February is Punjabi Language Month in the State of Illinois
Asian Media USA © Chicago IL: In recognition of the contributions of Punjabi speaking residents to the communities of the great state of Illinois, Governor J.B. Pritzker proclaimed the month of February as “Punjabi Language Month” in the great state of Illinois. This is in accordance with the United Nations International Mother Language Day which is a worldwide annual observance held on 21 February approved by U.N.E.S.C.O. to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote preservation and protection of all languages. Punjabi, the 9th most widely spoken language in the world, originated around 7th century in the Punjab region of the undivided India and Pakistan in South Asia and is spoken by more than 113 million people worldwide mainly by the Hindus, Sikhs, Muslim, and Christians with roots from the region. It is recognized as one of the official languages in India, Pakistan, United Kingdom, and Canada. Besides the above-mentioned countries there is a significant presence of Punjabis in Malaysia, East African countries, U.A.E., New Zealand, and Australia. There are more than 750,000 Punjabi speaking Americans and more than fifty thousand Punjabi speaking Illinoisans. “Several activities and events to celebrate the Punjabi Language Month have been planned for the Metro Chicago area. […]
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