‘Hnaere Vich Sulagdi Varnmala’- Surjit Patar

‘Hnaere Vich Sulagdi Varnmala’- Surjit Patar

Dr.Surjit Patar is one of the most prominent of living Punjabi language writers and poets of Punjab, India. He enjoys immense popularity with the general public and has won high acclaims from critics.

Born on 14 January, 1945, Dr.Surjit Patar hails from village Pattar Kalan in Jalandhar district from where he got his surname. Having graduated from Randhir College, Kapurthala he went on to get a Master's degree from Punjabi University, Patiala. He did his PhD in Literature on "Transformation of Folklore in Guru Nanak Vani" from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Later he joined the academic profession and retired as Professor of Punjabi from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. He started writing poetry in mid-sixties.

Dr.Patar is a well-known poet, translator and script writer. His poetic works include Hawa Vich Likhe Harf, Birakh Arz Kare, Hanere Vich Sulagdi Varnmala, Lafzaan Di Dargah, Patjhar Di Pazeb, Sur-Zameen and Chan Suraj Di Vehngi. He has also written dialogues of the Punjabi movie Shaheed Uddham Singh and Videsh, the Punjabi version of Deepa Mehta's movie Heaven on Earth.

He has also translated into Punjabi the three tragedies of Federico García Lorca, the play Nagmandala of Girish Karnad, and poems of Bertolt Brecht and Pablo Neruda. He adapted plays from Jean Giradoux, Euripides and Racine also. Patar has written tele-scripts on Punjabi poets from Sheikh Farid to Shiv Kumar Batalvi. He is also credited with composing of translation of the famous nursery rhyme ‘Jack and Jill’ for his son Ankur.

Dr.Surjit Patar is the president of Punjab Arts Council, Chandigarh. He also held the office of the President, Punjabi Sahit Akademi, Ludhiana in the past.

He was awarded Punjab Sahitya Akademi Award in 1979 which he returned in 2015. In 1993 he was awarded with Sahitya Akademi Award for Hanere Vich Sulghdi Varnmala. He also received Panchnad Puruskar by Bhartiya Bhasha Parishad, Kolkata (1999), Anad Kav Sanman (2007-08), Saraswati Samman by K.K.Birla foundation (2009) and Kusumagraj Literary Award (2014).

Since Surjit Patar was angry over the central government’s dealings with the farmers on their demand of repealing the farm laws, he had announced to return Padam Shri award in December 2020.

He penned down a couple of lines in Punjabi while making an announcement about returning his award. He said, “I am at pains to describe the situation the way the central government is treating the farmers. The government must listen to their miseries. I have taken the decision with a heavy heart.”

All this goes without saying that he has made immense contribution to the Punjab and Punjabi language in particular. He is a rare case of a creative person, who has won every possible honour and place in the hearts of Punjabis with his classical lyricism.