Role
2014 Keynote Speaker
Dr. Waryam Singh Sandhu is an award-winning Punjabi author of short stories and non-fiction books. He has produced five critically acclaimed short story collections and three works of non-fiction. His 1998 published collection of short stories, Chauthi Koot (The Fourth Direction), won India’s prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award for Punjabi in 2000. Two of these stories were adapted into a film called The Fourth Direction in 2015. Sandhu has been honoured with numerous other awards, including the Sujan Singh Purskar Award and the Punjab Sahit Academy Award. His works have been translated into English, Hindi, Urdu, and Bengali. He is a highly sought-after speaker in global Punjabi literary conference.
Sandhu holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree and worked as a lecturer at Lyallpur Khalsa College in Jalandhar, Punjab. He spends his time between India and Canada while being an active in the global Punjabi arts and literary circles.
Some say Punjabi language will die in fifty years. I say Punjabi will never die as long its daughters and sons are alive, speaking and writing in Punjabi. Dhahan Prize inspires new writing around the world. Punjabi literature is rich with a bright future.
