Lecture on Literature, Memory and History in Lyallpur Khalsa College

 

Post Graduate Department of History, Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, organized a lecture on the theme of literature, memory and history. World famous historian, poet and novelist Sarbpreet Singh was the speaker on this occasion.  Singh is a resident of Boston, USA. Principal Prof. Jasreen Kaur Welcomed the author on the dias and said that his historical knowledge will be very informative and enlightening for our students. 

Narrating the experiences of his early life, Sarbpreet Singh introduced the students to his literary journey and many known and unknown facts of history. Coming from the north eastern state of Sikkim, Singh migrated to the USA and studied there. Till the age of 27, he was not able to read or write the Punjabi language.   He met an American Sikh family and was deeply influenced by their knowledge of the Punjab and Sikh religion. Then, he started learning Punjabi and read about the Sikh religion. Hereafter, he involved himself in writing and left his job. Massacre of 1984, cast a deep spell on his mind and he wrote a book of poetry named as  Kultar's Mime which narrates the horrific times of those times. He said that the established ruling class always tried to suppress the real history but it is the duty of common people not to erase the tragic events from their memories. Public consciousness should be alive to feel the pain of masses. Philosophy of Sikhism teach us to feel the pain of others. Guru Nanak, in his Babur Bani, rebuked the Babar for his atrocities on the people.   He also informed the audience about his other books like History of Sikhs, The Camel merchant of Philadelphia, Nights of restless spirits etc. 

After the end of the lecture, head of the department, Dr. Suman Chopra thanked him for delivering an insightful lecture. Dr. Amandeep Kaur moderated the program. Dr. Karanbir Singh, Prof. Sandeep Kaur, faculty members of other departments and a large number of students were present in the event.