Aug. 6, 1998

The sports festival at the Palatine Community Center last weekend including traditional recreational activities such as relay races, weight lifting, basketball, volleyball, soccer and tug of war.

But it also included Bhangra aerobics, folk dancing and presentations of Punjabi art work and culture.

The fourth annual Punjabi Sports Festival sponsored by the Ethnic and Cultural Diversity Committee of Palatine’s Vision in Progress group, as well as the Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago, attracted crowds to the Community Center both Saturday and Sunday.

The Punjabi Cultural Society holds a music and dance show in the spring, the sports festival in the summer and a dinner dance and banquet in the fall.

Punjab is a region that includes northwest India and the eastern part of Pakistan. It was once known as the Land of Five Rivers, according to the society. Punjabi people still live there, but many have emigrated to countries throughout the world.

Swarnjft Singh Dhillon, chair of the Punjabi Cultural Society, said the organization is devoted to promoting the Punjabi culture, performing arts and sports in the metropolitan Chicago area.

“Good health and physical fitness are the strengths of the Punjabi community,” he said. “We must facilitate to get our youth involved in sports activities to continue that tradition.”