Surjit Hans

Surjit Hans (31 October 1930 – 17 January 2020), also appears as Surjeet Hans, was an Indian writer, tragedian, scholar and lecturer.[lower-alpha 1] He is also credited with being a "translator" for translating all the tragedies and thirty eight plays of William Shakespeare into Punjabi language. His name also appears in "historians" and "poets" for his research on history of Sikhism and writing novels and poems. Hans wrote sixty books, including Mittti Di Dheri, Loon Di Dali and Mrit Da Sapna throughout his life.

Professor

Surjit Hans
Native name
ਸੁਰਜੀਤ ਹੰਸ
Born(1930-10-31)October 31, 1930
Doaba, Punjab, India[1]
DiedJanuary 17, 2020(2020-01-17) (aged 89)
Mohali, Punjab, India
Occupation
  • Writer
  • Scholar
  • Historian
  • Teacher
  • Poet
LanguagePunjabi, English
EducationEnglish
Philosophy
Alma materPanjab University Swami Sarvanand Giri Regional Centre, Hoshiarpur
Subject
  • Literature
  • Language
  • Psychology
  • History
  • Philosophy
[2]
Notable worksMittti Di Dheri, Mrit Da Sapna, Loon Di Dali
Punjabi translation of Macbeth, Henry VIII, The Two Noble Kinsmen, On the Origin of Species
Years active1993–2020
ChildrenNanki Hans (daughter)

He became the recipient of a literary honor Sahitya Akademi Award twice in recognition of his contribution to the Punjabi literature and language.[lower-alpha 2] It is believed he spent more than twenty years living a "Bard of Avon" life since he started translation work, including Macbeth which he did in 1955.[lower-alpha 3][1][3][4] In 2013, he received a honorary appreciation by the Ealing London Borough Council for his contribution to Shakespearean tragedies.[5][6]

Early life

Hans was born in Doaba area of Punjab, India on 31 October 1930.[1] After completing his primary and secondary schooling, he attended the Panjab University Swami Sarvanand Giri Regional Centre, Hoshiarpur where he studied English and Philosophy. He took a keen interest in Shakespeare's writings after receiving education from professor Dinah Stock, and later in 1965, he went to Southall, London and worked as a postman at the Heathrow Airport[2] as well as a bus conductor. He stayed there for six to seven years.[7] Hans joined Royal Shakespeare Company and started working on Shakespeare's projects.

In 1973, he returned to his hometown and joined the Guru Nanak Dev University for the department of Guru Nanak studies faculty where he worked as a lecturer, and later in 1981, he became head of the department from 1986 to 1989 and 1990 to 1991 in history faculty at the Guru Nanak Dev University until he retired in 1993. He published his first doctoral project on Sikh literature titled "A Reconstruction of Sikh History" which is recognized as a prominent research among his other work. It is believed he was inspired by methodology of a New Zealand scholar W. H. McLeod. He was also involved in research work of Punjab's insurgency.[2][8]

Literary career

Hans chiefly wrote about literature, language, psychology, history, and philosophy. As a fellow at the Punjabi University, Patiala, he began translating Shakespeare's projects into Punjabi on 1 January 1993[2] with Othello tragedy.[9] As a translator for twenty years, he played multiple fictional characters' roles, including Laertes in Hamlet and Seyton in Macbeth, and is also credited with translating Henry VIII that was his last work and Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species. He also used to write novels and poetry themed psychology and social. His prominent publications include Mitti Di Dheri, Gallo, Apsara, Pushtan, Harijan, Loon Di Dali, Imtihan, and Sikh Ki Karan. He wrote about the all ethnic groups of Punjab in one of his research works titled Jallianwala Bagh: The Construction of a Nationalist Symbol that appeared in the prominent publications.[2]

Assignments

Hans was employed or assigned to translate Shakespeare's work by the Punjabi University. The university used to offer him ₹8,000 for each play. It is claimed that each play he used to complete was done in a time span of six months.[10][11]

Death

On August 31, 2014, he suffered from a myocardial infarction but recovered later. On 17 January 2020, he died of chronic condition in Mohali city of Punjab.[2][12]

Notes
  1. see also wikt:tragedian. The subject can be also referred to Shakespearean tragedian
  2. the awards were based in Punjab and Chandigarh than in Delhi
  3. Bard of Avon is a title given to an English poet William Shakespeare

References
  1. Service, Tribune News. "Prof Surjit Hans, who translated all of Shakespeare to Punjabi, dies at 89". Tribuneindia News Service.
  2. "The professor extraordinaire". The Indian Express. January 18, 2020.
  3. "Renowned Sikh historian Surjit Hans passes away". The Times of India. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  4. "CAPT AMARINDER MOURNS PASSING AWAY OF PROF. SURJIT HANS, MEDIA ADVISOR RAVEEN THUKRAL ALSO CONDOLES DEATH". Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Punjab, India ਸੂਚਨਾ ਤੇ ਲੋਕ ਸੰਪਰਕ ਵਿਭਾਗ ਪੰਜਾਬ ,ਭਾਰਤ. 10 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  5. "Indian professor honoured at London Ealing Mayor's parlour". Press Trust of India. July 22, 2013 – via Business Standard.
  6. "Veteran Prof Surjit Hans who translated Shakespeare into Punjabi, passes away". January 17, 2020.
  7. Dogra, Chander Suta (March 11, 2013). "Read as you like it" – via www.thehindu.com.
  8. "Sikh historian Surjit Hans, who translated Shakespeare's works into Punjabi, passes away". hindustantimes.com.
  9. "Love's labour: the complete works of Shakespeare now available in". The Independent. February 26, 2013.
  10. "New-age Bard: O Romeo! Kitthe ho tussi?". in.news.yahoo.com.
  11. Nelson, Dean (February 21, 2013). "All William Shakespeare's plays translated into Punjabi over 20 years" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  12. Nath, Rajan (January 17, 2020). "Captain Amarinder Singh mourns passing away of Prof. Surjit Hans".
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.