Ratia, July 24: Senior litterateur and literary critic Dr. Naib Singh Mander was honored with the prestigious Punjabi language "Mahakavi Bhai Santokh Singh Award-2022" at a state-level award ceremony organized by the Haryana Sahitya evam Sanskriti Akademi, Panchkula. The dignified ceremony took place at the Dada Lakhmi Chand State University of Performing and Visual Arts, Rohtak, where the Honorable Chief Minister of Haryana, Shri Nayab Singh Saini, presented Dr. Mander with a cash prize of ?2.50 lakh, a shawl, and a citation.
Upon receiving the honor, Dr. Naib Singh Mander stated that this award was not merely a personal achievement for him but a symbol of honor for all litterateurs dedicated to the Punjabi language and literature. He attributed this success to his readers, family, literary peers, and well-wishers.
Dr. Mander has authored 15 books to date. His published works include eight books on children's literature, two short story collections, two collections of very short stories (flash fiction), one play, one novel, and two books of literary criticism. Additionally, over 100 of his research papers have been published in national and international research journals. He has previously received Haryana State Awards for two of his books and the prestigious Baba Sheikh Farid Award in 2013.
There is a wave of joy across the region and the literary community over Dr. Naib Singh Mander receiving this prestigious honor. On this occasion, representatives from various social, literary, and educational organizations—including Mahashakti Organization Chairman Bhawani Singh, social activist Tejinder Singh Aujla, Captain Gurmukh Singh Bhullar, artist Krishna Singh (Lok Chetna Manch Haryana), social activist Satpal Jindal (President, Sarv Samaj Sabha), Happy Singh Sethi, Sharma Chand Lali, Lion Shiv Soni, Bobby Goswami (President, Media Club), Principal Abnish Garg, Hindi literature enthusiast Sushil Azad, Prof. Varun Bajaj, Prof. Arshdeep Singh Mander (Canada), Narender Grover, spokesperson Charanjit Singh, Sonu, Ghanshyam Napa, spokesperson Bikar Singh, Sukhpreet Singh Mander, and Mata Baldev Kaur—extended their best wishes to Dr. Mander, describing this as a proud achievement for Ratia and Haryana.