The Catholic bishops’ conference of India announced the completion of the translation, in the works for years.
Bishop Symphorian Thomas Keeprath, head of the Diocese of Jalandhar, in the state of Punjab, was responsible for launching the Catholic edition in Punjab.
The diocese’s Bible Committee was responsible for the translation, an initiative of Father George Cheruvil. Later, Father Emmanuel Yousaf Diwan, the present chairman of the committee, gave the new edition its final shape.
The first edition totaled 40,000 copies.
Punjabi, the most important of the northwestern Indo-Aryan tongues, is the official language of the Indian state of Punjab and the Punjabi province of Pakistan. It is spoken by about 100 million people.
