Aligarh: Noted Punjabi poet and writer Padma Shri Surjit Patar was fondly remembered at a seminar organized by the Punjabi Section of the Department of Modern Indian Languages at Aligarh Muslim University in collaboration with Uttar Pradesh Punjabi Academy, Lucknow.

In his address, the chief guest Prof Mohd Asim Siddiqui said that Patar’s works shed light on today's social, political, religious and cultural scenario. He further recited and interpreted Surjit Patar’s poems ‘Itihas’ and ‘Pachua aur Puravia’ in the context of debates over the nature of history and the Work on Partition.

He also spoke on the unique tone of Patar’s poems which is ably brought out in Chamanlal’s Hindi translation of Patar’s poems. He also discussed the form of many of Patar’s poems comparing the tone of some of his poems with the one seen in the poetry of Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Habib Jalib, Pablo Neruda and ‘Siyah Hashiye’ of Manto and Afsanche of Joginder Paul.

The guest of honour Ajay Bisaria was of the view that Patar cannot be confined to Punjabi alone, rather he was an Indian poet whose work is connected to literary streams of different Indian languages.

He stated that Patar’s poems present history inside a person, his mother’s culture and its portrayal in the language, and he successfully addressed the issues of migration of many Punjabis outside Punjab and the immigration of non-Punjabis to Punjab. Another guest of honour, noted poet and singer, Johnny Foster recalled his meeting with Surjit Patar and described him as a great poet.

The Dean Prof TN Sathisan said that Surjit Patar's poems go beyond the confines of languages and represent the common literary heritage of the country. He appreciated the efforts of the Punjabi Section of the department for organizing the commemorative seminar on Surjit Patar.

Earlier, welcoming the guests, the Organizing Secretary and Head, Punjabi Section, Prof Krantipal threw light on the life and works of Surjit Patar. He briefly talked about the necessity to understand the history and culture of Punjab to read Surjit Patar's poetry.

The book of songs, 'Kafile Waley' by the department's research student and Punjabi poet Manpreet Tiwana was also released on this occasion.

Senior Advocate HN Singh felicitated the guests by presenting them with mementoes and shawls.