L E T T E R S

Request for Meetings with Individuals/Organizations working for Punjabi Language Development

PUNJAB Lok Sujag is a non-profit registered organization working for the awareness, popularization and promotion of Punjabi language and cultural development in Pakistani Punjab. Lok Sujag annually organizes a Lok Boli Mela (Mother Language Festival) among the rural districts of Punjab for the sensitization over the development of Punjabi language in Pakistan. The details are available at: www.lokpunjab.org

Lok Sujag sister organization Lok Rahs is invited to visit Vancouver, Canada from 19-25 June 2006 to perform a Punjabi Street play named “Hond Unhond” on women issues in a (JM Projects festival). Lok Rahs has accepted invitation and participating in the festival.

Sujag do want to avail this opportunity and using it to trace some potential contacts and sympathizers who are willing to do some potential help for the promotion of Punjabi language and Culture in Pakistan. The idea is to explore such individuals, organizations, radio networks, and associations who are willing to do work for Punjabi Language development in Pakistani Punjab. Where language is continuously living under the unhealthy bilingualism; means state is patronizing only one language Urdu  at the cost of other regional languages.

Many Punjabi organizations are presently supporting cultural activities both at academic and non-academic level in Indian Punjab but this is not the case for Pakistani Punjab. Many reasons can be elaborated. We think by doing this they undermine a reality that language can still be the strongest bond between Indian and Pakistani Punjab.

The other reality is Pakistanis Diaspora in Canada has little concern for their Language identity. They neither understand nor have made efforts to understand the question of identity with reference to language and culture. It is in this background my organization is interested to have lobby, advocacy and networking for our work with activists/organizations/ promoting Punjabi language and Sabhyachar. Our plan is to give complete multimedia briefing of our vision, work and commitment to Canadian organizations.

For making it possible we need your strong cooperation. We want you to publish this letter for our identification of contacts to whom we later fix our meeting while reaching Canada. The best possible time for us is from 25th June to5th July 2006.

Sujag is also planning to trace out some activists groups/individuals/organizations to whom, we invite as cultural delegation from Canada for next Lok Boli Mela. Lok Sujag is organizing its third LOK BOLI MELA (Punjabi Language Festival) in the last week of November 2006 at Gogera, Sahiwal (Montgomery).

Hope Punjabis in Canada would extend cooperation.

Shafiq Butt
Postal address:
Punjab Lok Sujag,
78/E, Scheme # 2,
Farid Town, Sahiwal. Pakistan.
Ph: + 92 (0) 40 4552954,
Cell: + 92 (0) 345 7444704
Email: shafiqbutt@lokpunjab.org

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