The Jammu & Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture, and Languages (JKAACL), under the guidance of Bharat Singh, Secretary (JKAACL), organised Meet-the-Author at JKAACL premises in Jammu. The series intends to have a direct interaction of the writer with the audience, and these interactions shall aid the exploration of various life aspects and works which act as a creative inspiration for the author/writer.
Today’s event featured PadamaShri Surjit Patara- renowned Punjabi writer, poet of international fame. Patar hails from village Pattar Kalan in Jalandhar district from where he got his surname. He graduated from Randhir College, Kapurthala and then went on to get a Master's degree from Punjabi University, Patiala and then a PhD 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 the mid-sixties. Among his works of poetry are "HawaਵਿਚLikheHarf" (Words written in the Air), BirkhArzKare (Thus Spake the Tree), HanereVichSulagdiVarnmala (Words Smouldering in the Dark), Lafzaan Di Dargah (Shrine of Words), Patjhar Di Pazeb (Anklet of Autumn) and Surzameen (Music Land).
He has translated into Punjabi the three tragedies of Federico García Lorca, the play Nagmandala of GirishKarnad 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 Arts Council, Chandigarh. In the past, he has held the office of the President, Punjabi Sahitya Akademi, Ludhiana. He was awarded Padma Shri in 2012. At the outset, Secretary JKAACL gave a heartfelt cordial welcome to everyone, especially Padma Shree Surjit Patar.
While addressing the audience, he expressed that authors are the face of society. "They (authors) represent the inner thoughts of the social fabric through their ink, and it is indeed a special skill," mentions the Secretary. He, in his address, further added that it is a priceless opportunity to interact with poet of such a calibre and learn from his literary journeys.
Anil Sehgal presented the paper on S. Surjit Patar. The dignitaries who shared the presidium included S. Sukhjit Singh, S. Manmohan Singh, and Khalid Hussain all Sahitya Akademi Awardees.S. Popinder Singh Paras, Editor Punjabi, JKAACL Conducted the Proceedings.
The dignitaries and writers at the event included Dr. Baljeet Raina, S. J.P. Singh, Shailender Singh, A.K. Angurana, S. Ajeet Singh Mastana, Dr. Nirmal Vinod, Prof. Raj Kumar, S. Kamal Kashmiri and others. Dr. Shahnawaz, Editor cum Cultural officer, Gojri presented the vote of thanks.