Bill Text: NY K00732 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim April 2022, as Punjabi Awareness Month in the State of New York

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)

Status: (Passed) 2022-04-06 - adopted [K00732 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-K00732-Introduced.html

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Assembly Resolution No. 732

BY: M. of A. Rajkumar

        MEMORIALIZING  Governor  Kathy  Hochul to proclaim
        April 2022, as Punjabi Awareness Month in the  State
        of  New  York, in conjunction with the observance of
        Vaisakhi to be celebrated April 14, 2022

  WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to  recognize  and
pay  just  tribute  to  the cultural heritage of the ethnic groups which
comprise and contribute to the richness and diversity of  the  community
of the State of New York; and

  WHEREAS,  Attendant  to  such  concern,  and  in  keeping  with  its
time-honored traditions, it is the intent of this  Legislative  Body  to
memorialize  Governor  Kathy  Hochul  to proclaim April 2022, as Punjabi
Awareness Month in the State  of  New  York,  in  conjunction  with  the
observance of Vaisakhi to be celebrated April 14, 2022; and

  WHEREAS,  Punjab  is  a  diverse,  vibrant  state  in northern India
replete with  culture  and  history,  known  around  the  world  as  the
birthplace of Sikhism; and

  WHEREAS,  The  first  South Asians to immigrate to the United States
were Punjabis, overwhelmingly Sikhs, who arrived in large numbers in the
late nineteenth and early twentieth  century  to  work  as  laborers  in
California and the Pacific Northwest; and

  WHEREAS,  The  Punjabi American community continued to flourish, now
numbering in the hundreds of thousands, including  one  of  the  largest
Sikh  populations  in the world, and Punjabi Americans contribute to all
facets of life; and

  WHEREAS, Vaisakhi is one of the most important days of the year  for
Punjabis,  falling  on the first day of Vaisakha, the first month of the
year in multiple South Asian calendars, which this year  corresponds  to
April 14; and

  WHEREAS,  The  holiday  is  sacred  to Sikhs and some Hindus, having
begun as a harvest festival in Punjab, and taking on profound  spiritual
importance when, in 1699, the date marked the foundation of the Order of
the  Khalsa  by  Guru Gobind Singh Ji, a defining moment in Sikhism that
established many of its customs and precepts; and

  WHEREAS, The significance of Vaisakhi continued to evolve,  becoming
the date of the coronation of Ranjit Singh as first Maharaja of the Sikh
Empire in 1801; and

  WHEREAS,  Celebration of Vaisakhi takes various local forms in South
Asia and around the  world,  with  Sikh  celebrations  including  social
gatherings,  nagar kirtan processions with the singing of hymns, raising
of the Nishan Sahib flag, distribution  of  free  food,  and  visits  to
Gurdwaras, their houses of worship; and

  WHEREAS, Many Hindus observe Vaisakhi with activities such as ritual
bathing  in  sacred rivers, festivals, charitable acts, and processions;
and

  WHEREAS,  New  York  City  is home to festive annual celebrations to
observe Vaisakhi, including the Sikh Day Parade in Manhattan, the Turban
Day mass tying in Times Square, the Vaisakhi 5k Run in South Queens, and
celebrations at Gurdwara Sikh Cultural Society,  Inc.  Sangat  and  Baba
Makhan Shah Lubana Sikh Center in Richmond Hill; and

  WHEREAS,  Richmond  Hill  is  an epicenter of Sikhism in the Western
Hemisphere, home to one of  the  largest  Sikh  communities  outside  of
India, and often referred to as Little Punjab; and

  WHEREAS,  This  Legislative Body is pleased to have this opportunity
to recognize such events of significance which foster ethnic  pride  and
exemplify  the  cultural  diversity  that represents and strengthens the
fabric of the people and the State of New York; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
memorialize  Governor  Kathy  Hochul  to proclaim April 2022, as Punjabi
Awareness Month in the State  of  New  York,  in  conjunction  with  the
observance  of  Vaisakhi  to  be  celebrated  April  14, 2022; and be it
further

  RESOLVED, That copies of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted  to the Consul General of India, and various Indian and Sikh
organizations in the State of New York.