Punjabiyat, meaning "Punjabiness", is a movement amongst Punjabis that supports closer links with Punjabi cultural traditions and lifestyle and the revitalization of the Punjabi language.
Aims and goals In Pakistan, its goal is a better status of Punjabi language along with Urdu at state level. In India, its goal is to bring the Sikh, Hindu and Muslim communities together.
The movement's supporters in the Punjabi diaspora focus on the promotion of a shared cultural heritage.
Link to Sikh nationalism Punjabiyat also has close links to Sikh nationalism due to the religious significance of Punjabi and the Gurmukhi script in Sikhism. With the advent of the notion of the Devanagari script, the association of Hindi and Sanskrit with Hindu nationalism, and the Arya Samaj advancing the cause of Devanagari in the late 19th century, the cause of Gurmukhi was advanced by Singh Sabha Movement. This later culminated in Punjabi Suba movement where Sikhs who mostly identified Punjabi as their mother tongue, while Hindus identifying with Hindi in the census, leading to trifurcation of state on a linguistic basis in 1966 and the formation of a Sikh majority, Punjabi speaking state in India. During the Khalistan movement, Kharkus were known to enforce Punjabi language, Gurmukhi script and traditional Punjabi cultural dress in Punjab. SGPC in its 1946 Sikh State resolution declared the Punjab region as the natural homeland of the Sikhs. Anandpur Sahib Resolution also links Sikhism to Punjab as a Sikh homeland.
See also Punjabi culture Punjabi Culture Day Punjabi festivals Punjabi Wikipedia
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