Advisory Committee

Prem Mann received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles. He has taught Economics at SGGS College, Chandigarh, California State University system, and at Eastern Connecticut State University where he was chair of the Department of Economics for more than 20 years. During 2004-05, he received the Excellence in Teaching award at Eastern. He has published many articles related to economics in refereed journals and has written four books – Introductory Statistics, Statistics for Business and Economics, Statistics Using Technology, and Practitioner’s Guide for Statistics and Lean Six Sigma for Process Improvements (a co-authored book). Introductory Statistics book has been translated into Chinese, Serbian, and Portuguese languages, and Statistics for Business and Economics has been translated into Chinese language. Both of these books have been published in paperback international editions. Prem Mann has published two literary books in Punjabi – one book, Chubare Di Itt, of short stories, and a second book, Palkaan Dakke Hanjhu, of gazals. He has published many short stories, poems, and essays in many Punjabi literary magazines. He hosted a Punjabi literary show, Saavey Pattar, on Jus Punjabi TV (USA) for two years from 2008 to 2010.

Born in the year 1939 in a village in Ludhiana district of Punjab, Dr. Raghbir Singh is an eminent literary critic and scholar of Punjabi language. He has worked as a teacher at Panjab University Chandigarh for thirty years, and was also Professor and Head of the Department of Punjabi at Punjabi University, Patiala. Since 1965, he has edited a literary quarterly entitled Sirjana, a journal that has contributed to shaping new trends and introducing young talent in Punjabi literature. He has penned, edited, translated, and transcribed about a dozen books, Yathaarthi being the foremost book of literary criticism. He was General Secretary of the Kendri Punjabi Lekhak Sabha, the representative organization of Punjabi writers. He has also been the main functionary of the Punjab Sahitya Academy and Punjab Arts Council, set up by the Punjab Government.

Dr. Raghbir Singh has received several awards and honours, which include a fellowship with the Punjabi Sahit Sabha, New Delhi and the Shiromani Sahitak Patarkar Award of the Punjab Government

Amar Jyoti, a reputed Punjabi writer migrated to Amsterdam in The Netherlands in 1982. She then relocated to London where she resides now.

She completed her Masters in Punjabi literature and obtained her PhD on Nation, Identity and Diaspora in Surinamese Poetry. She has published sixteen books which include poetry, prose, research work and children’s literature. Her work has been translated in Dutch, English and in various Indian languages. It has also been included in Dutch journals and publications.
She has edited various magazines as well as books and has also translated Dutch literature into Punjabi . She collaborated with Dutch writers to launch Amber magazine which is a literary publication comprising of work by Dutch & Punjabi writers translated in English and aims to bridge the gap between Dutch and Punjabi literature.  She has also produced and presented programmes for Radio Indian Time and Radio Voice of Asia in Amsterdam and has been invited on Dutch and English television programmes. She has also attended conferences in Europe, India, Pakistan, Canada and America as a guest speaker. She has received various national awards and honours including the prestigious Shiromani Punjabi Sahitkaar Award (By the language department of Punjab) and also international awards from The Netherlands, Canada, UK and India(One World Poetry Award in Amsterdam- The Netherlands, The Waris Shah award – Punjabi Sath in the UK and The IAPA Award in Canada) Apart from reading and writing she enjoys listening to Sufi music and to Ghazals, painting and travelling.

Dr. Harbhajan Singh Bhatia is a renowned figure in the Punjabi academic community. He is currently a professor, and the former Head, of the School of Punjabi Studies at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India. In addition to having his Ph.D. in Punjabi Studies, he holds diplomas in Persian and Urdu. His scholarly research specializes in Literary Theory, Literary History, Literary Criticism, and Meta Study. He has published countless books and research papers and has dedicated his time to the Jnanpith Award Committee, the Sarswati Advisory Committee, and the Sahitya Academy Advisory Board. He has received numerous prestigious awards at the national and international level.

Mushtaq Soofi is a poet, writer, critic of Punjabi language, media person, columnist and music producer. He has published more than ten books of poetry, literary criticism and translations. He has vast experience as an electronic media broadcaster. He worked for Pakistan Television Corporation as a Program Producer, Program Manager and Controller Programs for thirty years. He has deep interest in and knowledge of music. He co-founded Sachal Music, Sachal Studios and Sachal Orchestra. International quality music produced by Sachal Studios is now part of the international music circuit. He has been writing a weekly column titled, ‘Punjab Notes’, for the English language newspaper, ‘Dawn’, since 2013. He is associated with important national and international cultural bodies. Soofi currently works as a professor at the School of Art and Culture at the Institute for Art and Culture, Lahore. He is also the President of Pakistan Punjabi Adbi Board, Lahore.

Parveen Malik is a highly respected writer of Punjabi fiction and a distinguished broadcaster. Malik’s published short fiction includes Ke JanaN MaiN Kaun, Nikkay Dukhh, and an Urdu novel, Aadhi Aurat. Her autobiography ‘Kassian da Paani’ was published in 2016. She has written numerous screenplays for Pakistan Television and anchored a literary program called Likhari for Lahore Television. Her popular program, Punjab Rut, aired on Lahore Radio from 1988 to 1998. Malik is a recipient of several prestigious literary awards and distinctions, including Waris Shah and Baba Fareed Awards. In 2016, Government of Pakistan awarded her with ‘Sitara-e-Imtiaz’. She has served as Deputy Director of the Federal Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Pakistan. Malik is currently serving as Secretary of Punjabi Adabi Board, Lahore, which is a leading organization promoting Punjabi language and culture in Pakistan.

Sadhu Binning, a retired UBC language instructor, has authored and co-authored more than seventeen books of poetry, fiction, plays, translations and research. His works have been included in close to fifty anthologies, both in Punjabi and English. He edited a literary monthly Watno Dur and co-edits a quarterly, Watan. He is a founding member of Vancouver Sath, a theatre collective, and Ankur. He sat on the BC Arts Board from 1993 to 1995. He has been an active member of a number of literary and cultural organizations, including the Writers Union of Canada. He was named one of the top 100 South Asians making a difference in BC. Sadhu has received several awards for his contributions to Punjabi language and culture in Canada. As an active member of the Punjabi Language Education Association, he has been promoting Punjabi language in educational institutions in BC for the last two and a half decades.

Shahzad Nazir Khan was born in Dera Ghazi Khan, a southern district of Punjab province of Pakistan, which is situated on the western bank of the Indus River. A well-known peace and social justice activist of South Asian community who immigrated to Canada back in 2006 from Pakistan. He and his group of Progressive Pakistani Canadians did numerous initiatives to raise awareness about the peace and issues related with South Asian diaspora and help build a narrative for the promulgation of a peaceful, tolerant and non-violent society where harmonious co-existence could become a livable reality. He and the like-minded people of South Asian descent had seen a great value in bringing the folks on one platform of

‘Peace’ irrespective of their national origin, religion, caste, gender, and class differences. Through his multifarious activities in South Asian diaspora in Canada, he celebrates ‘unity in diversity’ and sends this message of peace to those living in their native countries back.

He did his master’s in Business Administration as well as in Agriculture (Agronomy) from University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (Lyallpur), Pakistan. He is in agricultural sales & marketing industry for over fifteen years now yet his main interest and passions are poetry, literature and music.

Ranbir is a teacher who occasionally dabbles in creative writing. She has taught Punjabi language and literature since 2002 and has been teaching at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Surrey, BC since 2006. She is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Asian Studies and researching women in Punjabi theater.