Dr Surjit Patar, a renowned Punjabi poet and recipient of the Padma Shri award, has passed away at the age of 79.

Ludhiana, May 11 (Ozi news desk):  Dr. Surjit Patar, a renowned poet and recipient of the Padma Shri award, peacefully passed away in his sleep at his residence near Barewal Colony. His demise was mourned by various political figures, including Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who acknowledged the significant loss to the Punjabi literary community. Patar’s literary contributions include notable works such as ‘Hawa Vich Likhe Harf’, ‘Hanere Vich Sulagdi Varanmala’, ‘Patjhar Di Pazeb’, ‘Lafzaan Di Dargah’, and ‘Surzameen’. He was honored with the Padma Shri in 2012 for his exceptional work in literature and education, and had served as the president of both the Punjab Arts Council and the Punjabi Sahit Akademi. Hailing from Patar village in Jalandhar district, he pursued his education at Randhir College in Kapurthala and obtained a Ph.D. from Guru Nanak Dev University. Throughout his career, Patar received accolades such as the Sahitya Akademi Award, Panchnad Puruskar, Saraswati Samman, and the Kusumagraj Literary Award. As a professor of Punjabi at Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana, he also made significant contributions to the field of translation by translating works of renowned authors like Federico Garcia Lorca, Girish Karnad, Bertolt Brecht, and Pablo Neruda into Punjabi. The passing of Dr. Surjit Patar has been described as an irreparable loss for Punjabi literature by Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, while former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal expressed their condolences, highlighting the immense impact Patar had on the world of literature and his enduring legacy in the hearts of millions of fans worldwide.