Kulwant Singh Virk, a storyteller who took you along tale

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 26

Organising a literary talk dedicated to the birth centenary of Kulwant Singh Virk, one of the most popular storytellers of modern Punjabi literature, the Department of Languages, Punjab, in association with School of Punjabi Studies, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, invited eminent Punjabi writers Dr Joginder Singh Kairon, Dr Dharam Singh and several others as they apprised the audience of Virks’ literary legacy.

Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, Dr Jaspal Singh Sandhu, said, GNDU was fully committed to the development of Punjabi language, literature and culture, under which a special discussion has been held on the stories of Kulwant Singh Virk. Celebrated folklore scholar and former professor, School of Punjabi Studies, GNDU, Dr Joginder Singh called Kulwant Singh Virk the pinnacle of the Punjabi literature.

“His writings intended to change the social structure through criticism. He was never a silent observer. Whether it was the Partition that he witnessed painfully through his writings and otherwise or capitalism, his stories were real and daring.”

On the occasion, he refreshed his memories of meeting storyteller Kulwant Singh Virk. Talking about the creative process of storyteller Kulwant Singh Virk, Gurmukh Singh, prof Punjabi University, Patiala, and scholar, described Virk as an independent, daring and original storyteller of his time, who set new records in Punjabi storytelling in terms of subject matter and form.

“His stories transcend time by proving the depiction of human existence, liberation from subjugation, presentation of the truth of time etc. as the basis of his story,” said Gurmukh Singh. Kulwant Singh Virk was hailed as a master storyteller who created a balance in Punjabi public life, captured the future in dynamic reality. Dr Manjinder Singh, another speaker, considers Kulwant Singh Virk to be one of the most popular storytellers of modern Punjabi literature, who has received the highest number of adjectives in the literary world.

He compared Virk to famous storytellers of other languages and considered Virk as a capable storyteller who created the story of humanity. Language Department, Punjab, released ‘Kulwant Singh Virk Special Issue’ dedicated to the centenary of Virk.

Tracing his journey

• Kulwant Singh Virk, was born on 20 May 1921 in the Phullarwan village, Sheikhupura district, Punjab Province, British India. Virk’s writings have won several awards and he was hailed as an acclaimed and revolutionary short story writer of Punjabi language
• In 1958, he won his first award for his short story compilation titled Dudh Da Chhappar (A Pond of Milk). He won the national Sahitya Academy Award in 1968 for his short story compilation Nave Lok (New Folks)
• He was also recognised by the Literary Forum of Canada in 1984 and acclaimed for his contribution to literature by the Punjab Sahitya Academy in 1986

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