sikhpride

Surjit Singh Patar, a prominent writer of Punjabi language and a very popular poet of the present times, was born on 14th January 1945 at Pattar Kalan, Jalandhar, Punjab. Thus, his sir name is derived from the name of his birthplace (village Pattar). He did his graduation from Randhir College, Kapurthala and then went on to do Master’s degree from Punjabi University, Patiala and then a Ph.D. in Literature on “Transformation of Folklore in Guru Nanak Vani” from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. He then joined the academic profession and retired as Professor of Punjabi from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. He started writing poetry in mid-sixties. Among this works of poetry are “Hawa Vich Likhe Harf” (Words written in the Air), Birkh Arz Kare (Thus Spake the Tree), Hanere Vich Sulagdi Varnmala (Words Smouldering in the Dark), Lafzaan Di Dargah (Shrine of Words), Patjhar di Pazeb (Anklet of Autumn) and Surzameen (Music Land). Most of his poems deal with various phases of human life. We feel the pain and agony felt by any person in hard situations of life. When state of Punjab was faced with terrorism and disturbed conditions following the attack on Sri Harimandar Sahib, Amritsar, he gave vent to his feeling that some bad omen had sturck the state and it should be saved from that. His touching words

ਕੁਛ ਕਿਹਾ ਤਾਂ ਹਨੇਰਾ ਜਰੇਗਾ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਚੁਪ ਰਿਹਾ ਤਾਂ ਸ਼ਮਾਦਾਨ ਕੀ ਕਹਿਣਗੇ ਗੀਤ ਦੀ ਮੌਤ ਇਸ ਰਾਤ ਜੇ ਹੋ ਗਈ ਮੇਰਾ ਜੀਣਾ

describe the condition of that time. Even when he talks of his early life when the family had to pass through difficult time, he give expressions to the stress and pain through which he had to pass. Then he says “Dil hi Udas hai baki sab khair e”. He has also translated into Punjabi the three tragedies of Federico Garcia Lorca, the play Nag Mandala of Girish Karnad, and poems of Bertolt Brecht and Pablo Neruda. He has also adapted plays from Jean Giradoux, Euripides and Racine. He has written tele-scripts on Punjabi poets from Sheikh Farid to Shiv Kumar Batalvi. He is the President of Punjab Sahit Academy, Chandigarh. In the past he has held the office of the President, Punjabi Sahit Academy, Ludhiana. Being the greatest Punjabi poet of the present times, he is definitely a role model in this genre of Punjabi literature.