There are several small Indian districts or ethnic shop hubs, restaurants, and commercial companies that serve the requirements of the South Asian community throughout Canada and America.
But the commercial retail environment is crowded along the main road between the 48th and 51 roads in Vancouver, in the Canadian Province of British Columbia, famous as the first Punjabi market (or Little India District) throughout North America.
From a humble start, this road turns into a cultural center and is at home for signs of the first road written in Punjabi outside Asia.
At its peak in the 1980s and 1990s, he accommodated more than 300 stores including 24 jewelry stores and Indians from all over Canada and even from the US would go to Vancouver to visit the market to get spices, Indian food, fabrics and Gold jewelry.
Last year marked the five decades of Punjabi Vancouver Market.
But for the past 15 years, the market faces a decline with many businesses coming out of Vancouver to neighboring surrey.
In 2019, the Vancouver City Council chose to move the movement to commemorate the ‘Punjabi Market in Fifty: Celebrating the past and planning for the future’.
Last year marked the five decades of Punjabi Vancouver Market.
The young and third generation young group of Indian Canadians in Vancouver is now gathering to create a collective regeneration of Punjabi Market (PMRC) to energize the market back.
“We are a group of passionate community advocates, artists, and entrepreneurs who work to revitalize Vancouver’s historic Punjabi market, which was founded in 1970.
It is a place where people like my parents – new immigrants to Canada at that time – Found a sense of community and familiarity, “said Jag Nagra, an illustrator and graphic designer, who is also the creative director of PMRC.
And it’s not just an economic revival that Nagra and his colleagues and friends planned.
PMRC’s goal is to revitalize the market from art and cultural lenses.
For Nagra and others like it, it is an opportunity to give back to their community and respect the heritage of the past.
“We want to make initiatives for making places and installations of public art that bring people back to the market and give a sense of identity once more.
We don’t want the market forgotten,” said Nagra.
Earlier this year, PMRC created an art installation called Marigold on the market where a tree was decorated with more than 200 Marigold Garlands.
A group of second generation young people and the three Canadian Indians in Vancouver are now gathering to create a collective regeneration of Punjabi Market (PMRC) to energize the market.
“Marigold is a big part of our culture and this is a way to bring some joy for the environment after a difficult year through a pandemic.
And we want to create something that is not only the younger generation to appreciate, but the older generation will also understand,” he added , He now hopes to come up with ways to change the market landscape aesthetically and integrate art into all aspects through more community-based space to highlight, respect and celebrate the rich Indian and Punjabi culture.
PMRC recently partnered with Vancouver Mural Festival to bring outdoor public murals to Punjabi Market.
Pandemic Covid-19 has reached a small business on the market with decreased foot traffic and struggling shops to survive.
“We hope through our initiative, we can draw attention to business and bring back home.
For those of us who grow come to Punjabi Market, we have a nostalgic factor on our side.
We have memory that rooted shops, shop owners, restaurants, and Community, “said Nagra.
But PMRC and people associated with him also want to introduce everyone, including new immigrants and the Canadian people mainstream, with the history and inheritance of the market and the environment.
Nagra said, “We don’t want the environment to meet and have a punjabi market forgotten.
We want to make sure we continue the heritage that has begun by our elders.”