Punjabi Meets Telugu: Andhra Students to Learn Punjabi in Landmark Cultural Exchange

Chandigarh, May 24, 2025: In a historic move promoting national integration through linguistic diversity, students from Andhra Pradesh government schools will now learn the Punjabi language as part of a five-day cultural exchange program. Punjab’s School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains announced the initiative, stating it will foster deeper inter-state understanding and unity.

Under the Union Ministry of Education’s cultural pairing scheme, Punjab has been paired with Andhra Pradesh. Students from classes VI to X in Andhra will study the basics of Punjabi, while their counterparts in Punjab will learn introductory Telugu. The curriculum includes greetings, alphabets, numerals, common phrases, songs, and cultural knowledge such as local history and traditions.

Bains emphasized that this initiative is part of a wider national program aimed at preserving regional identities while encouraging mutual appreciation among states. Other notable pairings include Jammu & Kashmir with Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand with Karnataka, and Gujarat with Chhattisgarh.

Rebuffing criticism that Punjabi was being sidelined, Bains reiterated the Punjab government’s firm stance on linguistic pride. He recalled how Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s administration had made Punjabi a compulsory subject across all schools, regardless of board affiliation marking a nationwide first.

Calling objections to the exchange program “misplaced politicking,” Bains underscored that the initiative complements rather than threatens the prominence of Punjabi. “This program is about unity in diversity. Learning another language only enriches students’ understanding without diminishing their mother tongue,” he said.

The five-day summer camp is designed to be interactive and joyful, with students engaging in speech, song, cultural storytelling, and language games. The ultimate goal, the minister said, is to build bridges across India’s vast cultural spectrum by planting linguistic seeds early in young minds.