11 March, 2026 – Amrtisar : US-based Punjabi poet and retired professor Sohinder Bir believes that the migration of Punjabis after economic liberalisation led to a significant gap in Punjabi literary production in the state.
According to him, the migration of promising Punjabi poets during the post-liberalisation period left a void at the place of origin. While the Green Revolution brought economic prosperity to Punjab, an uncertain political environment in the 1990s fuelled migration. This trend gained further momentum during the era of economic liberalisation, aided by globalisation and changing social dynamics, including the rise of feminism. As a result, a large number of educated Punjabi youth moved abroad, creating a generational gap in Punjabi literature in Punjab.
Over the years, he has written nearly 25 Punjabi books across different genres, with poetry occupying the largest share of his work. He noted that earlier Punjabi literature produced abroad was often labelled as “literature of dollars and pounds”. However, he described immigrant Punjabi literature as literature that developed on the fringes. After the 1990s, several mainstream poets also migrated, which created a qualitative gap in literary production in Punjab while simultaneously raising the standards of Punjabi literature produced overseas.
A devoted admirer of Shiv Kumar Batalvi, Bir was the first scholar to complete a PhD on Batalvi’s poetry and later authored a book titled Shiv Kumar Jiwan and Kavita on the legendary poet.
During a visit to London in 1991, Bir made it a point to travel to places associated with Batalvi’s 1970 visit, including Southampton, Glasgow, Liverpool, Southall, Derby, Coventry and Birmingham.
The visit of the celebrated Punjabi poet continues to inspire Punjabi-speaking audiences through an interview he gave to the BBC, which is now available on YouTube. Bir described retracing those locations as nothing less than a pilgrimage.
Born in 1954 in Palasaur village in Tarn Taran district, Bir completed his BA (Honours) in Punjabi from Government College, Gurdaspur, securing the top position. He later earned his MA, MPhil and PhD with distinction from Guru Nanak Dev University.
Bir began writing poetry while studying in Class IX. His first major opportunity came in 1974 when he was invited to read his poetry on the Delhi Doordarshan programme ‘Jawan Tarang’.
His next breakthrough came when he became a regular participant in the Doordarshan Jalandhar programme “Balde Bol Chiraga Wang”. Many of his poems reflected the pain of ordinary Punjabis during the decade-long militancy period in the state. One of his poems on the subject, ‘Tar Tar Athroo’, became widely popular.
During his more than three-decade-long teaching career, Bir supervised 25 PhD scholars and guided 50 MPhil students. Around 100 research papers were written under his academic guidance. His books on Bhagat Singh and Udham Singh are included in undergraduate syllabi. Over the years, he also appeared in nearly 100 television programmes in India, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.
The Tribune
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/amritsar/newsmaker-of-the-week-migration-of-punjabi-poets-after-liberalisation-created-literary-gap-says-prof-sohinder-bir/