Surjit Patar was one of the most beloved and resonant voices of modern Punjabi literature. Born on January 14, 1945, in the village of Pattar Kalan in the Kapurthala district of Punjab, his original name was Surjit Singh Hunjan. He adopted the pen name Patar in homage to his native village. His father was Sardar Harbhajan Singh and his mother Gurbakhsh Kaur. He laid the foundation of his education in his village school, later completing his matriculation from Khalsa High School, Khaira Majha. He went on to earn his B.A. from Randhir Government College, Kapurthala, and secured first position in his M.A. in Punjabi Literature from Punjabi University, Patiala. He pursued his doctoral research at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, on the topic "Transformation of Folklore in Guru Nanak Vani."
Patar began his academic career in 1969 as a lecturer at Baba Budha College, Bir Sahib, Amritsar. Later, he joined the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, as a Professor of Punjabi and retired from there. From 2002 to 2008, he served as the President of the Punjabi Sahit Akademi, Ludhiana, where he reinvigorated literary discourse and turned the institution into a vibrant hub of intellectual activity. In 2013, the Punjab Government appointed him as the President of the Punjab Sahit Akademi, Chandigarh. He also served as a visiting professor at Guru Granth Sahib World Sikh University, Fatehgarh Sahib.
Surjit Patar began composing poetry in the 1960s and played a pivotal role in redefining the Punjabi ghazal, imbuing it with lyrical beauty, humanist sensibility, and reflections on complex social realities. His poetry reflects themes of social inequality, emotional depth, and the syncretic cultural heritage of Punjab. His most celebrated collections include Hawa Vich Likhe Harf (1979), Birkh Arz Kare (1992), Hanere Vich Sulagdi Varnmala (1992), Lafzan Di Dargah (1999), Patjhar Di Pajeb, Sur-Zameen (2008), and Chann Sooraj Di Vehngi. These collections explore the ironies of modern life, socio-political struggles, and the subtle intricacies of human emotions.
Beyond original poetry, Patar made notable contributions to the field of translation. His Punjabi renditions of Spanish playwright Federico García Lorca’s works such as Blood Wedding (Agg De Kalire), Yerma (Saiyo Ni Main Antheen Tarkalan), and The House of Bernarda Alba (Hukmi Di Haveli), are significant literary landmarks. He also translated Nagamandala by Girish Karnad, Pagal Aurat by Jean Giraudoux, and selected poems by Bertolt Brecht and Pablo Neruda into Punjabi. He scripted dialogues for the Punjabi feature film Shaheed Udham Singh and released a poetry cassette titled Birkh Jo Saj Hai in his own velvet voice.
In recognition of his outstanding literary contributions, Surjit Patar received numerous accolades, including the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award and the Padma Shri in 2012, bestowed by the Government of India. His presence was internationally acknowledged when he was invited to the International Poetry Festival in Medellín, Colombia, where his distinctive Punjabi persona captivated audiences.
On May 11, 2024, Surjit Patar passed away in Ludhiana due to a heart attack, leaving behind a profound poetic legacy that continues to inspire generations of readers, writers, and scholars of Punjabi literature.