Noted Punjabi poet Surjit Patar, 79, a Padma Shri recipient, passed away on Saturday in Punjab’s Ludhiana.
Several political leaders, including Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, expressed grief over the demise of Patar. Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, expressed deep sorrow, saying Mr. Patar made a significant contribution to spreading the promotion of the Punjabi language across the globe.
Patar’s notable achievements include receiving top honours like Padma Shri and the Sahitya Akademi Award for his work of writing in a regional language. Patar hailed from Patar Kalan village in Jalandhar and retired as a professor of Punjabi from Punjab Agricultural University. He received the Padma Shri in 2012 and served as the president of the Punjab Arts Council.
Former Union Minister of Law and Justice Ashwani Kumar, said “The passing away of Dr. Surjit Patar, the eminent and acclaimed Punjabi poet, has left a deep void in the world of Punjabi literature. As a ‘philosopher of the heart’, Dr. Patar kept alive in his writings, our deepest yearnings, ensuring that private and social realities were not kept outside the language of our heart. It can be said of him that the poet and his poetry were revealed in each other,” he said.
