Surjit Paatar

Surjit Patar is a Punjabi language writer and poet of East Punjab (India). He debuted in 1960s. Biography Dr Surjit Patar is a renowned Punjabi poet. He obtained a 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 has held the office of the President, Punjabi Sahit Akademi, Ludhiana. Filmography Surjit Patar has written the dialogues of the Punjabi movie Shaheed Uddham Singh: Alais Ram Mohammad Singh Azad, the movie which is 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 (India's highest literary award ) by K.K.Birla foundation for "Lafzan Di Dargah" 2012: Padma Shri Award in the field of Literature and Education (fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India))