Speaker, J&K Legislative Assembly Kavinder Gupta today said Jammu and Kashmir is a treasure trove of various languages and dialects and Punjabi language forms an integral part of this milieu.Speaker said this while addressing a function organized in connection with the release of Punjabi novel ‘Amrita’ at Sri Guru Gobind Singh Public Hr Sec School Kunjwani Jammu.The book has been written by Prof Harbans Singh, a prominent personality of Punjabi Lekhak Sabha who is also the Chairman of Guru Nanak College of Education, Jallochack.The Speaker said regional languages keep a person connected to his culture and heritage and it is essential that we pass on our traditions and language to our children. He said government is committed to preserve the rich culture of the state and efforts are on to make Punjabi and other regional languages more integrated in the day to day lives of common people The Speaker remarking on lack of teaching of Punjabi language in schools said that there should be options open for students to be able to take up Punjabi as an additional language. He said he will take up the matter with the concerned.
The Speaker said this move besides connecting our children with their heritage would also help our Punjabi students to find employment within the state and they would not have to look to neighboring states for employment.The Speaker congratulated Prof Harbans Singh for his hard work and dedication towards promotion and preservation of Punjabi Sahitya and wished him success for his present book Amrita.This book is a novel based on the life of real Iron lady named "Amrita" and tells the tale of many sacrifices that she made by from beginning to end.Also present on the occasion were Vishav Nagrik Pardhan Punjabi Lekhak Sabha Jammu Davinder Singh, Additional Secretary J&K Academy of Art and Culture and Languages Dr Arvinder Singh Amn, Dr Baljeet Raina, CS Toor, Surinder Singh Seerat among others.