Chandigarh, May 11 (Reporter) Punjabi poet, eminent writer and Padma Shri recipient Surjit Singh Patar passed away at his residence in Ashapuri in Ludhiana on Saturday. He was 79 and his survived by his wife and two sons. Patar died in his sleep, his family members said. Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, expressed deep sorrow over the unfortunate demise of Surjit Singh Patar. In a communique, Speaker Sandhwan said that Patar made a significant contribution to spreading the promotion of the Punjabi language across the globe. His notable achievement includes receiving top honors like Padma Shri and the Sahitya Akademi Award for his work of writing in a regional language. He said that Dr Patar hailed from Patar Kalan village in Jalandhar and retired as a professor from Punjab Agricultural University. He received the Padma Shri in 2012 and served as the President of the Punjab Arts Council. Sandhwan said that the passing of Dr Patar is a significant loss to the Punjabi community and a great loss for society. He added that the eminent writer will always be remembered with respect for his notable contributions to the mother language. Punjab BJP President Sunil Jakhar expressed grief over the sudden demise of illustrious Punjabi writer, poet and Padam Shri awardee Dr Surjit Patar who died due to cardiac arrest this morning. Jakhar said the death of Dr Patar is an irreparable loss that has created a vacuum hard to fill. "His verses inspired all. Punjabi literature will always remain indebted for his contribution. His distinguished work including ”Lafzah di Dargah”, his famous poems like “Hawa vich likhe harf,” “Hanere vich sulagdi varnmala” enamored all," the BJP State President said. Dr Patar remarkable contribution to Punjabi cinema, his dialogues for films like “Shaheed Uddham Singh” and the Punjabi version of Deepa Mehta’s “Heaven on Earth”, underlined his prowess, he said, adding that beyond his works, he translated Federico Garcia Lorca’s three tragedies and other works into Punjabi. "Dr Patar’s pioneering role in the Punjab Arts Council, Chandigarh, and Punjabi Sahit Akademi, Ludhiana, will be remembered. May God give the family the strength to bear with the enormous tragedy," he said...////...