‘Literature must adapt to survive,’ says teacher bridging art and academia

Dr Charanjit Singh, a senior faculty member in the Department of English at Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, is known for his innovative approach to teaching and research. What makes him truly distinctive, however, is his rich creative sensibility and artistic inclination.

Born in Dhanoa village in Hoshiarpur, Dr Singh was influenced early on by his father, who shared a deep interest in literature. This literary environment nurtured his passion for the arts — particularly theatre, which captivated him from a young age.

He began his literary journey in 2005 with the Punjabi play Zindgi Maut Di (Life of Death), a powerful drama exploring the final moments in the lives of three terrorists before they are neutralised in an encounter. The play was staged across several cities in Punjab and was awarded Best Play at the Baba Farid National Drama Competition in Faridkot.

In 2012, Singh published his novel Two Zeroes and a Hyphen, which tells the poignant story of an HIV-positive teacher confronting the reality of his mortality. The narrative explores how a routine, mundane life takes on new meaning when time becomes scarce, vividly illustrating the emotional shifts that accompany such realisations.

“Recently, under a project commissioned by Punjabi University, Patiala, I completed a descriptive study on the poetry of revolutionary Punjabi poet Avtar Singh Pash. The aim was to introduce students of English literature to this powerful regional voice and to deepen their understanding of socially engaged poetry,” he said.

His commitment to preserving cultural heritage is also reflected in his 35-minute documentary on Lyallpur Khalsa College. The film chronicles the institution’s journey from its roots in pre-partition Pakistan to its re-establishment in independent India. Available on YouTube, the documentary has garnered significant attention for its thoughtful portrayal of the college’s historic and educational legacy.

Looking ahead, Dr Singh is working on an ambitious project to transform printed literary texts into digital formats through film. “I want to make a film on it and my entire concentration is there,” he says. He believes that in a world increasingly dominated by multimedia, literature must adapt its form to remain alive and accessible to future generations. Academically, Dr Singh is a specialist in Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), a field that examines how language operates within social and cultural contexts. His research interests extend to media language and the ways meaning is shaped through linguistic choices. Dr Charanjit Singh seamlessly bridges tradition and modernity, theory and practice, and education and creative expression.