By Balwant Sanghera

Since its arrival in Canada about 125 years ago, the South Asian/ Indo-Canadian community in general and the Punjabi community in particular has made a commendable contribution to Canada’s growth and development. This community’s footprints are clearly visible in many fields and areas. Let us look at language and literature, for example. Wherever Punjabis have gone they have proudly taken their culture, language and literature with them. In this regard, over the years, countless writers, novelists, poets, story writers, journalists, film makers, radio/TV hosts, newspaper publishers/editors/ columnists have become a very powerful force in Canada. In this process they have brought the community to the forefront and given it a very high profile.

Punjabis, by their very nature, are very active politically. As such, every political party and government of any stripe pays close attention to our community, whether it is politics, culture or language. Speaking of language, Punjabi has now become one of the major languages of employment in Canada. As a matter of fact.in the 2011 census Punjabi came out as the third most spoken  language in Canada following Canada’s two official languages-English and French. Similarly, Punjabi songs and dances have become very popular even in the non-Punjabi communities. A large number of government and non-government agencies and services like hospitals, banks, city halls, businesses and credit unions etc. proudly display the sign: “We Speak Punjabi”. Our Vancouver International Airport is the only airport in the world, that has a number of signs and services in Punjabi .As a matter of fact, Punjabi language and culture have now become an integral part of the Canadian Mosaic. Politically, South Asians in general and Punjabis in particular are occupying prominent elected and non- elected positions at every level.

Canada can be rightly proud of its policy of multiculturalism, cultural diversity and inclusion. It is home to more than 200 communities representing every part of the globe. More than 200 different languages also call Canada their home. Like every other language and culture, people of South Asian heritage have also been enriching Canadian culture and literature since their arrival in Canada.  For example, in the beginning of the 20th century, the Punjabi community had started printing its own newspapers in Punjabi. Later on, a number of prominent Punjabi writers took the lead in writing about their own experiences and life in Canada. This was followed by our community starting radio and TV programs catering to the Punjabi diaspora. To-day, in places like Metro Vancouver, Greater Toronto Area, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal and Winnipeg, Punjabi media-both electronic and print -has become a formidable force in Canada.

In short, our community has excelled in every area including media, politics, technology, sports and business. Not only that, it is also now making its mark in many other areas including the film industry. A large number of Bollywood movies have done their shooting in Canada and continue to do so. Our own home grown film producers like Indo-Canadian Link editor R. Paul Dhillon have also made their mark in the film industry. Dhillon deals with contemporary issues in a very methodical and comprehensive manner. His latest production “Gone Are the Days” has been acclaimed worldwide. This MMM film was awarded Jaipur International Film Festival’s Runner Up Prize last year. Locally made films like this are also a great inspiration for so many of our budding artists and film makers. As a result of the sacrifices, perseverance and struggles of our pioneers, our community is finally on the go. Let us hope that like other communities, our community’s commitment and contribution to making Canada even a better place for all will continue to make a difference.

Balwant Sanghera is a retired School Psychologist and Community Activist.