By Ravinder Singh Sodhi

Last month when I came across a guy being interviewed and assessed in Punjabi Virsa on the Akaal Channel of  TV, my interest kindled to know more and more about him and then I googled him and saw many interesting aspects of his personality on YouTube. The dignitary in question is none also but  Dr. Avtar S. Sangha who is settled in Sydney now and is still providing yeoman’s service to both Punjabi and English literature. Mr. Sangha is undoubtedly a  familiar figure in the Punjabi literary world. I felt like introducing him to the English readership too as he has also made some viable contributions to English prose through the genres of short stories and essays.

After doing BA Honours in English with distinction from Panjab University and M.A.  English also from the same university in the mid-seventies, he worked as a lecturer in English in two colleges of Punjab for 26 years and also tried his venture for composing some short stories in English, which were used by The Tribune Chandigarh at that time. The ones which appeared in this paper at that time are Official Tour (November 6, 1983), Never Again, Please ( April 15, 1984), Tenants Extraordinary (June 16, 1991), The  Boys also Speak Sense (September 8, 1991), The Arranged Marriage ( March 21, 1993) and The Stag. Corruption, human values, social evils, social relationship and housing problems are the themes of these stories. His articles and essays like Portfolios in my College (March 10, 1985), Hoshiarpur- A Town of Chos and  Chaudharis (Feb. 4, 1989), The Tailor in Me, A Contemporary Novelist in hiding (a middle piece)  and Down Memory Lane were also used by The Tribune. The stories in The Tribune were also selected by VIPULA, a Telegu literary journal of Hyderabad (AP) for publication. After getting permission from the writer through The Tribune the Telegu journal translated them and used them in its different editions. The editor of this journal also invited more creations from Mr. Sangha. As a result, his stories like Marriage Gift, Visa, Serpentine course, Delhi Again and  The Spy were also used by that journal. Now one month back Mr. Sangha was invited to compose an essay on ageing for a book which has been edited by  Dr. M.L. Sood of  Ludhiana and published by his son in Singapore. The book carries essays of the writers from countries like the UK, USA, India and Australia and Dr. Sangha has named his essay  Ageing Cautiously and Conscientiously. Different writers have given different titles to their essays, though the whole book deals with ageing. 

In 2000  he moved to Sydney with his family. In Sydney, he became a regular columnist in a Punjabi newspaper and his column Sidni dian Railgaddian became very popular. This column continued for 14 long years. He was concentrating on various aspects of the life of migrants in this column. His characters would meet in the train or on the railway platforms and would discuss a particular issue and then disappear. Light humour, satire and wit were also an integral part of this column. In 2009 he selected good articles and episodes from this column and gave them the shape of a book named Sidni dian Railgaddian. In 2011, he published his first novel under the title Dilhu Mohabat Jin (Lok Geet Parkashan, Chandigarh; now SAS Nagar). This novel encompasses the purview of Canada, Australia and Punjab and the theme is unanimity and reformation in the villages of Punjab. In 2013 came his anthology of short stories  Billauri Akhaan (Punj-aab Parkashan Jalandhar). It carries 18 short stories which portray the different aspects of social life.He launched his monthly news magazine named The Punjab Herald  (www.thepunjabherald.com.au) in Feb.2014 in Sydney. He has published many short stories, essays and articles in this magazine during the last eight years. His latest stories in  Punjabi like Milni, Ruchi Da Ghora, Humsaaye, Ik Din Di Kamaai, Sirnama, Akhri Poshaaq, Roongha, Vichara William, Jad Harnek Chinta Muqt Ho Gya,  Sewa Singh Ho Ke Vee Sewa Karni Nahin Jande?, London Wali Bhooa, Girl Friend, City Father, Mamaji, Puro Da Putt and Jafa Marwin te Lucy, Lockdown,(PARVAS magazine, Ludhiana), Shubh  Anandkaraj (ROZANA SPOKESMAN, CHANDIGARH),  Chabian,(Pbi. Tribune September 15, 2021), Sat Sri Akaal, Sir (PANJ DARAYA, Germany), Choondhi Mastar (PUNJAB TIMES, UK), (Beyee)maan Sahib, Dalel Singh Malhi, Door Manzla Viah, Rambo, Malti Lab, Vakhtan Maare, Lohe Di Peti, (S)gali  Ram, Je Phatti Sah dau taan hee Bajigar chhaal maroo,74 Din, Baaki Gallan Shaam nu sahi,  Overtime, The Dent, Je Thin Khet vi jande lagge taan…., Reaching the Unreachable, The Wrestlers, The Married Bachelor, Roll No. 13420, The Cousins, City Father, The Only Ring, The Thief, got good response and acclaim from the readers. Some of these creations were published by some newspapers in the USA.  HIs popular essays and articles are Jat Vee Hattian Karan Lagge, Telephone Te Ladai, Asin Ik di bijaye do do Hath Milande Han, Punjabi Sabhiyachar te Gora Sabhiyachar, Satinder Sartaj Di Samvedansheel Soch, Akhe Asin Parhe Likhe Hune Aan, Job Ton Jahaaj Taq, Anna Hajaare, Hor Samaj Sudharak te Bharti Dhancha, Sewa-mukt Sailani (ROZANA AJIT, Jalandhar, June 2018), Sidni, Sadhu, Show off / Sarha, Sidni De Taxian Vale Bhaaji,Naukar Afsaran Jihe, Afsar Naukran Jihe, Mausam, Makaan te Michael Singh Maan, Baar Paraye Besna, Desi Apnia bare ki nahin jande, Obiter Dicta and many more. He also wrote two one-act plays named Vichara William and Vidya Vichari. Lately, he published some stories in English named Beyond Municipal Limits, Saaro and The Dent which he culled from his diary of 1984 and 1985. A month ago he composed the story named In the Greener Pastures which portrays the contrast between the Australian and Indian way of life. Other stories like The Last Duty, and Any Other Vintage? are his latest creations portraying the current political and cultural zeitgeist. His interview with Om Parkash Gaso is also quite thought-provoking. His Ph.D. thesis on American novelist Thomas Pynchon was the first thesis on this novelist in India when he completed his Ph.D. degree in 1988. He was working as a lecturer in English in two colleges of Punjab University for 25 years before migrating to Australia in 2000. Now his novel Te Prikhya Chaldi Rahi has come into the market this month. It is available at Azad Book Depot, Hall Bazaar, Amritsar. This novel has three themes: 1. Political saga of Punjab since the time of Britishers 2. Literally farcical situation of examinations in the colleges of Punjab during militancy 3. The love affair of two college lectures while on duty as invigilators in an examination centre. All his five books in Punjabi have got favourable reviews in different newspapers of Punjab.