Surjit Paatar
| Dr. Surjit Patar ਡਾ. ਸੁਰਜੀਤ ਪਾਤਰ | |
|---|---|
 Surjit Patar, the well known Punjabi poet | |
| Born |
14 January 1945 Pattar Kalan, Jalandhar district, Punjab |
| Education | Phd. in Literature, Guru Nanak Dev University (Amritsar) |
| Occupation | Writer, Poet |
| Known for | Punjabi Poetry |
Surjit Patar (ਸੁਰਜੀਤ ਪਾਤਰ) is a renowned Punjabi language writer and poet of East Punjab (India). His poems enjoy immense popularity with the general public and have won high acclaim from critics.[1]
Biography
Dr Surjit Patar hails from village Pattar (ਪੱਤੜ) Kalan in Jalandhar distt from where he got his surname. He did his graduation from Randhir Colllege, Kapurthala and then went on to do Masters degree from Punjabi University, Patiala and then a Ph.D 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 mid-sixties. Among his works of poetry are "Hawa Vich Likhe Harf" (Words written in the Air), "Birkh Arz Kare" (Thus Spake the Tree), "Hanere Vich Sulagdi Varnmala" (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 Nag Mandala of Girish Karnad, 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 Sahit Academy, Chandigarh. In the past he has held the office of the President, Punjabi Sahit Akademi, Ludhiana.
Well known poems
| Candles[2] | Hanere vich sulagdi Varanmala[3] | Aiya Nand Kishore[1] |
|---|---|---|
| Light these candles. Rise, light these candles. There will remain, These quarrelsome winds, But you should light these candles. May darkness not think the moon scared. May night not think the sun dead. Light these lamps to honor life. Rise, light these candles. Granted, the night's reign may be stubborn, But rays of light still survive. On dark pages, verses revealing life. Rise, light these candles. These cruel whirlwinds will remain, The fall will shake away the leaves, But this does not mean that new leaves will not grow. Rise, light these candles. Unafraid of the poison that spreads daily in the wind, Nature continues to do its duty, Of transforming poison into nectar. Rise, light these candles. Girls, do not cry, this is the time of Rahiras. Do not linger on death, reflect upon the passage of time. These difficulties will pass away. Rise, light these candles. | When do I say don't ask for justice? Or, for your rights, do not fight? But recoginze the enemy And don't sever your own limbs Do not dishonor your wings In this unnecessary flight Against sorrows we have to fight Against poverty we have to fight Those who exploit with the pretext of protection, We have to fight against them I offer my life on the edge of your sword Who can refuse its importance? Take care of it, keep it well burnished Keeps its edge well honed In the darkness writing light Keep it like a blaze for fire There are times when The sword alone is a scribe Yet why walk the distance already walked The road ahead is sufficiently heavy? | My language is one the verge of death Each word, each sentence gasps for breath. In such a hopeless situation Only God may save my language! Of my language, How can even God be the savior? Deserted by hungry generation, God, Himself, gasps for breath, Under His benign protection Lies my language, gasping, dying, By God! On the verge of death lies my language. It may happen otherwise, Face to face with suicidal situations, Reckoning with homicidal challenges, More deserving of life, More living may fare my language. |
Filmography
Surjit Patar has written the dialogues of the Punjabi movie Shaheed Uddham Singh, made on the life of Udham Singh. He also wrote dialogues for Punjabi version of Deepa Mehta's movie Heaven on Earth.
Awards
- 1993: Sahitya Akademi Award for Hanere vich Sulghdi Varnmala
- 1999: Panchnad Puruskar by Bhartiya Bhasha Parishad, Kolkata
- 2009: Saraswati Samman by K.K.Birla foundation.[4]
- 2012: Padma Shri Award in the field of Literature and Education (fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India)[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Singh, Surjit (Spring–Fall 2006). "Surjit Patar: Poet of the Personal and the Political". Journal of Punjab Studies 13 (1): 265. "His poems enjoy immense popularity with the general public and have won high acclaim from critics."
- ↑ Patar, Surjit; Translated by Ami P. Shah (Spring–Fall 2006). "Punjabi Poetry - with translations by Randi L. Clary, Gibb Schreffler, and Ami P. Shah". Journal of Punjab Studies (Center for Sikh and Punjab Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara 13 (1).
- ↑ Patar, Surjit; Translated by Gibb Schreffler from Hanere vichch sulagdi Varanmala (1992) (Spring–Fall 2006). "Punjabi Poetry - with translations by Randi L. Clary, Gibb Schreffler, and Ami P. Shah". Journal of Punjab Studies (Center for Sikh and Punjab Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara 13 (1).
- ↑ Jatinder Preet (April 30, 2010). "Saraswati Samman for Patar". Punjab Panorama. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
- ↑ "Padma Awards". pib. January 27, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
External links
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