Coordinates

33°51′35.9″N151°12′40″N

{{infobox language |name

Punjabi Language |nativename , , ''Panjābī'' |states By a majority: Migrant speakers in: |region Punjab |speakers 88,000,000 (Ethnologue 2005 estimate)57,129,000 (Encarta) |familycolor Indo-European |fam2 Indo-Aryan |fam3 North-Western Zone |fam4 Indo-Scythian |fam5 Indo-Iranian |script Gurmukhi in Punjab (India), Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu and Sikh diasporaShahmukhi in Punjab (Pakistan) and Sarhad |nation (Indian Punjab) (Pakistani Punjab (Non-official)) |agency No official regulation |iso1 pa |iso2 pan |iso3 pan |image Punjabi gurmukhi shahmukhi devanagari.png |imagecaption The word "Punjabi" in Gurmukhi, Shahmukhi and Devanagari |imageheader Script |imagesize 100px |map Punjabispeakers.png |mapcaption Distribution of native Punjabi speakers in India and Pakistan |notice Indic |notice2 IPA }}

Punjabi ( in Gurmukhi script and in Shahmukhi script), which can be specified either as Eastern Punjabi or Western Punjabi, to distinguish the two variations spoken in either India or Pakistan. Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region (north western India and in north eastern Pakistan). For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most spoken language, but with no official status nor is it used as medium of education at any level.

According to the Ethnologue 2005 estimate, there are 88 million native speakers of the Punjabi language, which makes it approximately the 12th most widely spoken language in the world. According to the 2008 Census of Pakistan, there are 76,335,300 native Punjabi speakers in Pakistan and according to the 2001 Census of India, there are 29,102,477 Punjabi speakers in India.

Punjabi language has many different dialects, spoken in the different sub-regions of greater Punjab. Since the Partition of British India in 1947, the Punjabi spoken in the two countries has deviated from each other, with Pakistanis retaining increasingly on Persian and Arabic vocabulary through Urdu, while Indians since the partition are relying more heavily on Sanskrit vocabulary through Hindi. The Majhi dialect is Punjabi's prestige dialect. This dialect is considered as textbook Punjabi and is spoken in the historical region of Majha, centralizing in Lahore and Amritsar.

Along with Lahnda and Western Pahari languages, Punjabi is unusual among modern Indo-European languages because it is a tonal language.

History

Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language like many other modern languages of South Asia. It is a descendant of Sauraseni Prakrit, which was the chief language of medieval northern India.

Punjabi emerged as an independent language in the 11th century. The first traces of punjabi language can be found in works of nath yogis(jogis) gorkahnath & charpat nath in 9th & 10th century. The Punjabi literary tradition is popularly seen to commence with Fariduddin Ganjshakar (Baba Farid) (1173–1266), many ancient Sufi mystics and later Guru Nanak Dev ji, the first Guru of Sikhism. The early Punjabi literature was principally spiritual in nature and has had a very rich oral tradition. The poetry written by Sufi saints has been the folklore of the Punjab and is still sung with great love in any part of Punjab.

Between 1600 and 1850, Muslim Sufi, Sikh and Hindu writers composed many works in Punjabi. The most famous Punjabi Sufi poet was Baba Bulleh Shah (1680–1757), who wrote in the Kafi style. Bulleh Shah practiced the Sufi tradition of Punjabi poetry established by poets like Shah Hussain (1538–1599), Sultan Bahu (1629–1691), and Shah Sharaf (1640–1724). His lifespan also overlapped with the legendary Punjabi poet Waris Shah (1722–1798), of Heer Ranjha fame. Waris Shah's rendition of the tragic love story of Heer Ranjha is among the most popular medieval Punjabi works. Other popular tragic love stories are Sohni Mahiwal, Mirza Sahiba and Sassi Punnun. Shah Mohammad's Jangnama is another fine piece of poetry that gives an eyewitness account of the First Anglo-Sikh War that took place after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

The linguist George Abraham Grierson in his multivolume ''Linguistic Survey of India'' (1904–1928) used the word "Punjabi" to refer to several languages spoken in the Punjab region: the term "Western Punjabi" (ISO 639-3 pnb) covered dialects (now designated separate languages) spoken to the west of Montgomery and Gujranwala districts, while "Eastern Punjabi" referred to what is now simply called Punjabi (ISO 639-3 pan) After Saraiki, Potwari and Hindko (earlier categorized as "Western Punjabi") started to be counted as separate languages, the percentage of Pakistanis recorded as Punjabi speakers was reduced from 59% to 44%. Although not an official language, Punjabi is still the predominant language of Pakistan.

Modern Punjabi is not the predominant language of the Sikh scriptures (which though in Gurmukhi script are written in several languages). A few portions of Guru Granth Sahib use the Punjabi dialects, but the book is interspersed with several other languages including Brajbhasha, Khariboli, Sanskrit and Persian. Guru Gobind Singh, the last Guru of the Sikhs composed Chandi di Var in Punjabi, although most of his works are composed in other languages like Braj bhasha and Persian.

However, in the 20th century, the Punjabi-speaking Sikhs started attaching importance to the Punjabi written in the Gurmukhi script as a symbol of their distinct identity. The Punjabi identity was affected by the communal sentiments in the 20th century. Bhai Vir Singh, a major figure in the movement for the revival of Punjabi literary tradition, started insisting that the Punjabi language was the exclusive preserve of the Sikhs. After the partition of India, the Punjab region was divided between Pakistan and India. Although the Punjabi people formed the 2nd biggest linguistic group in Pakistan after Bengali, Urdu was declared the national language of Pakistan, and Punjabi did not get any official status. The Indian Punjab, which then also included what are now Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, became Hindi-majority.

In the 1960s, the Shiromani Akali Dal proposed "Punjabi Suba", a state for Punjabi speakers in India. Paul R. Brass, the Professor Emeritus of Political Science and South Asian Studies at the University of Washington, opines that the Sikh leader Fateh Singh tactically stressed the linguistic basis of the demand, while downplaying the religious basis for the demand—a state where the distinct Sikh identity could be preserved. The movement for a Punjabi Suba led to trifurcation of Indian Punjab into three states: Punjab (India), Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Modern Punjabi

In India, Punjabi is one of the 22 languages with official status in India. It is the first official language of Punjab (India). In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most spoken language and is the provincial language of Punjab (Pakistan) the second largest and the most populous province of Pakistan.

The famous Punjabi writers from Pakistan include:

Shareef Kunjahi

Mir Tanha Yousafi

Sanawar Chadhar

Abid Tamimi

Anwar Masood

Afzal Ahsan Randhawa

Aatish

Shaista Nuzhat

The famous Indian Punjabi poets in modern times are:

Prof. Mohan Singh

Amrita Pritam

Balwant Gargi

Shiv Kumar Batalvi

Surjit Paatar

Geographic distribution

Pakistan

Punjabi is the most spoken language of Pakistan. Punjabi is spoken as first language by over 44.15% of Pakistanis. Punjabis comprise the largest ethnic group in the country. Punjabis are dominant in key institutions such as business, agriculture, industry, government, army, navy, air force, and police which is why about 70% of Pakistanis can understand or speak Punjabi.

The Punjabis found in Pakistan are composed of various social groups, castes and economic groups. Muslim Rajputs, Jat, Tarkhans, Dogars, Gujjars, Gakhars, Khatri or Punjabi Shaikhs, Kambohs, and Arains, comprise the main tribes in the north, while Awans, Gilanis, Gardezis, Syeds and Quraishis are found in the south. There are Pashtun tribes like the Niazis and the lodhis, which are very much integrated into Punjabi village life. People in major urban areas have diverse origins, with many post-Islamic settlers tracing their origin to Afghanistan, Persia, Turkey, Arabia and Central Asia.

33,740,167 42,880,378 65,309,340 84,253,644 132,352,279

+Census History of Punjabi Speakers in Pakistan
Year	Population of Pakistan	Percentage
1951	|	57.08%	22,632,905
1961	|	56.39%	28,468,282
1972	|	56.11%	43,176,004
1981	|	48.17%	40,584,980
1998	|	44.15%	58,433,431

Source: In the National Census of Pakistan (1981) Saraiki, Pothohari and Hindko (Before categorized as "Western Punjabi") got the status of separate languages thats why number of Punjabi speakers got decreased.

