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Journalism of Courage
Dr. Surjit Patar, a revered Punjabi writer and poet, passed away at the age of 79 due to cardiac arrest at his residence in Ludhiana’s Ashapuri area.
This morning, Dr. Patar did not awaken, causing concern for his wife, Bhupinder Kaur Patar. Harpreet Sandhu, an advocate and author, recalled, “I received a call around 7:02 am from Aunty (Patar’s wife) informing me that he was unresponsive. We immediately contacted an ambulance from DMCH, and a nearby cardiologist pronounced him deceased upon arrival. It’s a tragic loss.”
Dr. Patar is survived by his sons, Manraj Patar and Ankur Patar, the latter flying in from Australia for the cremation scheduled on Sunday. Born in Patar Kalan village of Jalandhar,
Dr. Patar earned his surname from his birthplace. He completed his education at Randhir College Kapurthala and Punjabi University Patiala, obtaining a Ph.D. in literature on the transformation of Folklore in Gurunanak Vani from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.
Dr. Patar served as a professor of Punjabi at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, where he embarked on his journey in Punjabi literature.
He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2012. But following the farm agitation in 2020, Dr. Patar announced in December his decision to return the civilian honor in solidarity with protesting farmers at Delhi borders against the now-repealed farm laws. Dr. Patar’s poignant declaration, “Amrhi mainu aakhan laggi, tu dharti da gert rahenga…padam shri ho ke vi patar tu Mera surjit rahenga” resonated widely.
He began his poetic career in the mid-60s, with his notable work including “Lafzah di Dargah.” His renowned poems such as “Hawa vich likhe harf” and “Hanere vich sulagdi varnmala” captivated audiences. Additionally, Dr. Patar contributed to Punjabi cinema by writing dialogues for films like “Shaheed Uddham Singh” and the Punjabi version of Deepa Mehta’s “Heaven on Earth.” Beyond his own works, he translated Federico Garcia Lorca’s three tragedies, Girish Karnad’s “Nagmandala,” and poems by Bertolt Brecht and Pablo Neruda into Punjabi.
Dr. Patar’s legacy also includes adaptations of plays by Jean Giradoux, Euripides, and Racine, along with tele-scripts featuring Punjabi poets from Sheikh Farid to Shiv Kumar Batalvi. He held leadership roles in organisations such as Punjab Arts Council, Chandigarh, and Punjabi Sahit Akademi, Ludhiana, receiving accolades such as the Punjabi Sahit Akademi award in 1979 and the Sahitya Akademi Award for his poem “Hanere vich sulagdi varnmala” in 1993, among other national and international honors.
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