‘Akhar’ back on path of revival

Neha Saini

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 12

One of the most prominent Punjabi literary journals of the state — Akhar — has stood the test of time.

Started by noted Punjabi poet late Parminderjit, in 1975, the 42-page magazine was counted among the few Punjabi literary magazines to survive the digital age. It was published and edited by Parminderjit until 2015, when the untimely demise of the writer suspended the magazine’s publication for almost a year. It was republished in 2016, with a special dedication to its founder editor, but soon it was a challenge to support publication cost and find readers.

The bi-monthly magazine featured poetry, short stories and social commentary by prominent writers and literary figures. Akhar has charted its own literary history being part of significant movements in Punjab. It was discontinued for publication during the Emergency and struggled through some financial constraints during the late ’80s and was restarted in 1992. The magazine has contributors spread across the globe. Over 30 Punjabi literary personalities, including Punjabi poet Karnail Singh from the UK, Paramjit Singh, Surjit Patar, Swarajbir and many others were regularly featured in Akhar.

But after the demise of Parminderjit, the magazine struggled for revival. Its literary legacy being passed on to Parminderjit’s family, his wife Surinderjit and son Ravjit Singh. The magazine has now been revived by Akhar Sahit Manch, the creative team of Akhar, that includes local as well international editorial and publishing partners.

“Akhar has a history of four decades behind it and so, we wanted to maintain the creative standards. We ensured that the hiatus was the end of it. So, we revived with limited edition release in 2016 and our editions for 2020 resumed the earlier status of Akhar now being published as a quarterly magazine,” said Dr Vikram, a writer and member of Akhar’s editorial team.