PakistanPunjab (Pakistan)SindhIslamabad Capital TerritoryKhyber PakhtunkhwaBalochistan (Pakistan)Federally Administered Tribal Areas

+Provinces of Pakistan by Punjabi speakers (2008)
Rank	Division	Punjabi speakers
–	|	76,335,300	44.15%
1	Punjab ||	70,671,704	75.23%
2	|	3,592,261	6.99%
3	|	1,343,625	71.66%
4	|	396,085	0.97%
5	Balochistan ||	318,745	2.52%
6	|	12,880	0.23%

India

Punjabi is spoken as a native language by over 2.85% of Indians. Punjabi is the official language of the Indian state of Punjab.

The Punjabis found in India are composed of various ethnic groups, tribal groups, social groups (caste) and economic groups. Some major sub-groups of Punjabis in India include Ahirs, Arora, Bania, Bhatia, Brahmin, Chamar, Gujjar, Kalals/Ahluwalias, Kambojs, Khatris, Lobanas, Jats, Rajputs, Saini, Sood and Tarkhan. Most of these groups can be further sub-divided into clans and family groups.

Most of East Punjab's Muslims ''(in today's states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh)'' left for West Punjab in 1947. However, a small community still exists today, mainly in Malerkotla, the only Muslim princely state among the seven that formed the erstwhile Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU). The other six ''(mostly Sikh)'' states were: Patiala, Nabha, Jind, Faridkot, Kapurthala and Kalsia.

548,159,652 665,287,849 838,583,988 1,028,610,328 1,210,193,422

+Census History of Punjabi Speakers In India
Year	Population of India	Punjabi Speakers in India
1971	|	14,108,443	2.57%
1981	|	19,611,199	2.95%
1991	|	23,378,744	2.79%
2001	|	29,102,477	2.83%
2011	|	33,038,280	2.73%

The Punjabi Diaspora

Punjabi is also spoken as a minority language in several other countries where Punjabis have emigrated in large numbers, such as the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom (where it is the second most commonly used language) and Canada, where in recent times Punjabi has grown fast and has now become the fourth most spoken language.

List in order of native speakers

Rank !! Country !! First language
1		76,335,300
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25

Dialects: linguistic classification

In Indo-Aryan dialectology generally, the presence of transitional dialects creates problems in assigning some dialects to one or another "language". However, over the last century there has usually been little disagreement when it comes to defining the core region of the Punjabi language. In modern India, the states are largely designed to encompass the territories of major languages with an established written standard. Thus Indian Punjab is the Punjabi language state (in fact, the neighboring state of Haryana, which was part of Punjab state in 1947, was split off from it because it is a Hindi speaking region). Some of its major urban centers are Ludhiana, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, and Patiala. In Pakistan, the Punjabi speaking territory spans the east-central districts of Punjab Province. Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faislabad, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Sialkot, Jhang, SargodhaSahiwal, Bahawalnagar, Multan, Jhelum and Gujrat. Lahore the historic capital of Punjab is the largest Punjabi speaking city in the world. Lahore has 86% native Punjabis of total population of the city. and Islamabad the Capital of Pakistan has 71% Native Punjabis of total population.

Major Punjabi dialects

; Majhi : The Majhi dialect is Punjabi's prestige dialect and spoken in the heart of Punjab where most of the Punjabi population lives. The Majhi dialect, the dialect of the historical region of Majha, which spans the Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Okara, Gujranwala, Wazirabad, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat and to some extant in Jhelum District of Pakistani Punjab and Amritsar, Tarn Taran Sahib, and Gurdaspur Districts of the Indian State of Punjab.

; Potwari dialect|Potwari : This dialect is spoken in north Pakistani Punjab. mainly The area where Pothowari is spoken extends in the north from Muzaffarabad to as far south as Jhelum, Gujar Khan and Rawalpindi. [phr] 49,440 (2000 WCD). Murree Hills north of Rawalpindi, and east to Bhimber. Poonchi is east of Rawalakot. Potwari is in the plains around Rawalpindi. Alternate names: Potwari, Pothohari, Potohari, Chibhali, Dhundi-Kairali. Dialects: Pahari (Dhundi-Kairali), Pothwari (Potwari), Chibhali, Punchhi (Poonchi), Jhelumi, Mirpuri. Pahari means 'hill language' referring to a string of divergent dialects, some of which may be separate languages. A dialect chain with Panjabi and Hindko. Closeness to western Pahari is unknown. Lexical similarity 76% to 83% among varieties called 'Pahari', 'Potwari', and some called 'Hindko' in Mansehra, Muzaffarabad, and Jammun. Classification: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Northern zone, Western Pahari.

; Jhangochi dialect /Rachnavi/Changvi or Chenavari : Jhangochi (جھنگوچی) dialect is spoken in Pakistani Punjab. Jhangochi or Rachnavi is the oldest and most idiosyncratic dialect of the Punjabi. It is spoken throughout a widespread area, starting from Khanewal and Jhang at both ends of Ravi and Chenab to Gujranwala district. It then runs down to Bahawalnagar and Chishtian areas, on the banks of river Sutlej. This entire area has almost the same traditions, customs and culture. The Jhangochi dialect of Punjabi has several aspects that set it apart from other Punjabi variants. This area has a great culture and heritage, especially literary heritage, as it is credited with the creation of the famous epic romance stories of Heer Ranjha and Mirza Sahiba. It is spoken in the ''Bar'' areas of Punjab, i.e., areas whose names are often suffixed with 'Bar', for example Sandal Bar, Kirana Bar, Neeli Bar, Ganji Bar and also from Khanewal to Jhang includes Faisalabad and Chiniot.

; Shahpuri : This dialect is spoken in Pakistani Punjab. The Shahpuri language has been spoken by the people of the town Shahpur. This language has been spoken by the people of District Sargodha including Dera Chanpeer Shah, Khushab, Jhang, Mianwali, Attock, parts of Faisalabad (formerly Lyallpur), parts of Dera Ismail Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalnagar, Chakwal, Mianwali, Sargodha, Khushab and Mandi Bahauddin districts.

; Hindko : Classified under Lahnda languages by many linguists; perhaps differs from Punjabi. Hindko dialect is spoken in north west Pakistani Punjab and North-West Frontier Province mainly this dialect is spoken in districts of Peshawar, Attock, Nowshehra, Mansehra, Balakot, Abbottabad and Murree and the lower half of Neelum District and Muzafarabad.

; Malwi : Malwi spoken in the eastern part of Indian Punjab. Main areas are Ludhiana, Moga, Sangrur, Barnala, Faridkot, Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Mansa, Muktsar, Ambala, Bathinda, Ganganagar, Malerkotla, Ropar, Ferozepur. Malwa is the southern and central part of present day Indian Punjab. It also includes the Punjabi speaking northern areas of Haryana, viz. Ambala, Hissar, Sirsa, Kurukshetra etc. Not to be confused with the Malvi language, which shares its name.

; Doabi : Doabi spoken in Indian Punjab. The word "Do Aabi" means "the land between two rivers" and this dialects is spoken between the rivers of Beas and Sutlej. It includes Jalandhar, Nawanshahr, Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur districts.

; Pwadhi : Powadh or Puadh or Powadha is a region of Punjab and parts of Haryana between the Satluj and Ghaggar rivers. The part lying south, south-east and east of Rupnagar adjacent to Ambala District (Haryana) is Powadhi. The Powadh extends from that part of the Rupnagar District which lies near Satluj up to the Ghaggar river in the east, which separates the states of Punjab and Haryana. Parts of Fatehgarh Sahib district, and parts of Patiala districts like Rajpura are also part of Powadh. The language is spoken over a large area in present Punjab as well as Haryana. In Punjab, Kharar, Kurali, Ropar, Nurpurbedi, Morinda, Pail, Rajpura, and Samrala are the areas where the Puadhi language is spoken and the area itself is claimed as including from Pinjore, Kalka to Bangar area in Hisar district which includes even Nabha and Patiala in it.

;Dogri :Although Dogri is generally considered a separate language having its own vocabulary, some sources consider it a dialect of Punjabi. It is spoken by about 3.5 million peoples in the Jammu region of India.

