Ludhiana, May 24, 2016: A newly published collection of Punjabi ghazals 'Gulkand' was released today in the Students Home Auditorium of Punjab Agricultural University by the former President of Punjabi Sahit Akademy, Prof. Gurbhajan Gill, Chairman of Federation of Industrial and Commercial Organization (FICO), S. Gurmeet Singh Kular and former Additional Director of Communication, Dr. Jagtar Singh Dhiman. The collection, containing 208 select ghazals of 83 eminent poets of India and diaspora, has been edited by Manjinder Singh Dhanoa, Trailochan Lochi and Prof. Sharanjit Kaur, written during the 20th century.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Gill said that the collection presents a glimpse of Punjabi way of thinking about the contemporary issues which he said were realistic. S. Kular said that people will derive motivation from the ghazals presented in the book that he said will inspire students and young writers. Dr. Dhiman appreciated the authors for their efforts that have been made to present the kaleidoscopic poetry of eminent poets within the country and abroad.
Sharing their views, the editors, Lochi and Dhanoa said that it was their dream to present the top Punjabi ghazals in a single volume so that the readers are apprised about the different subjects and writing styles that different authors have followed to write these ghazals. The Punjabi ghazals have covered a long period of about one hundred years, they said. The book release function was organized jointly by Dr. Kesho Ram Sharma Memorial Society and FICO, on the occasion of birth anniversary of Martyr Kartar Singh Sarabha. Sarabha's portrait was also garlanded by the dignitaries besides paying rich tributes to him. Those who participated in the function included, Kamaljit Shankar, Prof. Ravinder Bhathal, Dr. Devinder Dilroop, Dr. Anil Kumar Sharma, Satbir Singh, Narjit Singh, Jaspreet Singh, Sharandeep Kaur and students among others.