Removing Language Barriers: Man from Karnataka keeps special date with Punjabi

The 42-year-old is also fighting to promote Punjabi language in Chandigarh. He has managed to get signboards and names of important places written in Punjabi as well.

3 min readChandigarhJul 26, 2017 09:07 AM IST

PGIMER, PGIMER doctors, PGIMER chandigarh, chandigarh south indian population, indian express news

a class apart: Prof Pandit Rao at PGI, Chandigarh, on Tuesday. Sahil Walia

EVERY WEEKEND a 42-year-old Kannada man, Pandit Rao, has a special date. He takes out his bicycle and goes to PGI doctors’ canteen. And there, over tea discusses finer nuances of Punjabi with South Indian doctors. If you listen in, you’ll be both surprised and delighted. Rao, a professor of sociology at Post Graduate Government College in Sector 46, Chandigarh, has been doing it since last year. He covers a distance of around 10 kilometres from his house in Sector 41 to the PGI and tries to remove the language barrier between South Indian doctors and Punjabi patients. Until now, around 60 Kannada doctors have picked up Punjabi, thanks to Rao.

It was self-motivation that led Rao to learn Punjabi. “I started teaching in 2003. I was teaching students in English language. I noticed that most of the students in my class belonged to Punjabi families and English as the medium of instruction did not help,” he says. “Then I started learning Punjabi on my own and with the help of my neighbours. By 2005 I began giving my sociology lectures in Punjabi.”

Encouraged by the result he saw in his classroom, Rao approached the then director of PGIMER, Yogesh Chawla, seeking permission for teaching Punjabi to the Karnataka doctors. Rao was given the go-ahead and the idea of learning Punjabi found favour with the South Indian doctors. “When I am in Punjab, I should know Punjabi. When we doctors speak Punjabi with the patients from Punjab, they feel more connected with us,” says Dr Vishwanath, 29, a senior resident doctor of PGI who also hails from Karnataka and is learning Punjabi from Rao.

“After learning the Punjabi language, we have developed an interest in Punjabi songs and Punjabi culture too,” adds Dr Vishwanath. Another Kannada student, Puneet Gowda, a junior resident doctor at PGI, says, “Rao has been sparing time for people like us who face language problems. I think he is the best Kannada-cum-Punjabi teacher who can make us understand Punjabi in an effective and easy manner.”

Dr Sombir Singh, president, Association of Resident Doctors, PGIMER, says, “Pandit Rao’s effort to teach Punjabi to doctors from Karnataka is really commendable. When doctors from south India come here, they cannot speak Hindi easily. So it becomes difficult for them to converse with the patients. If they learn to speak some Punjabi, it will be beneficial for the patients as well as the doctors.” Rao also teaches a group of Kannada engineers and scientists at Zirakpur.

Translation, award and signboards

Pandit Rao has translated the bani of Jap Ji Sahib, Sukhmani Sahib and Zafarnama (letter) from Punjabi into Kannada. He has also translated hymns of religious Kannada literature into Punjabi. Rao awards one of his best Punjabi learning students every year with Rs 35 as there are 35 alphabets in Punjabi language. The award is named after Guru Angad Dev, who actually wrote the Gurmukhi script.

The 42-year-old is also fighting to promote Punjabi language in Chandigarh. He has managed to get signboards and names of important places written in Punjabi as well.

Jagpreet Singh Sandhu

Jagpreet Singh Sandhu is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in Chandigarh. He is a veteran reporter with over a decade of experience, specializing in legal, crime, and environmental reporting across the tri-city area (Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula). Professional Background Core Beat: He primarily covers the Punjab and Haryana High Court, District Courts, CBI Courts, and Consumer Commissions. His legal reporting is known for breaking down complex judgments and tracking long-standing criminal cases. Environmental Reporting: Jagpreet has become a key voice in reporting on the deteriorating air quality and weather patterns in the Punjab-Haryana region. Crime & Technology: He frequently reports on cybercrime, digital arrest scams, and the intersection of technology and law enforcement, such as the development of citizen-centric policing apps. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 coverage has focused on significant judicial verdicts, major financial scams, and public health concerns: 1. Legal & CBI Court Verdicts "12 years on, CBI court acquits Haryana judge, parents in wife’s death case" (Dec 17, 2025): Detailed coverage of the acquittal of a judicial officer in a high-profile dowry death case from 2013. "‘Wicked & evil mind’: Court gives man 30-year term for kidnapping, sexually assaulting 8-year-old" (Dec 16, 2025): A report on a stern judgment from a Chandigarh district court in a POCSO case. "Man acquitted in rape case after victim found ‘very happy’ in wedding reception" (Dec 9, 2025): Covering a unique legal observation regarding consensual relationships and age verification. 2. Investigative & Scams "CBI registers FIR in Rs 1.14-cr Patient Welfare Grant scam at PGIMER" (Dec 19, 2025): An exposé on how funds meant for poor patients were siphoned off through forged documents and a photocopy shop inside the PGIMER campus. "Month-long torture, Rs 85 lakh transfers: How ‘Innocence Certificate’ led to a ‘digital arrest’ of an elderly couple" (Dec 12, 2025): Detailing a sophisticated cyber fraud targeting senior citizens in Chandigarh. 3. Environment & Public Safety "Panchkula air turns ‘very poor’, fourth worst in country" (Dec 22, 2025): Reporting on the sudden spike in pollution levels in Panchkula compared to neighbouring cities. "Soon, you can snap that overspeeding car, and report to Chandigarh Police" (Dec 16, 2025): Breaking news on a new mobile application being developed to allow citizens to report traffic violations via geo-tagged photos. 4. Gangster Culture & Crime "City Beautiful in the crosshairs of gangsters" (Dec 14, 2025): A feature analysis of how Chandigarh has increasingly become a staging ground for extortion and rivalries between gangster modules. "Shooters wanted for Parry murder held by Delhi Police Special Cell" (Dec 18, 2025): Following the developments in a high-profile murder case in Chandigarh’s Sector 26. Signature Style Jagpreet is recognized for his tenacious follow-up on cold cases and his ability to report on courtroom drama with a focus on victim rights. His work often highlights administrative lapses, whether in the handling of patient welfare funds or the enforcement of environmental standards. ... Read More

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