Ludhiana – The famous Punjabi writer and poet Padma Shri Surjit Patar passed away, He was 79. Dr Surjit Patar taking his last breath in Ludhiana. Patar died in his sleep, his family members said.
His wife Bhupinder Kaur tried to wake him up around 6:30 am but he did not respond. He was declared dead by a doctor, they said.
Dr. Patar, known for his literary contributions, earned his surname from his birthplace. He attained his education from Randhir College Kapurthala and Punjabi University Patiala, culminating in a Ph.D. in literature focusing on the transformation of Folklore in Gurunanak Vani from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. He served as the president of the Punjab Arts Council and had previously held the position of president at the Punjabi Sahit Akademi. Throughout his illustrious career, Patar received prestigious awards such as the Sahitya Akademi Award, Panchnad Puruskar, Saraswati Samman, and the Kusumagraj Literary Award. He made headlines in December 2020 when he announced his decision to return the civilian honour Padam Shri in solidarity with protesting farmers at Delhi borders against the now-repealed farm laws. His recent passing has saddened many, with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann expressing condolences and highlighting the significant loss to the Punjabi literary community. Gurbhajan Gill, an eminent poet and close associate of Patar, said cremation is likely to be performed on Monday after Patar’s son arrives from Australia.