Canada’s national anthem was sung in both Punjabi and English for the first time in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL). A group of students from Amber Trails School sang ‘O Canada’ at the Winnipeg Jets game on Saturday night, reported CTV News. Students from kindergarten to Grade 8 choir were invited to the game to sing the anthem.
A video of the incredible moment was shared through Instagram account, bramalea.rd. The Instagram user captioned the video as, “Ahead of last night’s #WinnipegJets game, O Canada was performed in English and Punjabi for the first time in #NHL history”. The shared video has garnered more than 70 thousand likes.
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However, the reaction to the video has been mixed. While some users supported the move, others expressed unhappiness over the NHL’s gesture. Here is how Instagram users reacted to the video.
“This shouldn’t have happened RIP Canada,” wrote one user.
“They have translated English words into Punjabi, embracing diversity and showing inclusivity. Respect,” commented a second user.
“Canada is no more CANADA,” posted a third person.
“If the NHL was even 50% Indian I would say this is OK but I don’t even think there’s one player that’s Indian so why is this happening?,” commented a fourth one.
In an interaction with CTV News, Olivia Kelly, a music teacher at Amber Trails, highlighted that it was her first time working with many of these students. She said that the students helped her with the Punjabi pronunciation and performed the whole thing fantastically.
“I have a lot of students who speak Punjabi and come from homes that speak Punjabi. So to learn a little bit more about their lives and be able to speak a bit of their language and make that effort I feel is so important. It unites us all a bit more,” said Kelly.