;Saraiki/‏Multani : Saraiki or Multani is a mixture of jhangochi of Punjabi and Sindhi. Saraiki is the new name, for centuries, Multani was in use. It is now considered a separate language instead of merely a dialect of Punjabi.Saraiki has various sub-dialects such as Thalochi,Multani,Riasti and Derawali. It is mostly spoken in southern and western districts of Punjab,which comprises Multan, Lodhran, Bahawalpur, Mianwali, Bhakkar, Layyah, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan, southern and western parts of Khanewal,southern parts of Bahawalnagar and western parts of Khushab districts. It is also spoken by majority of population of Dera Ismail Khan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (خیبر پښتونخوا) province, kachi plain of Balochistan, northern parts of Sindh, and cities of Hyderabad and Karachi.

: Saraiki or Multani is also spoken by Hindu who migrated from Pakistan during partition of India. Multanis and areas of Southern Pakistani Punjab in Delhi speak the language at family gatherings. Though the language is losing it's base in India but community elders have been trying to keep it alive.

;Dhani : The people of Pothohar speak Pothohari dialect. However, the people of Chakwal or the Dhanni area in particular do not speak Pothohari and are ethnologically not regarded as Potoharis. They speak a distinctive Chakwali or Dhanni dialect of Punjabi, which is closer to Shahpuri, a dialect spoken in the Shahpur-Salt Range area and also has a slight element of Saraiki and Pothohari.

; Punjabi University classification

Punjabi University, Patiala, State of Punjab, India takes a very liberal definition of Punjabi in that it classifies Saraiki, Dogri and Pothohari/Pothwari as Punjabi. Accordingly, the University has issued the following list of dialects of Punjabi:

{| valign=top |

Awankari

Baar di Boli

Banwali

Bhattiani

Bherochi

Chacchi

Chakwali

Chambiali

Chenavri

Dhani

Doabi

Dogri

Ghebi

Gojri

Hindko

Jatki

Jhangochi

Kangri

Kachi

Lubanki

Malwai

Majhi

Pahari

Pothohari/Pindiwali

Powadhi

Punchi

Peshori/Peshawari

Rathi

Swaen

Thalochri

Wajeerawadi

The "Lahnda" construct

The name "Punjab" means "5 waters" in Persian (''panj ab'') and refers to five major eastern tributaries of the Indus River. The historical Punjab region, now divided between Pakistan and India, is defined physiographically by the Indus River and these five tributaries. The bulk of the Panjab, 3.5 rivers are located in Pakistan. One of the five, the Beas River, is a tributary of another, the Sutlej River, and lies entirely in present day India, well within the eastern half of historical Punjab.

The British linguist George Abraham Grierson came to the conclusion that a group of dialects known collectively as "western Punjabi" or Lahnda spoken north and west of the Punjab heartland, in the Indus valley itself and on the lower reaches of the other four tributaries (excluding the Beas River), in fact constituted a language distinct from eastern or jurdga Punjabi. He christened this group of dialects "Lahindā" in a volume of the Language Survey of India (LSI) published in 1919. He grouped as "southern Lahnda" the dialects that are now recognized as multani or Saraiki. The northern Lahnda sub-Group has eveloved into Modern Panjistani (or pahiri/mirpur/pothoahri)and modern Hindko .Grierson tentatively identified the boundary between Punjabi and "Lahnda" as a north-south line running from the Gujranwala District to the former Montgomery District (near the town on Sahiwal). This line lies well west of Lahore and within the boundary of Pakistan.

In the aftermath of the independence of Pakistan and subsequent Partition of 1947, some investigators supposed that the Punjabi speakers in new Pakistan might give up their native dialects and adopt one or another "Lahnda" dialect; but this did not occur.) that the language border between "western Panjabi" and "eastern Panjabi" has shifted since 1947 to coincide with the international border.

Examples

! English	! Majhi, Standard Punjabi	! Pothohari	! Dogri	! Pahari	! Multani	! Doabi
What are you doing? (masculine)	Ki karda ain?/ki karan deya ain?/ki karda pya ain?	Ka karne uo?	Ke karde o?	Ke (kay) peya kare-nanh?	Ke karende vade o?	! Ki karda aa?
What are you doing? (masculine to address female)	Ki kardi ain?/ki karan dayi ain?/ki kardi payi ain?	Ka karani ay?	Ke karani ae?	Ke (kay) pai (payi) kare-neenh?	Ke (kay) karendi vadi ein?	! Ki kardi aa tu?
How are you?	Ki haal ae?	Keh aal e?	ke aal a?	Tudda ke haal e (eh)?	Keevein haal tuhaade?	! Ki haal chal aa?
Do you speak Punjabi?	Tusi Punjabi Bol lainde o?	Punjabii bolne uo?	Punjabi bolde o?	Punjabi uburne o?	Tussan punjabi bol lainde ve?	! Tu punjabi bol laena?
Where are you from?	Tusi kithon de o?/Tusi kidron aaye o?	Tusa kudhr nay aiyo?	Tus kudhr to o?	Kathe ne o?	Tussan kidohn de o?	! Kithon aa tu?
Pleased to meet you.	Tenu/tuanu mil ke bahut khushi hoyi.	Tusan milay tay boo khushi oye.	Tusan nu miliye bahut khusi oyi.	Tussan mil ke khushi thi.	Teku/tuaku mil ke baun khushi thi e.	! Tuhanu mil k bahut khushi hoyi.
What's your name?	Tuada naa ki ae?	Tusan naa ke aa?	Tusan da naa kay ai?	Tudda ke naanh ve?	Tuhada naa ke ae?	! Tera naam ki aa?
My name is ....	Mera naa ain....	Mara naa ... e.	Mera naa ... e.	Mainda naanh ... eh.	Mainda/Maida naa ... e.	! Mera naam ... aa.
What is your village's name?	Tuade pind/graan da naa ki ae?/ Tuada pind/graan kehda ae?	Tusane graan naa ke aa?	Tusan da graan kay aa?	Tudde gerayenh na ke naanh ve?	Tuhade pind/graan da kay naa ae?	! Tere pind da ki naam aa?
Yes	Haanji	Aaho	Aah	Haan	Haanji	! Hanji
No	Nay	Naa	Nahin	Nayin	Naa	! Nai
Would you like (to eat) some sweets?	Mithaee lawoge? / Mithaee Khawoge?	Mithaee khaso?	Kish mithaee khaani e?	Kuj mitha khaine o?	Tussan mithaee ghinso?	! Mitha khaunge tusi?
I love you.	Main tenu pyaar karda (masculine)/kardi (feminine) haan./ Main tere nal pyaar karda (masculine)/kardi (feminine) haan.	Mai tuki pyar karna (masculine)/karni (feminine).	Mai tugi pyar karna/karni.	Main tuhan pyar kare-nanh (musculine)/kare-neh (feminine).	main teku pyaar karda/kardi haan.	! Mai tuhanu pyar karda/karni haan.
We went to the Cinema.	Assin Cinema gaye saan.	Assa cinema gaye saa.	As cinema gaye he.	Assi cinema gaye ayan.	Aasan cinema gaye hum.	! Asin cinema gye si.
Where should I go?	Mainu kitthe jana chahida ae?	Mai kudhar jaa?	Migi kuthe jaavnaah?		Maiku kitthe vanjna chaida ae?	! Mai kithe jawan?

Phonology

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |+Vowels ! ||Front||Near-front||Central||Near-back||Back |- !Close ||| || || || |- !Close-mid ||| || || || |- !Mid vowel | || || || |- !Open-mid ||| || || || |- !Open ||| || || || |} The long vowels (the vowels with ) also have nasalized versions.

{|class="wikitable" border="2" |+Consonants ! colspan="2"| ! Bilabial ! Labio-dental ! Dental/Alveolar ! Retroflex ! Palatal ! Velar ! Glottal |- align=center ! colspan="2"| Nasal | | | | | | | |- align=center ! rowspan="3"| Plosive andAffricate ! voiceless | | | | | | | |- align=center ! voiceless aspirated | | | | | | | |- align=center ! voiced | | | | | | | |- align=center ! colspan="2"|Fricative | | | | | | | |- align=center ! colspan="2"|Flap | | | | | | |- align=center ! colspan="2"|Approximant | | | | | | | |}

;Tone

Punjabi has three phonemically distinct tones that developed from the lost murmured (or "voiced aspirate") series of consonants. Phonetically the tones are rising or rising-falling contours and they can span over one syllable or two, but phonemically they can be distinguished as high, mid, and low.

