language and culture in a big way. He pointed out that though English was universally accepted as a link language, it should not be promoted at the cost of mother tongue. “Sadly, the Punjabis are drifting away from their mother language. The trend needs to be reversed because we can communicate and express ourselves well only in our mother tongue.”
“Due to mental slavery, we still believe in superiority of English whereas the fact is that Punjabi is the best language for every one of us,” he added.“Many countries abroad are using Punjabi language but we are somehow shying away from it,” the AAP leader said.
Citing the example of France, the chief minister said the French preferred to converse in their mother tongue as a mark of respect, adding that Punjabis should also make their native language an integral part of their lives.He said no language is a symbol of intelligence. However, Punjabis continue to ignore their own mother tongue. The chief minister urged educational institutes in the state to initiate specialised courses in Punjabi language.
‘Punjabis drifting away from mother language’
CM Bhagwant Mann also called upon the Punjabi community within and outside the country to promote Punjabi language and culture in a big way. He pointed out that though English was universally accepted as a link language, it should not be promoted at the cost of the mother tongue. “Sadly, Punjabis are drifting away from their mother language. The trend needs to be reversed because we can communicate and express ourselves well only in our mother tongue,” he said.