Prakash Prabhakar’s ‘Van Upvan’ Book Launched at a Literary Symposium Dedicated to His Poetic Consciousness
Prakash Prabhakar’s ‘Van Upvan’ Book Launched at a Literary Symposium Dedicated to His Poetic Consciousness
Chandigarh, September 29: A book launch and literary symposium focusing on the poetry of renowned late poet Prakash Prabhakar was jointly organised by the School of Punjabi Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, and Naad Pargaasu, Sri Amritsar, at the ICSSR Hall of Panjab University. On the occasion, ‘Van Upvan’, an edited collection of Prakash Prabhakar’s poems, was formally launched.
At the beginning of the programme, Dr. Parmjeet Kaur Sidhu, Chairperson, School of Punjabi Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, welcomed all the guests, scholars, research scholars and students. She said that Prakash Prabhakar’s poetry connects deeply with readers because of its simplicity, distinctiveness and profound sensitivity. She added that the discussion on his poetry after a long interval would provide an opportunity to understand his poetic legacy in new contexts.
Thereafter, the late Prakash Prabhakar’s wife recalled emotional moments from his life and shared memories associated with his poetic journey and creative life. Sandeep Sharma, editor of ‘Van Upvan’, elaborated on the process of editing the book and shared insights into various dimensions of Prakash Prabhakar’s poetry. Prof. Gurpal Singh Sandhu, who was part of the presiding panel, observed that Prakash Prabhakar’s poetry offers answers to several questions related to principles and conventions. He also shared his personal association with Prabhakar Ji and memories of their relationship. Prof. Yograj Angrish highlighted the innocence and spirituality present in Prabhakar’s poetry and expressed his views on its distinctive poetic character. Prof. Sarabjit Singh said that Prabhakar’s poetry possesses a modern sensibility and provides readers with considerable freedom to create and interpret meanings. Dr. Praveen Kumar described Prabhakar’s poetry as “poetry of love” and highlighted the human sensitivity reflected in his work.
Prof. Rajinderpal Brar from Punjabi University, Patiala, shared his personal memories associated with Prakash Prabhakar and said that he was not merely a poet belonging to a particular period or era, but a mature poet in terms of both personality and poetic vision.
During the discussion, Dr. Imratpal Singh, Dr. Amarjit Singh, Almitra Prabhakar, Isij Prabhakar, Dr. Davinder Singh and Heera Singh also actively participated and presented their views on various aspects of Prakash Prabhakar’s poetry and personality.
At the conclusion of the programme, Prof. Jagdish Singh, Director, Naad Pargaasu, Sri Amritsar, expressed his gratitude to all the scholars, research scholars, students and family members who participated in the event. The proceedings of the programme were ably conducted by Dr. Harkamalpreet Singh.
In addition to research scholars and students, family members and relatives of the late Prakash Prabhakar, along with literature enthusiasts, participated enthusiastically in the literary event. With the launch of ‘Van Upvan’, a significant effort was made to bring Prakash Prabhakar’s poetic legacy back into the centre of literary discourse.