A historical murmured consonant (voiced aspirate consonant) in word initial position became tenuis and left a low tone on the two syllables following it: '''' "horse". A stem final murmured consonant became voiced and left a high tone on the two syllables preceding it: '''' "October". A stem medial murmured consonant which appeared after a short vowel and before a long vowel became voiced and left a low tone on the two syllables following it: '''' "to have something lit". Other syllables and words have mid tone.

Grammar

Writing system

There are several different scripts used for writing the Punjabi language, depending on the region and the dialect spoken, as well as the religion of the speaker. In the Punjab province of Pakistan, the script used is Shahmukhi and differs from the standard Nastaʿlīq script as it has four additional letters. The eastern part of the Punjab region, located in India, is divided into three states. In the state of Punjab, the Gurmukhī script is generally used for writing Punjabi. Punjabi Hindus, who are mainly concentrated in the neighbouring Indian states such of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, as well as the national capital territory of Delhi, sometimes use the Devanāgarī script to write Punjabi.

While a Punjabi GCSE is available to students in the United Kingdom; its written exam is in Gurmukhi only.

Punjabi in modern culture

Punjabi is becoming more acceptable among Punjabis in modern media and communications. Punjabi has always been an integral part of Indian Bollywood cinema. In recent years a trend of Bollywood songs written totally in Punjabi can be observed. Punjabi pop and folk songs are very popular both in India and Pakistan at the national level. A number of television dramas based on Punjabi characters are telecast by different channels. The number of students opting for Punjabi literature has increased in Pakistani Punjab. Punjabi cinema in India has also seen a revival and more and more Punjabi movies are being produced. Punjabi music is very popular in modern times.

Sample text

Example 1

''This sample text was taken from the Punjabi Wikipedia article on Amritsar; translated to English and transliterated to Latin.

Gurmukhi: ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ, ਮਤਲਬ "ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਦਾ ਸਰੋਵਰ", ਪੰਜਾਬ, ਭਾਰਤ ਦਾ ਸਰਹੱਦੀ ਸ਼ਹਿਰ ਹੈ। ਇਹ ਸਥਾਨ ਸਿੱਖ ਧਰਮ ਦ ਧਾਰਮਿਕ ਅਤੇ ਸਭਿਆਚਾਰਕ ਕੇਂਦ‍ਰ ਹੈ| ਇਹ ਦੀ ਆਬਾਦੀ ਕਰੀਬ ੨੦੦੦੦੦੦ ਸ਼ਹਿਰੀ ਅਤੇ ੩੦੦੦੦੦੦ ਦੇ ਕਰੀਬ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ ਜ਼ਿਲੇ ਵਿੱਚ ੨੦੦੧ ਭਾਰਤੀ ਜਨ-ਸੰਖਿਆ ਗਣਨਾ ਅਨੁਸਾਰ ਹੈ। ਇਸ ਦਾ ਪਰਸ਼ਾਸਕੀ ਮੁੱਖ ਦਫ਼ਤਰ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ ਜ਼ਿਲਾ ਹੈ। ਇਹ ਭਾਰਤ ਦੀ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਪਰਦੇਸ਼ ਵਿੱਚ ਉੱਤਰੀ ਭਾਗ ਹੈ, ਜੋ ਕਿ ਲਾਹੌਰ ਤੋਂ 67 ਕਿਲੋਮੀਟਰ ਦੂਰ ਹੈ।

Shahmukhi: امرتسر، مطلب "امرت دا سروور"، پنجاب، بھارت دا سرحدی شہر ہے۔ ایہہ ستھان سکھی د دھارمک اتے سبھیاچارک کیند‍ر ہے| اس دی آبادی قریب 2000000 شہری اتے 3،000،000 دے قریب امرتسر ضلع وچّ 2001 بھارتی جن-سنکھیا گننا انوسار ہے۔ اس دا پرشاسکی مکھ دفتر امرتسر ضلع ہے۔ ایہہ بھارت دی پنجاب پردیش وچّ اتری بھاگ ہے، جو کہ لاہور توں 67 کلومیٹر دور ہے۔

Transliteration: ammritsar, matlab "amrit dā sarōvar", panjāb, pā̀rat dā sarhaddī shahir he. ih sathān sikkh tàram da tā̀rmik atē sàbiācārak kēnda‍r he. ih dī ābādī karīb 2,000,000 shahirī atē 3,000,000 dē karīb ammritsar zilē vicc 2001 pā̀ratī jan-sankhiā gaṇanā anusār he. is dā parshāskī mukkh daftar ammritsar zilā he. ih pā̀rat dī panjāb pardēsh vicc uttarī pā̀g he, jō ki lāhor tō᷈ 67 kilōmīṭar dūr he.

Example 2

''This sample text was taken from the Punjabi Wikipedia article on Lahore; translated to English and transliterated to Latin.

Gurmukhi: ਲਹੌਰ ਪਾਕਿਸਤਾਨ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦਾ ਦਾਰੁਲ ਹਕੂਮਤ ਐ। ਲੋਕ ਗਿਣਤੀ ਦੇ ਨਾਲ ਕਰਾਚੀ ਤੋਂ ਬਾਅਦ ਲਹੌਰ ਦੂਜਾ ਸਬ ਤੋਂ ਵੱਡਾ ਸ਼ਹਿਰ ਐ। ਲਹੌਰ ਪਾਕਿਸਤਾਨ ਦਾ ਸਿਆਸੀ, ਰਹਤਲੀ ਤੇ ਪੜ੍ਹਾਈ ਦਾ ਗੜ੍ਹ ਐ ਤੇ ਇਸੇ ਲਈ ਇਹਨੂੰ ਪਾਕਿਸਤਾਨ ਦਾ ਦਿਲ ਵੀ ਕਿਹਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਏ। ਲਹੌਰ ਦਰਿਆਏ ਰਾਵੀ ਦੇ ਕੰਡੇ ਤੇ ਵਸਦਾ ਏ ਉਹਦੀ ਲੋਕ ਗਿਣਤੀ ਇੱਕ ਕਰੋੜ ਦੇ ਨੇੜੇ ਐ ।

Shahmukhi:

Transliteration: lahor pākistān panjāb dā dārul hakūmat e. lōk giṇtī dē nāḷ karācī tō᷈ bāad lahor dūjā sab tō᷈ vaḍḍā shahir e. lahor pākistān dā siāsī, rahtalī tē paṛā̀ī dā gā́ṛ e tē isē laī ihnū᷈ pākistān dā dil vī kihā jāndā ē. lahor dariāē rāvī dē kanḍē tē vasdā ē uhdī lōk giṇtī ikk karōṛ dē nēṛē e.

Dictionaries

Kalra, Surjit S. & Nagi, J.S., ''English–Panjabi Topic Dictionary''. DTF Publishers and Distributors, 117 Soho Road, Handsworth, Birmingham B21 9ST. 2009. (Useful for U.K. diaspora).

Singh, Maya. The Panjabi dictionary. Lahore: Munshi Gulab Singh & Sons, 1895.

Shabdkosh.com: Punjabi to English Dictionary English to Punjabi Dictionary

Online translator English to Punjabi, or vice-versa

''Punjabi Kashmiri Dictionary'' by Omkar N Koul and Rattan Lal Talashi. Patiala: Language Department. 1998.

Pothohari (Northern Lahnda, pahari or Modern panjistani) dictionary by Sharif Shad

See also

Languages of Pakistan

Languages of India

Western Punjabi

List of Indian languages by total speakers

Hindi to Punjabi Machine Translation System

English to Punjabi Machine Translation

Punjabi Computing Resources

Notes

Note 3 Bhatia, Tej K. 2007. Regional languages of South Asia. In: Sridhar and Kachru. Languages in South Asia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Note 4 Bhatia, Tej K. 2005. Punjabi, Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, 2nd Edition, pp. 291–295. Oxford: Elsevier Ltd

Note 7

Bhatia, Tej K. Punjabi: A Cognitive-Typological Study. [General Editor: Bernard Comrie], London: Routledge. 2010 [paperback] and 1993.

Bhatia, Tej K. 1996. Lexical Anaphors and Pronouns in Punjabi. In: Lexical Anaphors and Pronouns in Selected South Asian Languages, Barbara Lust et al. (eds.), 637-714. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

References

Burling, Robbins. 1970. ''Man's many voices''. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Ethnologue. Indo-Aryan Classification of 219 languages that have been assigned to the Indo-Aryan grouping of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages.

