Punjab Newspaper

The Punjab government would involve top Punjabi artists, writers, critics and connoisseurs in framing the state’s culture policy. This was stated by the Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal while honouring the Punjabi singing sensation, Malkiat Singh for being the first crooner from Asia to be honoured with the status of a ‘Member of the British Empire’ (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace last month.
The singer whose chart-busting “tootak-tootak” number was the first to catapult Punjabi singing on to the global stage, called on Mr. Badal this morning to, as he put it, ‘ receive parental blessings after being decorated in foreign lands’. He said that he would be available for any input that the Chief Minister might seek in promoting Punjabi culture both at home and abroad.
The celebrated singer was the maiden bhangra artist to make it to the Queen’s Honours List to honour people for distinguished and long-standing service to the nation or the community in various fields.
Malkit went down the memory lane as he recalled how he had yearned to be a singer during his childhood days and used to dream of one day being in the company of ’statesman politician’ Parkash Singh Badal “who had a tall presence in national polity ever since he spearheaded the movement for democracy in the wake of the Emergency days. I place the affection showered on me by a figure of such historic stature as Mr. Badal as head of government in my home state even above the honour bestowed on me by the Queen, because Mr. Badal’s gesture symbolizes the love and affection of the people of my state. Mr. Badal inspired me to go even higher the field of art and culture which I had been serving for this cause for the past 24 years in United Kingdom,” a visibly moved Malkit told a bevy of waiting TV journalists at the Chief Minister’s official residence.
He also requested the Chief Minister to initiate steps to check the menace of piracy and vulgarity in Punjabi singing. He said that Punjab had a rich cultural heritage which must be preserved at all costs for our future generations. “People all across the globe had been fascinated by the charm and ingenuity of Punjabi culture. Weare entitled to take pride in that and have an obligation to preserve it in its purest form,” said Malkiat.