GNDU CONFERS ‘PUNJAB HINDI SAHITYA RATAN’ HONOUR ON MANOJ DHIMAN

Face2News/Ludhiana 

Manoj Dhiman, a Ludhiana-based resident and Hindi writer, was honoured with the ‘Punjab Hindi Sahitya Ratan’ award at a grand felicitation ceremony organised by the Department of Hindi, Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, at the university campus on Monday.

The honour was presented by Prof. Sunil Kumar, Head of the Department of Hindi and Dean of the Faculty of Languages, Padma Shri Dr. Harmohinder Singh Bedi, Prof. Ravi Kumar ‘Anu’, Dr. Anu Sharma and Naresh Maudgil.

According to Prof. Sunil Kumar, the felicitation ceremony was not merely an occasion to honour writers, but also a historic effort to publicly acknowledge the literary pursuit, creativity and dedication to Hindi literature in Punjab. Referring to all 25 honoured litterateurs associated with Punjab, including Dhiman, he said their literary contributions were a source of inspiration for everyone and a valuable legacy for future generations.

Dhiman said, “I sincerely express my heartfelt gratitude to Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, the Department of Hindi and, especially, Prof. Sunil Kumar, who considered me worthy of this honour. Such events not only help carry forward the rich tradition of the Hindi language and literature but also encourage and motivate writers.”

Dhiman has so far authored 10 Hindi books—Late Night Party (short story collection), Barish Ki Boonden (poetry collection), Shunya Ki Aur (novel), Yeh Makan Bikau Hai (short story collection), Khol Kar Dekho (short story collection), Jagte Raho (short story collection), Birju Nai Ki Dukaan (novel), Dharti Par Laute Aabhasi Duniya Ke Avtar (novel), Raz Ki Baat (short story collection), and Mahamanav (novel). Late Night Party has also been translated into English. He is currently working on a new novel, which is scheduled to be published next year.

Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, had included Dhiman on its Board of Studies (PG) in Hindi for the term from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2026. In 2026, an analytical study of Dhiman’s short story collection `Jagte Raho’ was also undertaken at Guru Nanak Dev University through a short research dissertation.