The year 2008 was an year of ups and downs for the field of art and culture, more aptly put an year of tears and some jubilation which came towards the end of the year. So while the city wept for Ishmeet Singh, some pain was salvaged with Dr Surjit Patar, a well know poet, bagging the prestigious Anaad Foundation Award and District Attorney Mitr Sen Meet getting the Bhartiya Sahit Akademy Award. Not to forget the fact that in April this year, the Punjabi Sahit Akademy elected for the first time ever a woman as its president, Dr Dalip Kaur Tiwana.

Meanwhile, the year witnessed one of its greatest tragedy on July 29 when talented, suave and soft-spoken, winner of the reality show, Star Voice of India, Ishmeet Singh passed away in what now seems as a freak accident. Ishmeet died while swimming in a hotel pool in Maldives where the latter along with a troupe was supposed to perform on August 1. Along with Ishmeet, the city’s cultural scene also saw intellectuals like Prof SS Narula and Prof Mohinder Singh Cheema, poet Kulwant Jagraon, Dr Gurdev Singh Pandhohal, gazal writers Ulfat Bajwa, Chaman Lal Sukhi, gazal poet Prof Kuldip Aujla passing away.

The largest literary body, Punjabi Sahit Akademy meanwhile opened its account after a bitter election which took place in April. With heavy weight Dr Dalip Kaur Tiwana, one of the most celebrated female Punjabi novelist on one side and popular Gurbhajan Singh Gill, backed by people like Dr SS Johl and Dr SP Singh, both former VCs, these elections saw a lot of politics and strategies unfold. Yet in the the Akademy chose its first female president in Dr Tiwana. The academy then proceeded on its usual calendar of seminars and talks with the national symposium in poetry becoming the talk of the year. It was this symposium that saw poets like Leela Dhar Jagoori regaling the audience with some of his masterpieces.

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