Sikhs Strive to Keep Language Alive

January 3, 2010

Author: Jonah Owen Lamb

Source: The Fresno Bee

http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/1768283.html

There's a lasting link between the 35-character alphabet used to write Punjabi and the Sikh religion.

The Sikh scriptures and the Punjabi language of many Sikhs were written in a script known as Gurmukhi. So to be fully initiated into the religion, you must know how to read it.

That has created a problem for the Sikh community of Livingston. Their children, many of whom speak only English, aren't able to understand the temple's priests -- let alone some of their own family members.

The problem, increasingly common in many Sikh communities, is threatening to create a cultural, linguistic and religious divide between generations, said several local Sikhs and the Sikh media. It's also a threat to the continuance of the religion among second- and third-generation Sikhs.