Punjab Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Kuldeep Sigh Dhaliwal on Friday honoured three professors of Punjabi Language including Dr Iqbal Kaur Sondh, Dr Vanita and Dr Baljit Kaur with prestigious Prof Nirpjit Kaur Gill Memorial Award at Ramgarhia Girls College, Millerganj, here.
The awards were given to retired Professor of Guru Nanak Dev University, Dr. Iqbal Kaur Sondh who is also a poet and critic. Dr. Vanita, a poet from New Delhi and a professor of Delhi University, whose book 'Kaal Pehar Te Ghariya' received the Bhartiya Sahitya Academy Award.
Dr. Baljit Kaur, is a retired professor and head of Punjabi Department of Guru Nanak Dev University Regional Center, Jalandhar and had made a special identity in the field of Punjabi poetry criticism. The awardees were facilitated with a cash prize of Rs 21000 in addition to a letter of appreciation and a Phulkari.
This award was established in the year 2014 by Prof. Gurbhajan Singh Gill and family in the memory of his wife late Prof. Nirpjit Kaur Gill, who was a lecturer of Punjabi in Ramgarhia Girls College, here. She died at a young age due to cancer on November 8, 1993. She had made valuable contribution into the field of literature and culture.
While addressing the gathering, Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal announced that in honour of Prof Nirpjit Kaur Gill, a smart library would be set up in village Basantkot (district Gurdaspur), that is the ancestral village of Prof Gill’s husband Prof Gurbhajan Singh Gill. He also announced a grant of Rs 5 lakh for Punjabi Sahit Akademi Ludhiana.
While recalling his association with Prof Gurbhajan Singh Gill’s family, the cabinet minister said that Prof Nirpjit Kaur Gill was like a sister to him and have always worked hard for the upliftment of women through education. He said that Jagraon MLA Sarvjit Kaur Manuke was also one of her students.
Prominent amongst present on the occasion included MLAs Sarvjit Kaur Manuke, Kulwant Singh Sidhu and Hardeep Singh Mundian, Chairman Navjot Singh Jarg, Deputy Commissioner Surabhi Malik, Additional Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar Panchal, Former Vice-Chancellor of GNDU Dr SP Singh, Dr Ramesh Inder Kaur Bal, Ranjodh Singh, Punjabi Sahit Akademi president Dr. Lakhwinder Singh Johal, Senior Vice President Dr. Shyam Sunder Deepti and General Secretary Dr. Guriqbal Singh, College Principal Dr. Rajeshwarpal Kaur and others.