He is simple, straightforward and spiritual. Meet Dr Paramjit Singh Sohal, a teacher of Punjabi language, who also happens to be a poet. Sitting amidst a group of poets, he lets the limelight stay away from him, not even making even a slightest of effort to let people around him know that here is a man whose words transcends times. In a genre where love and aspirations form major subjects, Dr Sohal is a part a small group of poets who talk of environment and its issues.

Sohal recalls, "I grew up in a village near Chamkaur Sahib listening to the Kaliyan of Kuldeep Manak and songs of Mohammand Sadiq. To be honest, I wanted to become a singer. As a first step in this regard, I began to pen lyrics. This in turn took me towards literature and by early 80s, I began to write."

With four books to his credit -- Onam, Priyatma, Kaaya and the most recent Pauna Satluj Kol Diyan, he is a doctorate on myths and symbols found in the poetry of Bawa Balwant.

For this 44-year-old poet, "It is the works of great poets like Prof Puran Singh, Bhai Veer Singh, Dr Harbhajan Singh, Surjit Patar, Paash, Navtej Bharti and Neki who were the guiding light." The poet adds, "For me, the search is spiritual and it is this journey that brought me very close to nature and environment. I realised how the insensitive man had become as he has been exploiting the Mother Nature without an iota of guilt or remorse. Most of my poems on environment are found in the collection called Kaaya."

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