This year, UBC Asian Studies hosted the eleventh annual Harjit Kaur Sidhu Memorial Program on March 14th, 2019. The Harjit Kaur Sidhu Memorial Program celebrates the rich life of Punjabi language and culture and its importance in BC, in memory of a woman who shared such passions. Our goal is to call attention to important new scholarship on Punjabi language and culture and bring it to our students and the broader Vancouver area audience; encourage and recognize achievements in Punjabi language cultural production in BC; and honor students for their work in learning and using the Punjabi language. The program was established in loving memory of Harjit Kaur Sidhu (née Gill), devoted wife, mother, and strong advocate for education, Punjabi culture and language, and women’s issues.
This year, we celebrated the memory of Gurcharan Rampuri (1929-2018), the first recipient of the UBC Harjit Kaur Sidhu Memorial Award in 2009. Born in Punjab on 23 January 1929, Gurcharan Rampuri began to write poetry at the age of 15. His first published poem appeared in 1950 in the famous literary magazing Prītlaṛī. Before coming to Canada in 1963, he had published three collections of poetry: Kaṇakāṅ dī Khushbo, Kaul Karār, and Kiranāṅ dā Ālhṇā. His first book published after coming to Canada, Annhī Galī, appeared in 1971. Other well-known books by him include: Kaṅchanī, Katalgāh, Agnār, etc. A large number of his poems have been published in Russian, English, Urdu, and Hindi. Mr. Rampuri also contributed greatly to the establishment of Punjabi literature in Canada. He was the founding President of the Punjabi Literary Association, later known as the Punjabi Writers’ Forum. He remained connected with many other cultural associations in the Lower Mainland, such as the Punjabi Likhari Sabha Rampur, the International Literary Trust Canada, International Punjabi Author and Arts Canada, the Urdu Association of Vancouver, the Writers’ Union of Canada, and Indians Abroad for a Pluralist India. Gurpreet Singh (journalist, editor of Radical Desi, and host on Spice Radio) and Nadeem Parmar (author and community historian) spoke eloquently about Rampuri’s work and contribution, and five former and current Punjabi language, culture, and history students read poetry by Mr. Rampuri. Mr Rampuri’s family was in attendance to share in the memorial program.
In addition to awarding prizes to students from UBC, Dashmesh Punjabi School Abbotsford, and Khalsa School Mission who won a Punjabi language essay contest, UBC awarded Punjabi-language writer Jogindar Shamsher with a lifetime achievement award. Shamsher is an author of both prose and poetry, and a translator. He has been active in Punjabi letters for seventy-five years. His first book, published in 1943, was a biography of the Ghadar revolutionary activist, Baba Harnam Singh Kala Sanghia. He has til now written approximately one dozen books. The names of some of his books are: From London to Delhi by Car (A Travelogue), Martyrs of London, Punjabi Lives and Literature in Britain, Punjab in 1919 (A history), Overtime People, The Letters of Faiz Ahmed Faiz to Begum Sarfraz Iqbal (A translation), etc.
Photo Gallery:
The highlight of the evening, as always, was the performances by UBC Punjabi language students, under the careful direction of UBC’s Punjabi Language Instructor, Sukhwant Hundal. Students created short skits that addressed issues of importance in the Punjabi Canadian community, and particularly for young people: such as son preference, the valorization of fair skin, and the need to accept children’s diverse interests — not just in science!
As UBC Professor Anne Murphy noted at the program, Punjabi language and literature have created a family at UBC, made up of all the people at UBC who learn Punjabi and read Punjabi literature. That family had a wonderful time together on March 14, celebrating the people and words that make the life of Punjabi in BC so rich.
Save the Date: The 12th Annual Harjit Kaur Sidhu Memorial Program, with special guest Professor Navtej Purewal from the School for Oriental and African Studies (London) will take place 2 April 2020, 6 p.m. at The Liu Institute!
