Gurbhajan Gill honoured with Balraj Sahni Memorial Award

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 7

Eminent Punjabi poet and former president of the Punjabi Sahit Akademi, Professor Gurbhajan Singh Gill was honoured with Balraj Sahni Memorial Award by Our Space Cinema organisation during the 5th Ludhiana Short Film Festival, that began at Ishmeet Singh Music Institute, here today.

The film festival was inaugurated by former vice-chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University Dr Kirpal Singh Aulakh.

Gupreet Singh Toor, IPS, Our Space Cinema Chairman Pardeep Singh, Manmohan Vinayak, Paramjit Sohal, Dr Yadwinder Singh, Sunil Kumar, Karan Krishan Kamal, Jasbir Singh Sohal, Pammi Habib, Prof Ravinder Bhathal, President, Punjabi Sahit Akademi Ludhiana, Dr Nirmal Jaura, Director, Youth Services, Panjab University, Prof Manjit Singh Chhabra were also present on the occasion.

While speaking on the occasion, Pardeep Singh said Ludhiana Short Film Festival had been flourishing under the guidance of Professor Gurbhajan Singh Gill for the past four years and had been instrumental in collaboration of Our Space Cinema with several national and international organisations.

He said Our Space Cinema group was single-handedly becoming the custodian of the meaningful cinema in Punjab with its pragmatic approach by organising Ludhiana Short Film Festivals since 2013.

Memories of good old art and artists are getting buried under loads of commercial cinema, produced by profiteers. To pay the due respect and regards to great old artists and civility pioneers Our Space Cinema is going to start an award in the name of Balraj Sahni, who was a true Punjabi intellectual writer-cum-filmmaker who built a bridge between two great arts of literature and cinema. If there is any time when Punjabi filmmakers and artists needs visionary references, it is now.

Gurbhajan Singh Gill has not only contributed towards literature, but is also working for promoting sports culture in different parts of the state. Gill has remained the President of Punjabi Sahit Akademi, Ludhiana, for four years (2010-14) and has 16 poetry books to his credit.

Besides, he is actively associated with Professor Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation, Kila Raipur Sports Surjit Sports Association Batala (Gurdaspur), besides several others. In the year 2016, he was awarded fellowship by Punjabi University Patiala and by Punjabi Sahit Akademi in 2018.