Nonagenarian poet Azad gets lifetime achievement award

Nonagenarian Punjabi poet Pritam Singh Azad on Friday was honoured with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by Phagwara-based Punjabi Virsa Trust. Led by trust president Prof Jaswant Singh Gandam, an author and a scribe, the award was given to Azad at his residence in Kapurthala.

Trust general secretary Gurmit Palahi said, a memento, a shawl, a citation and Rs 5,000 in cash were conferred upon the aged poet with the award.

The citation described Azad as a ‘Lok Shayar’ (peoples’ poet) and a ‘fighter-writer’, who had spent his entire life championing the cause of the marginalised, exploited and deprived populace, he added.

Now, in his 99th year, Azad, a retired government school teacher, was a leftist and a trade unionist who fought for the rights of the teaching fraternity and the common man, he said, adding that Azad had gone to jail many times for his rebellious views and fiery speeches. Talking to the visiting group, Azad said poetry should be for the people, their rights and justice. “Only the writing written for the people is eternal, not the one written for ‘hakams’ (rulers),” he added.

Azad quoted from his anthology of poems ‘Soormian di gatha’ the clarion call he had given to poets for ‘Khandey vargi kalam nu kavio apnao’ (O poets, use your pen like a two-edged sword).

On the insistence of visiting writers, Azad recited a few lines of his poem ‘Sada Sach’.

He told the visiting group of writers that his poem ‘Vietnam Di Vaar’ was appreciated by Sant Singh Sekhon, the iconic Punjabi writer and critic.

Raj Pal Singh, and daughter-in-law, Bimaljit Kaur, who now look after the poet, were also present at the event.