A group of students in Canada's Winnipeg made National Hockey League (NHL) history over the weekend by singing a beautiful rendition of Canada's national anthem in Punjabi and English. According to CTV News, the student choir from Amber Trails School sang 'O Canada' at the Winnipeg Jets game on Saturday night. The NHL team invited students from kindergarten to Grade 8 choir to sing the anthem in both Punjabi and English for the first time in history. The performance was part of the Jets' celebration of South Asian Heritage Night at Canada Life Centre.
A video of the beautiful rendition has surfaced on social media and garnered millions of views and likes. "Ahead of last night's #WinnipegJets game, O Canada was performed in English and Punjabi for the first time in #NHL history," Instagram user Bramalea RD wrote while sharing the clip.
Watch the video below:
Shared just two days ago, the video has accumulated more than 4 million views and over 71,000 likes on Instagram. It, however, garnered mixed reactions from online users. While some called the performance very cool, others wrote that it was unnecessary.
"That is so cool! Kudos to the NHL and the Jets organization for making this happen. Love it," wrote one user. "Listening to our anthem sung in Punjabi or by an indigenous singer is the coolest," commented another. "They have translated English words into Punjabi, embracing diversity and showing inclusivity. Respect," wrote a third user.
However, one user expressed: "I am of Punjabi background and can't understand the need for this. Wokeism has no end". "Can someone explain why this is happening? Just asking," commented another.
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Meanwhile, speaking to CTV News, Olivia Kelly, a music teacher at Amber Trails, said this was her first time working with many of these students. She said it was a learning experience for her. "The students also really helped me with all of my Punjabi pronunciation and pulling the whole thing off. It was fantastic," she told the outlet.
"I have a lot of students who speak Punjabi and come from homes that speak Punjabi. So to learn a little bit more about their lives and be able to speak a bit of their language and make that effort I feel is so important. It unites us all a bit more," Ms Kelly added.
Notably, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada, Punjabi is the fourth most widely spoken language in the country as of 2021.