Ethnologue. Languages of India

Ethnologue. Languages of Pakistan

Grierson, George A. 1904–1928. Grierson's Linguistic Survey of India. Calcutta.

Masica, Colin. 1991. ''The Indo-Aryan languages''. Cambridge Univ. Press.

Rahman, Tariq. 2006. The role of English in Pakistan with special reference to tolerance and militancy. In Amy Tsui et al., ''Language, policy, culture and identity in Asian contexts''. Routledge. 219–240.

Shackle, C. 1970. Punjabi in Lahore. ''Modern Asian Studies'', 4(3):239–267. JSTOR">Available online at JSTOR.

Further reading

Punjabi Phrasebook on Wikitravel

Bhatia, Tej. 1993 and 2010. ''Punjabi : a cognitive-descriptive grammar''. London: Routledge. Series: Descriptive grammars.

Gill H.S. [Harjit Singh] and Gleason, H.A. 1969. A reference grammar of Punjabi. Revised edition. Patiala, Punjab, India: Languages Deparmtent, Punjab University.

Shackle, C. 1972. ''Punjabi''. London: English Universities Press.

Chopra, R. M., Perso-Arabic Words in Panjabi, in: Indo-Iranica Vol.53 (1–4).

External links

Learn how to read Gurmukhi, muharni and count in Gurmukhi/punjabi

englishtopunjabi.com Write in Punjabi using English keyboard.

Category:Languages of Pakistan Category:Languages of India Category:Punjabi culture Category:Punjabi language Category:Tonal languages Category:SOV languages Category:Indo-Aryan languages

ar:لغة بنجابية bn:পাঞ্জাবি ভাষা be:Панджабі br:Pandjabeg bg:Панджабски език ca:Panjabi cv:Панджаби cs:Paňdžábština cy:Punjabi da:Punjabi de:Panjabi et:Pandžabi keel es:Idioma panyabí eo:Panĝaba lingvo eu:Punjabera fa:زبان پنجابی hif:Panjabi bhasa fr:Panjâbî fy:Pûnjabysk ga:An Phuinseáibis gl:Lingua punjabi gu:પંજાબી ભાષા ko:펀자브어 hi:पंजाबी भाषा io:Pundjabi linguo bpy:পাঞ্জাবি ঠার id:Bahasa Punjabi ia:Lingua panjabi is:Púndjabí it:Lingua punjabi he:פנג'אבי kn:ಪಂಜಾಬಿ ka:პენჯაბური ენა ks:पञ्जाबी la:Lingua Panjabica lv:Pandžabu valoda lt:Pandžabų kalba lij:Lengua punjabi ml:പഞ്ചാബി ഭാഷ arz:بنجابى ms:Bahasa Punjabi nl:Punjabi new:पञ्जाबी भाषा ja:パンジャーブ語 no:Panjabi nn:Panjabi pa:ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਭਾਸ਼ਾ pnb:پنجابی pms:Lenga panjabi oriental pl:Język pendżabski pt:Língua panjabi ro:Limba punjabă qu:Panyabi simi ru:Панджаби sa:पञ्जाबी sco:Panjabi Leid simple:Punjabi language sk:Pandžábčina sr:Панџаби (језик) sh:Punjabi jezik fi:Punjabin kieli sv:Punjabi ta:பஞ்சாபி மொழி th:ภาษาปัญจาบ tg:Забони панҷобӣ tr:Pencapça uk:Пенджабська мова ur:پنجابی زبان ug:پەنجاب تىلى vi:Tiếng Punjab zh-yue:旁遮普話 zh:旁遮普語

Coordinates	33°51′35.9″N151°12′40″N
name	Moin Akhtar معین اختر
birth date	December 24, 1950
birth place	Karachi, Pakistan
death date	April 22, 2011
death place	Karachi, Pakistan
nationality	Pakistani
other names	Moin Bhai
awards	Pride of Performance, Sitara-e-Imtiaz
occupation	Actor, comedian, impersonator, host, dramatist, writer, singer, film director, film producer
years active	1966–2011 }}

Moin Akhtar (, also spelled as, Moeen Akhtar; 24 December 1950 – 22 April 2011) was a Pakistani television, film and stage actor, as well as a humorist, comedian, impersonator, and a host. He was also a play writer, singer, film director and a producer.

Akhtar was born in Karachi to Urdu speaking parents migrated from Mumbai India, was highly dynamic and versatile performer, he made his debut for television on 6 September 1966, in a variety show held on PTV to celebrate the first defense day of Pakistan‎. Since then, he has performed several roles in TV plays/shows, later making a team with Anwar Maqsood and Bushra Ansari.

He was beloved for providing humor for people of all ages, and with an etiquette that remains unmatched. His attempts to avoid vulgarity in his humor rendered him a favorite amongst family audiences. Akhtar was fluent in several languages, including English, Bengali, Sindhi, Punjabi, Memon, Pashto, Gujarati and Urdu. He performed not only in Pakistan but played in several stage shows like ''Bakra Qiston Pe'' and ''Buddha Ghar Pe Hai'' with Umer Sharif in India too.

Moin Akhtar rose to the national spotlight and gathered critical acclaim for his performance in the drama ''Rosy /Rozy (روذی)'', in which he played the role of a female TV artist. Rozy was an Urdu adaptation of Hollywood movie ''Tootsie'' starring Dustin Hoffman. Moreover, in a talk-show namely ''Loose Talk'', which began in 2005 on ''ARY Digital'', he appeared as a different character in each and every of over 400 episodes interviewed by Anwar Maqsood, the writer and the host of the program. Akhter also briefly hosted the game show ''Kya Aap Banaingay Crorepati?'', the Pakistani version of ''Who Wants to be a Millionaire?''.

He was awarded honorary citizenship of Dallas in 1996 for his achievements. He is also listed among Amazing Pakistanis of all time.

Selected television serials

''Rozi''

''Dollar Man''

''Makaan No 47''

''Half Plate''

''Family-93''

''Eid Train''

''Bandar Road Se Keamari''

''Such Much''

''Aangan Tehra''

''Baby''

''Rafta Rafta''

Host

He was the host of the show in which

King Husain of Jordan was invited.

The Prime minister of Gambia, Dawoodi-Al-Joza, was invited.

President Zia-ul-Haq was invited.

Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was invited.

President General Yahya Khan was invited.

President Ghulam Ishaq Khan was invited.

President Pervez Musharaf was invited and he mimicked the president in his presence.

Moin Akhter Show

Lagay raho Moin Bhai

Legendary Indian film actor Dilip Kumar was invited.

Television shows

Fifty Fifty (comedy serial from PTV)

Show Sha

Showtime

Studio Dhhaai (Studio 2.5)

Studio Pone Teen (Studio 2.75)

Loose Talk (From ARY Digital)

Songs and albums

;Album - Tera Dil Bhi Yun Hi Tadpe

"Chhorr Ke Jaane Wale"

"Choat Jigar Pe Khai Hai"

"Ro-Ro Ke De Raha Hai"

"Tera Dil Bhi Yun Hi Tadpe"

"Dard Hi Sirf Dil Ko Mila"

"Dil Ro Raha Hai"

"Hoten Hai Bewafa"

Death

He died on 22 April 2011 at about 6:15pm in Karachi after suffering from a heart attack. He is survived by his wife, three daughters and two sons. The funeral prayers of Moin Akhtar were offered in Tauheed Mosque near his residence. Thousands of people attended the funeral prayer which was led by Junaid Jamshed.

References

Category:1950 births Category:2011 deaths Category:Muhajir people Category:Pakistani comedians Category:Pakistani film actors Category:Pakistani film singers Category:Pakistani Muslims Category:Pakistani people Category:Pakistani singers Category:Pakistani stage actors Category:Pakistani television actors Category:Pakistani television personalities Category:Pakistani writers Category:Pakistani game show hosts Category:People from Karachi

da:Moin Akhter no:Moin Akhter pnb:معین اختر pt:Moin Akhter ur:معین اختر

Coordinates	33°51′35.9″N151°12′40″N
name	Gurpreet Ghuggi
background	non_performing_personnel
birth name	Gurpreet Singh Oberoi
birth date	July 19, 1971
place of birth	Khokhar Fojian, Gurdaspur, Punjab, India
genre	Comedy
genre	Comedy
occupation	Comedian, Actor
label	Shemaroo (India)
website	Official website }}

Gurpreet Ghuggi, is an Indian comedian born in the village of Khokhar Fojian in District Gurdaspur, Punjab, India. Currently, he resides in Jalandhar, Punjab.

