The James Logan Courier

By Jasmeen Banwait, Courier Staff Writer

The Punjabi Club celebrated Lohri, the "Bonfire Festival" at Logan on in Colt Court last week.

Many Logan students joined the celebration, which ran fro 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and brought along their family and other guests as well. The North Indian festival of Lohri is usually celebrated during the month of January, but was postponed until Feb. 16 to bad weather conditions.





The festival of Lohri marks the beginning of spring and the end of winter. A small bonfire was present at the celebration at Logan, with parents and students sitting around it. The night was accompanied with dancing and singing, and also Indian snacks and tea.

Harpaul S. Rana, who teaches Punjabi as a language at Logan, put together this celebration at Logan. He believes that “a multicultural activity such as the Lohri Celebration will help bring awareness of different cultures at school amongst different communities and promote unison and harmony.”

He also added “We no longer live in an isolated world. With the development of technology, the whole world has become very close to each other and just like one country. With the expansion of business to different parts of world, it is very essential to know the culture and festivals of different regions where you want to do business. Currently India and China are the most wanted markets and the whole world is looking for business opportunities in these countries. Knowledge of Indian and especially the Punjabi language and culture are very helpful to our students when they move on to the business world and become more Global. This multicultural knowledge looks good on their resume, gives the feeling of more openness to learning in the minds of employer. Thus a student becomes open to more and more learning. Learning means knowledge, and a student is more marketable. More marketable means not only employment potential, but a steep rise in the career ladder.”