Punjabi poet, writer and Padma Shri recipient Surjit Patar passed away this morning at the age of 79. Patar died at his residence near the Barewal Colony in Ludhiana while he was asleep, his family members said, reports PTI.

He is survived by his wife and two sons.

Around 6:30 am on Saturday, Patar’s wife, Bhupinder Kaur, tried to wake him up, to which he did not respond. She then called a doctor, and he was declared dead.

According to Gurbhajan Gill, a close associate of the family, the cremation will likely be performed on Monday, once his son arrives from Australia.

Patar’s poetic works include ‘Hawa Vich Likhe Harf’, ‘Hanere Vich Sulagdi Varanmala’, ‘Patjhar Di Pazeb’, ‘Lafzaan Di Dargah’ and ‘Surzameen’. He has also translated the three tragedies of Federico Garcia Lorca, Girish Karnad’s play Nagmandala, and poems of Bertolt Brecht and Pablo Neruda into Punjabi.

Patar received the Padma Shri in the field of literature and education in 2012. He was the president of the Punjab Arts Council and had also been the president of the Punjabi Sahit Akademi. The poet and writer has been awarded with the Sahitya Akademi Award, Panchnad Puruskar, Saraswati Samman and the Kusumagraj Literary Award.

Retired as a professor of Punjabi from the Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana. Patar did his graduation from Randhir college in Kapurthala and Ph.D on “Transformation of Folklore in Guru Nanak Vani” from the Guru Nanak Dev University.

After his death, various political leaders, singers, actors including the chief minister of Punjab, Bhagwant Mann, expressed grief and condolences.

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In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Chief Minister Mann said he was deeply saddened by the passing away of Patar.

Former Punjab chief minister, Amarinder Singh, on X said, “End of an era, as famous Punjabi writer and poet Padma Shri Surjit Patar Sahib has passed away today. My heartfelt condolences to his family and millions of fans worldwide. Punjab has lost an icon today.”

Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said the death of Patar has left a void in the world of literature.