Punjabi poetry loses one of its finest voices

Renowned poet and Padma Shri awardee, Surjit Patar, 79, passed away at his residence on Barewal Road in Ludhiana on Saturday. He left peacefully in his sleep following a suspected cardiac arrest. He will be cremated with full state honours on May 13 at Model Town Extension Cremation Ground, Ludhiana.

Family members reported that he did not wake up in the morning, and upon taking him to the hospital, he was declared dead. Despite his recent participation in several functions, his sudden demise has shocked the community of art and poetry enthusiasts.

Surjit Patar held esteemed positions, serving as the president of Punjab Arts Council, Chandigarh, and previously as the president of Punjabi Sahit Akademi. His contributions to literature and culture will be remembered fondly by many.

Deputy commissioner Sakshi Sawhney and commissioner of police Kuldeep Singh Chahal visited the residence to express their condolences with his family.

While addressing the media, commissioner of police Chahal said, “Patar will be cremated with full state honours at Model Town Extension Cremation Ground on Monday.”

Patar is survived by his wife Bhupinder Kaur and two sons, Ankur Singh Patar, who lives in Australia and Manraj Singh Patar.

He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2012. Following the farm agitation in 2020, Patar announced to return the civilian honour in solidarity with protesting farmers at Delhi borders against the farm laws.

Gurbhajan Gill, renowned poet and former president of Punjabi Sahit Akademi, said that a vacuum has been created with his demise which cannot be filled.

Patar was born in Patar Kalan village of Jalandhar on January 14, 1945. He completed his master’s degree in Punjabi from Punjabi University, Patiala and PHD from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. He had joined the academic profession and retired as professor from Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana.

He started writing poetry in the mid 1960s.

Patar also left an indelible mark on Punjabi cinema, writing dialogues for notable films such as “Shaheed Uddham Singh” and the Punjabi rendition of Deepa Mehta’s “Heaven on Earth.” His contributions extended beyond cinema, translating works like Federico Garcia Lorca’s three tragedies, Girish Karnad’s “Nagmandala,” and poetry by Bertolt Brecht and Pablo Neruda into Punjabi.

His works including “Lafzah di Dargah” “Hawa vich likhe harf” and “Hanere vich sulagdi varnmala” are popular among poetry lovers.