Duolingo Launches Punjabi-to-English Course with Culturally Rooted ‘Ullu Da Pattha’ Campaign
Duolingo expands its regional footprint in India by launching its new "Learn English from Punjabi" course, accompanied by a culturally resonant campaign by Talented and Calm Kaam.
Sandhya
Language-learning platform Duolingo has officially announced its new "Learn English from Punjabi" course, written in the Gurumukhi script. Aimed at making English learning accessible to over 100 million Punjabi speakers globally, the course caters to vibrant communities across India, Canada, the UK, the US, and Australia. Following Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, and Tamil, this marks Duolingo's second regional course tailored for North India.
Empowering Global Ambitions
Karandeep Singh Kapany, Regional Marketing Director for India and South East Asia, highlighted the personal significance of the launch: "Being able to launch this course in my mother tongue is a moment of real pride. Punjabis have long embraced opportunities beyond borders. By making English learning available in Punjabi, we're helping remove language barriers and enabling even more people to access global opportunities."
Reimagining Vernacular Humour
Conceptualised by creative agency Talented and produced by Calm Kaam, the accompanying launch campaign centers on the iconic Punjabi phrase Ullu Da Pattha—traditionally a casual reprimand meaning a fool or mischief-maker. The campaign cleverly flips the script, transforming the phrase into an aspirational badge of honor associated with learning alongside Duolingo’s owl mascot, Duo.
Creative Approach
- A Lovable Persona: Instead of Duo's typical unhinged online persona, creatives Ankush Sabharwal and Leena Gupta designed the mascot to be an affable character exploring Punjab, winning over locals, and playfully turning them into "Ullu Da Patthas."
- Contextual Storytelling: Directed by Anant Sharma, the ad films weave English learning into everyday, humorous Punjabi situations.
The "Learn English from Punjabi" course is now live and available on the Duolingo app.
