Amritsar, September 1, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former Ambassador and Sahitya Akademi Award-winning author S. Navtej Singh Sarna visited the S. Nanak Singh Centre at the Bhai Gurdas Library of Guru Nanak Dev University on Tuesday, appreciating the university’s efforts to preserve and promote the literary legacy of eminent Punjabi novelist S. Nanak Singh.
The Centre is functioning under the guidance of Vice-Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Karamjeet Singh and is dedicated to preserving the writings and literary heritage of S. Nanak Singh.
Dr. Harinder Kaur Sohal, Coordinator of the S. Nanak Singh Centre and Assistant Professor at the School of Punjabi Studies, welcomed the visiting guests and presented Sarna with a copy of Nanak Singh di Galpkari: Khoj-Drishti, edited by her.
Dr. Sohal highlighted Sarna’s diplomatic and literary career, noting that he had served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs since 2002 and held diplomatic assignments in Moscow, Warsaw, Thimphu, Geneva, Tehran and Washington, DC. As a writer, he has worked as a short story writer, novelist and book reviewer. His first novel, We Weren’t Lovers Like That, was published in 2003.
Appreciating the Centre’s work, Sarna described it as a commendable university initiative to safeguard the writings and literary heritage of S. Nanak Singh. He said the central concern of Nanak Singh’s novels was human life and observed that the novelist rose above religious, caste, economic and social divisions to emphasise human values, love, compassion, empathy and morality.
Sarna also appreciated Guru Nanak Dev University’s continued efforts to promote Punjabi language and literature and praised Vice-Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Karamjeet Singh for encouraging the Centre’s activities.
Navdeep Singh Suri, grandson of S. Nanak Singh and Ambassador of India to the United Arab Emirates, also shared information about the Centre. He said its establishment had helped preserve Nanak Singh’s old and invaluable literary works. Suri appreciated the Vice-Chancellor’s role in facilitating the family’s efforts to conserve the novelist’s literary legacy and said the Centre’s academic activities had been possible through the Vice-Chancellor’s guidance and directions. He was accompanied by his wife, Mani Suri.
Dr. Sohal thanked the visiting guests and said the Centre presented a living portrait of S. Nanak Singh’s vast and diverse creative world.
Dr. Rajwinder Kaur, Dr. Simarjit Singh, Dr. Kanwaldeep Kaur, research scholars, students and library staff members were also present.
FOLLOW NOW