Family

Ghuggi's parents are originally from Kulla Mandiyala, Sialkot, Province of Punjab in British India, now Pakistan but his family moved to Khokkhar Faujian, District Gurdaspur, Panjab, India in 1947 after the partition.His parents are Sardar Gurnam Singh and Sukhwinder Kaur.

Shows/Movies

He is a very natural comedian who always seems to find a message in his comedy. He started his journey as a punjabi actor in Jalandhar Doordarshan's tele-films and shows. He appeared in a serious lead role in serial Parchhaven produced by Jalandhar Doordarshan. He also performed in numerous acts and gags with other Punjabi comedians such as Chacha Raunki Ram (Balwinder Bicky), whom he considers his guru. His journey took a new turn when he participated in reality shows such as ''The Great Indian Laughter Challenge'' on Star One where he got noticed all over India and abroad. Later on he performed in another show ''Hans Baliye'' which aired on Sony Entertainment television. He has acted as a comedian in many Hindi and Punjabi movies like ''Namastey London, Race, Asa Nu Maan Watna Da, Yaara Naal Bahaara, Humko Deewana Kar Gaye, Singh Is Kinng, Mera Pind, Jijja Ji, Jag Jeondeyan De Mele, Tera Mera Ki Rishta'' and ''Munde U.K. De''. He also apperead in the live shows ''Shounki Mela 2003'' (along with Kamal Heer, Manmohan Waris and Sangtar) and ''Vaisakhi Mela 2009'' (along with Jazzy B and Sukhshinder Shinda) and ''Vaisakhi Mela 2010'' (along with Nachatter Gill, Master Saleem and others).

Popularity

Gurpreet Ghuggi is extremely popular in India, Canada, U.K., U.S.A., New Zealand, Australia, Italy, etc. He has performed live shows at all of these places. His videos, which have been posted on YouTube by fans, are very popular with thousands of views.

Discography

! Year	! Album	! Record label
2007	''Meri Vahuti Da Viyah''	Shemaroo
2005	''Ghuggi Khol Pitari''	T-Series
2005	''Tamasha Ghuggi Da''	T-Series
2004	''Ghuggi Shoo Mantar''	T-Series
2004	''Ghuggi Da Viah''	T-Series
2003	''Ghuggi De Bachche''	T-Series
2003	''Ghuggi Kare Kolki''	Music Waves
2003	''Ghuggi Junction''	Plasma Records
2002	''Tohfe Ghuggi De''	T-Series

Videography

! Year	! Title	! Record label
2010	''Ghasita Hawaldar Santa Banta Frar''	Shemaroo
2010	''Khich Ghuggi Khich''	T-Series
2009	''Ghuggi Hein Te Udd Ke Vakha''	Eagle
2009	''Ghuggi Labhey Gharwali''	Shemaroo
2008	''Ghuggi Yaar Gup Na Mar''	Shemaroo
2008	''Ghuggi De Barati''	Tips
2007	''Meri Vahuti Da Viyah''	Shemaroo
2005	''Ghuggi Khol Pitari''	T-Series
2004	''Ghuggi Shoo Mantar''	T-Series
2003	''Ghuggi Junction''	Plasma Records

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role
2011	''The Lion of Punjab''
2010	''Mar Jawan Gur Khake''
2010	''Ik Kudi Punjab Di''
2010	''Lad Gaya Pecha''	Baljeet
2009	''Lagda Ishq Ho Gaya''	Servant (Bhapa)
2009	''Munde U.K. De''	DJ (Diljeet Singh)
2009	''Tera Mera Ki Rishta''	Wedding Planner
2009	''Jag Jeondeyan De Mele''	Lucky/Mitha singh (Munim)
2008	''Chak De Phatte''	Pinka Bhoond/Ratan Singh Tata (Jahli naam)
2008	''Mera Pind''	Teetu Kalra (Property Dealer)
2008	''Singh Is Kinng''	Gurpreet Ghuggi
2008	''Race (2008 film)''
2007	''Namastey London''	Taxi Driver
2006	''Ek Jind Ek Jaan''	Comedy King-Ghuggi
2006	''Rab Ne Bana di Jodi''
2006	''Dil Apna Punjabi''	Prabhjot Singh Mundi (NRI Punjabi)
2005	''Yaaran Naal Baharan''	College Student
2004	''Asa Nu Maan Watna Da''	Patwari Jhilmil Singh
2002	''Jee Aayan Nu''	Travel Agent

Personal life

He is married to Kuljeet Kaur, who hails from Jalandhar. She also participitated in "Hans Baliye" (on STAR One channel) with Ghuggi. They won the contest. Ghuggi is a very simple and friendly person. He always meets his fans with a big smile on his face.He has one son(Sukhan) and one daughter (Ramneek).

References

http://www.gurpreetghuggi.com/biography.swf?nocache=1229904000505

Category:Indian comedians Category:Living people Category:1971 births

Coordinates	33°51′35.9″N151°12′40″N
Name	Sunny Leone
Gender	female
Birth date	May 13, 1981
Birth place	Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
Birth name	Karen Malhotra
Height
Weight
Shoe size	6.5
Eye color	Brown
Hair color	Black
Skin color	Olive
Ethnicity	Indian
Number of films	2024 and 5 as director (per IAFD)
Website	http://www.sunnyleone.com
Spelling	US }}

Sunny Leone (born Karen Malhotra; May 13, 1981) is an Indo-Canadian pornographic actress, businesswoman and model. She was named ''Penthouse'' Pet of the Year in 2003 and was a contract star for Vivid Entertainment. Named by ''Maxim'' as one of the 12 top porn stars in 2010, she has also played roles in independent mainstream films and television shows.

Early life

Leone was born Karen Malhotra in Sarnia, Ontario to Sikh Punjabi parents from India. Her father was born in Tibet and raised in Delhi, while her mother (who died in 2008) was from a small town named Nahan in Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh. As a young girl, she was very athletic and played street hockey with the boys, enjoyed ice skating on a nearby frozen lake and drinking hot chocolate in front of a fire after playing in the snow all day.

Though she was raised as a sikh, her parents enrolled her in a Catholic school, as it was felt to be unsafe for her to go to public school. There she had her first kiss at 11, lost her virginity to a basketball player at another school at 16, and found out she was bisexual at 18. When she was 13, her family moved to Fort Gratiot, Michigan, then to Lake Forest, California a year later, fulfilling her grandparents' dream that the family be together in one place. She graduated from high school in 1999 and enrolled in college.

Career

Before working in the porn industry, she first worked at a German bakery, a Jiffy Lube, and later a tax and retirement firm.

While studying to be a pediatric nurse in Orange County, a classmate who was an exotic dancer introduced Leone to John Stevens, an agent who in turn introduced her to Jay Allen, a photographer for ''Penthouse'' magazine. When picking a name for her adult career, she has said that Sunny is her real name and Leone was picked by Bob Guccione, former owner of ''Penthouse'' magazine. She posed for ''Penthouse'' magazine, and was named ''Penthouse'' Pet of the Month for the March 2001 issue, followed by a feature in the Holiday 2001 edition of ''Hustler'' magazine as a Hustler Honey. She has appeared in other magazines including ''Cheri'', ''Mystique Magazine'', ''High Society'', ''Swank'', ''AVN Online'', ''Leg World'', ''Club International'' and ''Lowrider'', while her online credits include ModFX Models, Suze Randall, Ken Marcus and Mac & Bumble. Her pictorial credits also include working with stars like Adriana Sage, Jenna Jameson, Jelena Jensen and Aria Giovanni.

In 2003, she was declared the ''Penthouse'' Pet of the Year and also starred in the video ''Penthouse Pets in Paradise'' alongside Tera Patrick and Kyla Cole. In addition to her print work, she had also done pantyhose modeling with Ed Fox and Playtime Videos as well as bondage videos for FM Concepts. In 2005 Adam & Eve appointed her as their West Coast Internet Sales Representative.

That same year, Leone signed a three-year contract with Vivid Entertainment with which she transitioned into the world of hardcore pornography, stating that she would only do lesbian scenes. Her first movie released was titled ''Sunny'' and was released in December 2005. Her next movie, ''Virtual Vivid Girl Sunny Leone'', was the first interactive title for Leone, who was the first Vivid Girl to make such a movie. Taking only four days to film, the movie won her her first AVN Award (Best Interactive DVD). She followed this with ''Sunny Loves Cher'', which featured her first on-screen squirting,and ''The Female Gardner'' co-starring Mikayla Mendez and Daisy Marie.

