During the 80s, Sardar Jarnail Singh ‘Gulab’ , a writer of Punjabi language, was living at Tral in Kashmir. His niece, Surinder, was attracted to literature. Therefore, when sometime in 1987, Punjabi Lekhak Sabha, Srinagar, held a literary conference at the Tagore Hall, Gulab took his niece to the event. There she met Dr Baljeet Raina, a writer from Jammu who was presiding over one of the sessions of the conference.
During their interaction of a literary kind, she happened to express that she would like to marry a person who would not only let her pursue literature, but also support her literary journey.
Seeds of a love story of a different kind were sown. Three months later, they got engaged. Another three months, and they were married. Baljeet kept his promise. Surinder, now Surinder Neer, has blossomed into a full fledged and well known writer of Punjabi short stories.
Punjabi Lekhak Sabha, Jammu, ( PLSJ ) staged a cultural coup of a new dimension when it invited three Sahitya Akademi Award winners in Punjabi literature, along with four scholars of the language to launch a short stories book of Surinder Neer.
The Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages ( Academy ) was not to be left behind. It staged another coup when it organised a felicitation and interaction with the three visiting Sahitya Akademi Award winners, on the same day. Strangely, PLSJ and some friends of the writers were rather unwilling to co-operate and also cold shouldered the Academy.
The felicitation of the visiting Punjabi writers, Patar, Sukhjit and Manmohan, would have not turned into reality, but for the fervent desire of Bharat Singh Manhas, the secretary of the Academy. He was insistent to hold their felicitation by the State academy he heads. ” How can we knowingly ignore ‘trimurti’ of Punjabi literature and not felicitate them ?”, he later told me after the successful event.
When the organisers of the book release event were dilly-dallying to share arrival and departure information, and contact details of the esteemed visitors, he directed his cultural officer Dr Shahnawaz to seek my help, which I am glad I could render in time.
Strange are the ways the human mind works. You invite renowned authors to your city for a literary event and you don’t wish them to be felicitated by your own state cultural academy ? And, mind you, your own literary event was being held in collaboration with the same Academy ! Phew !
For the audience that comprised of lovers of good literature and literary scholarship, both the coups provided a winter Monday well spent. Sad that the stalwarts of Dogri and Urdu literary organisations of the city were conspicuous by their absence. They know not what they missed!
Here are the details of these two events held one after the other on 4 December. First, Taboo, a book of short stories written by Surinder Neer was released by the visiting galaxy of Punjabi writers headed by Dr Amarjit Grewal.
At the book release ceremony, three papers were read on the works of Surinder Neer with special reference to her book. Each paper was a masterpiece showcasing literary finesse. Each scholar was thoroughly acquainted not only with the works of Neer, but also conversant with her style of writing, her stories and her strengths and weaknesses. Not only each story of the book, but also the characters of the stories were known to the scholars – like next door neighbours ! Each one spoke with heart and mind put together.
Everyone spoke sky high of the author underlining endearing qualities of her writings. Speaker after speaker told us the synopsis of different stories of their liking, essaying the shades of the characters woven by the author in such details that those present were enamoured to read the complete book themselves ! That is what I shall call exceptional scholarship of this galaxy !
Those who read the papers : Dr. J.B Sekhon, head of the department of Post Graduate Punjabi Department, Guru Gobind Singh College, Mahilpur (Punjab) ; Dr. Tejinder Singh: Asstt. Professor, Gobindgarh College, Kharar and Dr. Parveen Sheron, professor, Punjabi department, Punjab University, Chandigarh.
Dr Manmohan wears a baby like innocence on his face, though he is a former IPS ( Indian Police Service ) officer. He is a poet who turned novelist and bagged a Sahitya Akademi Award for his very first novel titled “Nirvaan”. He delivered the keynote address on the occasion that will be remembered for its content and in-depth analysis.
Speaking about the art and craft of Surinder Neer, he said : Stories must be like the well kneaded clay of an expert potter. A short story is not mere description, it is an art of telling. Neer knows how to tell her stories ; her situations speak for themselves, she need not. She has finesse as a story teller. There are many pregnant pauses in her stories. These pauses are compelling and force the readers to think. This certainly is a great quality.
Dr Tejinder Singh was the first scholar to read a very well prepared paper, and set the ball rolling. The ball kept rolling smoothly hereafter and also gathered the much needed literary moss. He used simple language and easy style to bring out the beauty of the stories contained in the book of author Neer.
Dr. J.B Sekhon followed Tejinder Singh and took the intellectual discourse to another level. It was interesting to note that though his diction was not as simple as that of Tejinder Singh, he could successfully carry the audience in a different path altogether.
Dr Sekhon was followed by Dr Parveen Sheron, who walked his audience along with him with an ease of a master magician. All the three papers were a treat to listen to. They all presented the author, the book and the stories it contains in multi dimensional analysis, and spoke in details of the strengths the author possesses.
Though Sukhjit comes from a farming background, his sensibilities are not rustic. He displays sensibilities of a higher plane of intellectual discourse rooted in the soil of his village Machhiwara. He likes to explore complexities and layers of human mind in his writings. He is a serious writer, and so is the impression he gives through his graceful demeanour.
Examining the craft of writing adapted by Surinder Neer, he commented : ” the art of writng requires three essentials : kala ( craft ), anubhav ( experience ) and gyan ( knowledge ). But, above all, it also needs jurrat ( boldness, courage ). Surinder Neer has enough jurrat”. Who will know it better than Sukhjit whose second book of short stories carries the title ‘ Hun Main Rape Enjoy Kardi Haan’ ( Now, I enjoy the rape ) !!
Sukhjit started off as a poet, but veered to writing short stories in 1992, which, after three decades, brought to him a Sahitya Akademi Award in 2022. His address was followed by two masterly discourses delivered by Surjit Patar and Amarjit Grewal. What content and what erudition!
Surjit Patar can safely be called the tallest among all living poets of Punjabi language, although there are, perhaps, equally talented poets around him. He takes his name Patar from the village Pattar Kalan in Jalandhar district of Punjab. He has been writing poems for the past six decades. Patar won his Sahitya Akademi Award in 1993 and earned the honour of a Padma award two decades later, in 2012. Somehow, PLSJ preferred to highlight his Padma Shri over the Sahitya Akademi Award.
Dr Amarjit Grewal is a celebrated author of Punjabi, a critic of great repute and respect, and a thinker par excellence. He is a bouncing board for a poet of the class of Surjit Patar. ” When I write a poem or a story, I first show it to Dr Amarjit Grewal. Only after his clearance and approval, I send it for publication”, said Patar paying his tribute to his friend, philosopher and guide.
For the felicitation, on stage were three Sahitya Akademi Award winners – a troika of Punjabi literature. Tallest among them was Surjit Patar, the celebrated poet, Dr Manmohan, a poet and novelist, and Sukhjit, a poet of renown. Add to that the presence of local Punjabi short story writer Khalid Hussain, and that made it four Sahitya Akademi awardees put together onstage ! The Secretary of the Academy, Bharat Singh Manhas, and I were the only two in this august company, not decorated with a Sahitya Akademi Award, so far !
Here is wishing more such literary events in the City of Temples.
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