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Punjabis come together to form association

DUBAI - The formation of the UAE chapter of the World Punjabi Organisation (WPO) was announced yesterday at a Press conference held at the Inter-Continental Hotel, Dubai.

With its headquarters in Dubai, the WPO aims to unite the Punjabis in the Gulf through socio-cultural activities that would instill a greater sense of pride among them and lead to a greater interaction as well.
Elaborating on the aims of the organisation, Vikramjit Sahney, International Secretary General of the WPO, said: "The WPO has always tried to propagate the richness of Punjabi culture abroad and we want to unite our Punjabi brothers in Dubai through social, cultural and economic activities."
A special three-day function will be organised here from January 17 to19 next year to commemorate this occasion with nearly 500 prominent individuals from the Punjabi community from around the globe expected to attend.
The WPO was set up in 1998 under the patronage of the erstwhile prime minister of India, Mr. I.K. Gujral and boasts the membership of many prominent Punjabis. They included Indian politicians Sushma Swaraj and M.L.Khurana, actors Raj Babbar and Sunil Dutt, journalists Prabhu Chawla and Kuldip Nayyar and a host of other individuals.
Apart from serving as a cultural meeting ground of Punjabis, the WPO has also organised several social activities such as organising blood banks during the Gujarat earthquake, awarding scholarships to needy students and the like.
The UAE chapter is also finalising a proposal to award financial aid and scholarships to Punjabi students from economically weak backgrounds in order to encourage the pursuit of higher education.
Apart from social service, the WPO is also actively involved in building better relations between Punjabis from the subcontinent. A "brotherhood delegation" consisting of Punjabis from India visited Pakistan in 1998 where financial help was offered to reconstruct Punjabi monuments and places of cultural importance.
The WPO has offices in countries such as the United Kingdom, the US, Canada, Singapore, Tokyo and Australia.
Speaking on the occasion was the Chief Advisor and General Secretary of the WPO Dubai chapter, Jasjeet Singh Jaaj who said: "With the recent Annual meetings of the Boards of Governers of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group, Dubai 2003, the Government of Dubai had placed Dubai firmly on the world map. As Dubai has become an important destination in the world, Punjabis all over the globe look at it as a hub of cultural activities. Consequently, we are planning to stage a lot of cultural programmes to meet this demand."
Members can look forward to the celebration of all important festivals and events in the Punjabi cultural calendar such as Lohri, Baisakhi, Gurpurab and the like.
The office-bearers for the Dubai chapter of the WPO are: President - H.S Sachar, Chief Adviser and Secretary General - Jasjit Singh Jaaj, Vice-President - Dr Robinder Singh, Joint secretary - N.S Pujji, and Treasurer - I.J.S. Bhatia. S.S. Gandhari and H.S. Sahney are the founding patrons of the WPO Dubai Chapter. The reshuffling of portfolios will be finally done in January, 2004.