Uddari congratulates Jarnail Singh Sekha on winning the life-time achievement award in this year’s Harjit Kaur Sidhu Memorial Program at UBC.
Jarnail Singh Sekha is a BC-based author and teacher who has been actively involved in community building efforts in both the areas of literature and education. Yet his most valuable contributions are his novels and other writings.
Sekha’s first book was a collection of short stories titled ‘Udaasay Bol’ that was published in India in 1992. Four years later, his first novel ‘Dunia Kaisi Hoi’ came out, and it became part of postgraduate curriculum at Gurunanak University; the book is now running its fourth edition. Since then he has published ‘Bhagorra’ in 2003, another novel that has enjoyed three editions so far, with a Hindi edition in 2004. Sekha’s other titles include ‘Apna Apna Surg’ (stories, 2003), ‘Dullay de Baar Tak’ (travelogue 2005. Urdu edition ‘Vancouver se Lyalpur’ in 2009), ‘Vigocha’ (novel, 2009, 2 editions. Hindi edition ‘Pighalti Yaadein’ in 2016), ‘Cheteyan de Chilman’ (memoir, 2013), ‘Be-Gaanay’ (novel, 2014).
Sekha has edited various Punjabi books, and most recently, he has script-converted and edited the Gurmukhi edition of Professor Ashiq Raheel’s novel ‘Navekla Sooraj’.
In India, Sekha worked as Punjabi language teacher where he took a leading role in encouraging school administrations and communities to build and/or to re-furbish existing school buildings. He was an active member of government teachers union, and served as its president. After retirement, Sekha became a member of the local panchayat, and helped establish a veterinary hospital, a grain market and other public facilities. He also added a three-roomed section, called the Sajjan Block, in a school to commemorate his grandfather.
He is a founding member of Likhari Sabha Mogha, and has worked with Kaindri Lekhak Sabha and Punjabi Sahit Academy Ludhiyana, in India. In Vancouver, he is with Punjabi Lekhak Manch where he has served in various positions of responsibility. Sekha is also a founder and director of BC Punjabi Cultural Foundation that began in 2003 to present in BC a yearly Punjabi book festival in partnership with Chetna Parkashan.
Jarnail Singh is now working on another novel, and on the second part of his memoir.
Contact Jarnail Singh Sekha
jsekha@hotmail.com
Contact Uddari
uddariweblog@gmail.com
Facebook
facebook.com/UddariWeblog
Twitter
twitter.com/UddariWeblog
..
Uddari Weblog 