Leone's last two movies under her contract with Vivid were ''It's Sunny in Brazil'', which was filmed in Brazil. and ''The Sunny Experiment'' also starring Monique Alexander and Brea Lynn. The movies were released in October and December 2007 respectively.

In May 2007, upon re-signing her contract with Vivid for another six films, Leone agreed to perform for the first time with men on camera, but exclusively with her fiancé, Matt Erikson. That summer she also received breast augmentation, and shot her first movie under the new contract titled ''Sunny Loves Matt''. The movie led to her to be nominated for three (out of six) AVN awards in 2009 in addition to being a choice for Female Performer of the Year. She followed up her first boy-girl title with ''The Other Side of Sunny'' in October 2008, which would be the last time she would perform with Erikson.

In January 2008, Leone revealed that she was no longer exclusive to Erikson, and had done scenes with other actors, most notably Tommy Gunn, Charles Dera, James Deen and Voodoo. In August of that same year, she announced the launch of her own studio, Sunlust Pictures, with Daniel Weber as her partner. With her new venture Leone plans to write, direct and create her own brand of adult movies with Vivid Entertainment as her distributor. Her first independent production, ''The Dark Side of the Sun'', was released in March 2009, and was debuted at the Erotic Heritage Museum in Las Vegas. In June 2009, she held a casting call in Las Vegas for her second independent production titled ''Sunny Slumber Party'' (released September 2009).

No longer exclusive to Vivid, Leone has started working with other studios and performers since 2009. She has managed to leverage her online popularity by striking deals with firms like PPPcard, AdultPokerParty.com, Brickhouse, Flirt4Free, Totemcash and Imlive to sell and distribute her content over the internet and other media.She won the "Web Babe of the Year" at the 2008 Xbiz Awards. Her websites and business interests are run under her banner company Leone L.L.C.

In addition to her film career, Leone has been part of the Vivid Comedy Tour, and has modeled for the Vivid Footwear collection. Leone has also participated in events like the Vivid/ClubJenna Lingerie Bowl and Vivid's Hot Rod Night. Doc Johnson launched a pocket pal in 2006 molded to her vagina, and in 2008 released the Sunny Leone Exciter vibrator. Control MFG currently uses Leone's image along with other Vivid girls to market their line of skateboards. She is paired with Gab Ekoe, one of the Team Control riders. She also indicated that she plans to launch her own line of lingerie and other Sunny-branded products including a diamond jewelry line.

In September 2009, an iPhone application consisting of a collection of non-nude photos, some videos and a porn star-penned blog was approved by Apple for sale in the iTunes store, making it the first officially sanctioned application featuring a porn star. By February 2010, the app had been removed by Apple from the store.

Leone was voted #13 (up from #41 in 2007) on ''Genesis'' magazine's "Top 100 Porn stars" list, #34 on Desiclubs.com's Top 50 Coolest Desis of 2004, and one of the "40 under 40" ranking on ''AVN Online'' magazine. In 2010, she was named by ''Maxim'' as one of the 12 top female stars in porn.

Mainstream appearances

Leone's first mainstream appearance was in 2005, when she was a red carpet reporter for the MTV Awards on MTV India. She has also had a cameo in the film ''The Girl Next Door'', performed in Ja Rule's video "Livin It Up" and a video for Kidd Skilly. Other credits include E!'s "Wild On!" and the Sundance Film Festival's 'After Dark.' Leone was a contestant in the second season of the Fox reality show ''My Bare Lady 2: Open For Business'', in which a group of adult actresses were given classes and training on how to pitch investment ideas and competed for success in the business world. In addition to filming her scene for ''Debbie Does Dallas'' in 2007, Leone was also part of a Showtime documentary of the same name detailing the production of the movie and the personal lives of its stars.

She has indicated that for the right price she would seriously consider a career in Bollywood. She has been courted by Indian directors in the past but has felt uncomfortable with the roles that she would have played. Director Mohit Suri is rumored to have asked Leone to play the lead role in his movie ''Kalyug'', but instead cast Deepal Shaw as he could not afford her $1 million acting fee. She has mentioned that Aamir Khan is her favorite Bollywood Actor, and that over 60% of her fans are from South Asia.

In 2008, Leone announced that she would be starring in a mainstream action adventure movie titled ''Pirates Blood'', which was shot in Oman. The shooting was completed in two weeks and was to be released in winter 2008. Leone also landed a role in ''Middle Men'', producer Chris Mallick's indie feature about the birth of the online porn industry set for wide theatrical release in 2009. She has mentioned that she will be appearing in an upcoming Will Ferrell movie scheduled to be released in 2010.

She appeared in the film The Virginity Hit playing a version of herself, where she is hired to take the virginity of the lead character.

Leone has made appearances at events such as the 2002 SEMA International Auto Salon, the 2002 Extreme Autofest Pomona and the 2006 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. Sunny has also been the hostess at events in clubs like the Mansion in Miami and the Highlands in Hollywood.

In 2005, she was mentioned in ''Forbes'' magazine for a story on Vivid Entertainment. Leone has also been featured in mainstream publications like ''FHM'', ''Front'' and ''Jane'' magazine. In 2007, along with the other Vivid Girls, she was seen in a 48' high holiday Billboard in Times Square at W. 48th Street and Seventh Avenue. Leone is also one of the ''Penthouse'' Pets who appears in the PlayStation Portable game ''Pocket Pool''. She was also featured in a coffee table book titled ''Naked Ambition: An R Rated Look at an X Rated Industry'' by Micheal Grecco.

In 2004, she was part of "No More Bush Girls", in which she and several other popular adult actresses shaved off their pubic hair in protest of the Bush presidency. In May 2008, she shot a promotional video for Declare Yourself, a nonprofit, nonpartisan voter registration campaign targeting 18-to-29-year-olds. She indicated that Barack Obama would be her choice in the 2008 U.S. election, primarily because she felt he was more business friendly to the adult industry than his opponent John McCain. She also released a public service announcement on behalf of the ASACP, reminding adult webmasters to protect their sites from children by having an RTA label on it.

Leone has a strong interest in health and fitness, and has been featured in several mainstream fitness publications. Leone has modeled fitness clothing for the sports brand Fantasy Fitness and shared that she keeps her body in shape by working out as much as she can despite her busy schedule and as quoted in ''Men's Fitness'' magazine, "I try to eat very healthy – lots of vegetables, drinking my milk every day."

Personal life

In June 2006, Leone became an American citizen, but plans to remain a dual citizen of Canada. Although bisexual, she has stated that she prefers men. In her spare time she enjoys abstract paintings, horse riding, reading, playing ''World of Warcraft'', watching ''The Simpsons'' and the Discovery Channel. She used to play on a women's soccer league team in California. Her favorite holiday destination is Hawaii, and her favorite cuisine is Italian.

In separate interviews, she has stated that in ten years' time she would like to be married and have started a family, and probably retire from the industry by the time she is 30. Leone was engaged to Matt Erikson, a vice-president of marketing at Playboy Enterprises. She currently resides in Hollywood, California with her cat and drives an Audi A5.

A 2008 ''Eye Weekly'' article reported that "Leone does her best to maintain a link to Sikh traditions, even if more in theory than in practice. But she's unlikely to disavow her career path due to religion." and that Leone said "Girls will leave the industry claiming that they found God. Well, the fact is, God has always been with them the entire time." In a 2010 interview, she said "It’s a community-based religion. You walk into a temple and you’re greeted with the utmost respect... But, just like any religion it doesn’t want you to shoot adult material. I mean, I grew up going to temple every Sunday. When my parents found out they knew my personality which was very independent. Even if they tried to stop me or tried to steer me the right way they would have lost their daughter. I’m too headstrong. And it wasn’t a plan. It just happened and my career and everything just kept getting bigger and bigger."

