Punjabi Language Education Association (PLEA) celebrated its 21 st Annual
International Mother Language Day event. Alongside active members of PLEA, well over 150
supporters of Punjabi were in attendance. Harman Pandher was the MC for this Program, who
opened the event with a land acknowledgement, recognizing they were on the unceded
territory of the First Nations people. A moment of silence was also dedicated to the victims of
the recent tragedy at Tumbler Ridge.
PLEA’s President, Balwant Sanghera, offered some welcoming words. He shared with the
audience PLEA's efforts to promote Punjabi Language education in local schools. He also
mentioned that continuing efforts to have Punjabi signs at the airport and at the BC borders.
The first student presentation was a song by Princess Margaret Secondary School student
Yasania Kaur. PLEA’s Vice-President, Dr. Sadhu Binning, delivered a consistent message from
PLEA, which was that Punjabi should receive national recognition in Canada. The second
student presentation was from eight-year-old Sohraab Singh Brar, who shared the importance
of Punjabi in his life, followed by Jeevan and Gurshanvir Bajwa, who presented a slide show
illustrating the benefits of learning Punjabi.
Canada’s Senator, Honourable Baltej Singh Dhillon, addressed the audience and shared his life
experiences with the Punjabi language in Canada. He said that Punjabi has helped him not only
in his personal life but also in his work. He was followed by Jessie Sunner, who is a Canadian-
born MLA representing Surrey Newton, and Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future
Skills of BC. She too shared her personal experiences with Punjabi and talked about how the
knowledge of her mother tongue Punjabi has helped her become an overall better person.
Punjabi student Jasmeet Singh Khaira recited a poem. He was followed by a short film, Rooted
and Rising, from Rohan and Jaiden Gill. Teachers from the Surrey School District, Gurpreet Bains
and Amandeep Chhina provided information about the successes of Punjabi in the District. They
shared the news that Grade Eight Punjabi will be available in Surrey's Secondary Schools as
needed. Vice-Chair of the Surrey School Board, Garry Thind, talked about the issues related to
Punjabi language education in Surrey schools. Like previous years, Garry Thind presented a kind
donation to the PLEA organization.
PLEA member Harman Pandher shared some words in support of reading Punjabi and informed
everyone about the free books that were being given during the event. Students Milan and
Maya Khera showed a video named Punjabi Pathways, which echoed the importance of
learning Punjabi language. Following their presentation, all the dedicated students who
participated in the Program were called on stage in recognition of their hard work and
commitment to Punjabi, and were presented with certificates and gifts.
In closing, Gurinder Mann, the Punjabi Professor at the University of British Columbia and
Parabjot Kaur Singh, Teacher at L.A. Matheson Secondary School, offered closing remarks.
A sincere thank you to Taj Park Convention Centre in Surrey. We appreciate their efforts to
support Punjabi through their collaboration with PLEA.
We are immensely thankful to the Deepak Binning Foundation for their continuous support
over the past 25 years.