By Balwant Sanghera
VANCOUVER: The Punjabi Language Education Association (PLEA Canada) had a very successful International Mother Language Day (IMLD) celebrations last week at the North Delta Recreation Centre in the Metro Vancouver area.
More than 200 persons filled the hall to celebrate this special day. As a result of the struggle and sacrifices of the Bengali community in general and students in particular in what is now Bangladesh, UNESCO declared February 21 as the International Mother Language Day (IMLD) throughout the world in 1999.
PLEA has been celebrating this special day for many years. This was our tenth celebration of IMLD. Since it is the centenary of the birth of the Gadar (Freedom) Movement in North America, this year’s celebration was dedicated to this movement and those brave and fearless fighters of our community who, through their sacrifices, paved the way for future generations to enjoy better life in Canada and the US.
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- The first Punjabi class in Canada started in 1908 at the Khalsa Diwan Society gurdwara in Vancouver.
- The first Punjabi newspaper in Canada –Swadesh Sewak – was started in Vancouver in 1910.
- Canada’s first Punjabi book – Dushman di Khoj Bhal – (Search of the Enemy) by Munsha Singh Dukhi was printed in Vancouver in 1914.
- Today, Punjabi is the third most spoken language in Canada with at least 460,000 speakers.
- Surrey, with close to 100,000 speakers of Punjabi, has now become the largest Punjabi-speaking community outside Punjab.
- Brampton in Ontario is close second with 91,000 speakers of Punjabi.