Awards

2008 XBIZ Award - Web Babe of the Year

2010 AVN Award - Best All-Girl Group Sex Scene

2010 AVN Award - Web Starlet of the Year 2010 F.A.M.E. Award – Favorite Breasts

References

External links

Category:1981 births Category:Living people Category:Bisexual pornographic film actors Category:Canadian expatriates in the United States Category:Canadian female adult models Category:Canadian pornographic film actors Category:Female pornographic film actors Category:Indian pornographic film actors Category:Canadian people of Indian descent Category:LGBT people from Canada Category:People from Sarnia, Ontario Category:Canadian people of South Asian descent Category:Penthouse Pets of the Year

ar:ساني ليون bg:Съни Леони cs:Sunny Leone de:Sunny Leone es:Sunny Leone fr:Sunny Leone gl:Sunny Leone hi:सन्नी लियोन it:Sunny Leone arz:صنى ليونى ja:サニー・レオーネ pl:Sunny Leone pt:Sunny Leone ru:Санни Леоне fi:Sunny Leone uk:Санні Леоні zh:珊妮·粱妮

Coordinates	33°51′35.9″N151°12′40″N
Birth date	November 25, 1978
Birth place	Badarpur
Birth name	Neeru Sawant
Othername	Rakhi Sawant
Occupation	Dancer, Actress
Yearsactive	1999 – present }}

Rakhi Sawant () (born on 25 November 1978) is an Indian dancer, Hindi film and television actress, model and television talk show host.

Early life

Rakhi Sawant was born in a Marathi Hindu family in Mumbai on November 25, 1978. Her father was a constable with Mumbai Police at Worli Police Station. The name of her mother is Jaya Bagdi.

She attended Goklibai High School in the Vile Parle suburb of Mumbai. She proceeded to Mithibai College in Vile parle, Mumbai to study Arts. She is the sister of film director Rakesh Sawant and former actress Usha Sawant.

Sawant's family has been a conservative one. Her father was not too happy when he heard that his daughter has entered film industry to start her profession because he counted the profession as a disrespectful one.

Career

Debut and breakthrough

In 2003, she auditioned for an item number in the Bollywood movie, ''Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne''. She auditioned about four times before being finally selected for her breakthrough item number, "Mohabbat Hai Mirchi". Since then, she has appeared in some Hindi films and few Kannada, Marathi, Telugu and Tamil films in roles commonly attributed to item girls. She has also featured in many videos of many music albums.

In June 2006, Mika Singh, a prominent Punjabi musician forcibly kissed her at his birthday party, which converted into a major media controversy.

Television debut and success

A few months later, after her controversy with Mika Singh, she appeared in the first season of the reality show ''Bigg Boss'' and was among the top four finalists. She received wider notice as a contestant for her dramatic fights with her housemates in Big Boss's house.

She formerly dated Abhishek Avasthi with whom she participated in ''Nach Baliye 3''. After the couple lost the contest against Sanjeeda Sheikh and Aamir Ali in 2007, they filed a suit against Star Plus accusing the channel of tampering with the audience voting system.

In 2007, Rakhi made her singing debut in the album titled ''Super Girl'' launched by Venus Records & Tapes Pvt. Ltd. The album`s video ''Yarra Na Dil Laga'' featured Rakhi as a computer generated super girl who saves the civilians from various adversities.

In 2008, She won ''Yeh Hai Jalwa'', a dance-based reality show which aired on 9X. She was the leader of her group named 'Chiller Party'. She had only children in her group. She and her Chiller party walked away with a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh at the grand finale. In November 2008, Rakhi appointed senior journalist, internet branding and marketing expert and publicist Flynn Remedios to handle her Media and branding needs as she began to get media attention from not just the Indian press but from media all over Africa. In November 12, 2008 she broke up finally from her boyfriend Abhishek on Zoom TV.

In 2009, Sawant launched her reality show ''Rakhi Ka Swayamwar'' in which she planned to select her future husband with a swayamvara. The show became the highest rated in the history of the Imagine TV channel with both its premiere and finale setting records. On 2 August 2009 she chose her life partner, a contestant from Toronto, Canada, Elesh Parujanwala. However, during the finale of the reality show ''Pati, Patni Aur Woh'' several months later, Sawant announced that the couple had separated due to irreconcilable differences., Rakhi's other reality show named ''Rakhi Ka Insaaf'' aired from 16 October, where she played the judge. In this show Rakhi tries to solve the problems of common man without any legal involvements. After one of the participants of the show committed Suicide ''Rakhi Ka Insaaf'' was banned from airing during prime time hours. It is said that Rakhi's words, ''"Tu to hey he Naa-Mard'' (You are impotent)" devastated his self confidence and ego and he took this extreme step. Moreover, the show became notorious within a few weeks, for usage of adultery words.

Rakhi established herself in the world of television and is called " The controversy Queen ". Rakhi Sawant is a full member of the international film and television club of Asian academy of film and television. Rakhi has also performed at Indian Cricket League 2nd Final on November 15, 2008. About 70,000 people were in the ground. She has appeared in number of reality shows as a host, contestant or judge.

Filmography

Films

! Year !! Film !! Role !! Notes
	''Dil Ka Sauda''	Cameo
	Chandni
''Kurukshetra''	Geeta
	''Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rehta Hain''	Cameo
2001	''Ehsaas: The Feeling''	Cameo
2002	''Na Tum Jaano Na Hum''	Cameo
	''Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne''	Sheena
	Celina
''Aanch''	Item Number
''Patth''	Item Number
	''Gambeeram''	Item Number
''Paisa Vasool''	Dilkhush
	Ms. Saxena
''Main Hoon Na''	Mini
	Cameo
	''Mumbai Express''	Special Appearance
''Khamoshh... Khauff Ki Raat''	Kashmira
	Item Number
	''Malamaal Weekly''	Special Appearance
	Special Appearance
	''Shootout at Lokhandwala''	Pooja Bedi
''Journey Bombay to Goa: Laughter Unlimited''	Deepa Kutti
Geleya	Item Number
''Buddha Mar Gaya''	Kim / Vishkanya
		Ria's friend
''Krazzy 4''	Item Number
	Item Number
''Dhoom Dadakka''	Cameo
''Mudrank''	Cameo
		Cameo
''Muthirai''	Item Number
''Dil Bole Hadippa!''	Shanno Amritsari
	''Horn Ok Please''	Item Number
''Marega Salaa''	Cameo
	''Gahraee''	Item Number
''Rakhtbeej''	Item Number

Television

! Year !! Show !! Role !! Channel !! Notes
	''Bigg Boss (Season 1)''	Herself
''Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai''	Herself	Zee TV	Guest
	''Let's Talk...''	Herself		Guest
''Comedy Ka Badsshah- Hasega India''	Herself		Judge
''Aap Ki Adalat''	Herself	India TV	Guest
''Nach Baliye 3''	Herself	STAR Plus	Runner-up
''Baa Bahoo Aur Baby''	Herself	STAR Plus	Guest
	Herself	STAR One	Guest
		Herself	9X	Winner
''The Rakhi Sawant Showz''	Herself		Host
''10 Ka Dum''	Herself		Guest
''Chota Packet Bada Dhamaka''	Herself	Zee TV	Judge
''Jalwa Four 2 Ka 1''	Herself	9X
	''Arre Deewano Mujhe Pehchano''	Herself	STAR Plus
	Herself	STAR Plus
	Herself		Guest
''Rakhi Ka Swayamwar''	Herself
	Herself
	Herself	STAR Plus	Guest
''Aap Ki Adalat''	Herself	India TV	Guest
		Herself	STAR Plus	Winner
''Bigg Boss (Season 4)''	Herself		Guest
''Rakhi ka Insaaf''	Herself		Host
''Jubilee Comedy Circus''	Herself		Guest
	''Sheela, Shagun and Meenakshi''	Herself	STAR News	Guest
''Shaadi 3 Crore Ki''	Herself		Guest
''Maa Exchange''	Herself
''Bigg Toss''	Herself	India TV
''Comedy Circus 3 Ka Tadka''	Herself
	Herself		Guest
''Ratan Ka Rishta''	Herself		Guest
''Ghazab Desh Ki Ajab Kahaaniyan''	Herself		Host

References

External links

Category:Hindi film actors Category:Indian television actors Category:Indian television talk show hosts Category:Reality television participants Category:Living people Category:1980 births Category:Marathi people Category:Mithibai College alumni

ar:راخي ساوانت hi:राखी सावंत jv:Rakhi Sawant kn:ರಾಖೀ ಸಾವಂತ್ ml:രാഖി സാവന്ത് mr:राखी सावंत pl:Rakhi Sawant