People
Dr. Atamjit Singh: Beloved Teacher & Mentor
by JASMIT SINGH
Atamjit Singh, born August 7, 1934 at Muktsar, East Punjab; passed away at San Jose, California, U.S.A. on Friday, November 12, 2010.
Atamjit Singh, who has died aged 76, was an academic and a literary scholar who worked tirelessly throughout his life to promote Punjabi language and literature in India and abroad.
Born to Sardar Kesar Singh Uberoi, college lecturer, and Balbir Kaur, he graduated from C.B. High School, Ambala Cantonment (then Punjab), and pursued further education at G.M.N. College, Ambala, as well as Government Colleges in Ludhiana and Patiala.
He received his Ph.D. from the University of Delhi under the guidance of Punjabi poet-scholar, Dr. Harbhajan Singh. His doctoral work was on the Concept of ShringÄr in the Compositions of the Fifth Sikh Master, Guru Arjun.
At age 20, Atamjit began his first job as a lecturer at Mukand Lal National College, Yamunanagar. He went on to distinguish himself as a teacher-scholar at Khalsa College and Arts Faculty, University of Delhi, as well as at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. He served as a Professor and Chair of the School of Punjabi Studies at Guru Nanak Dev University. He also taught courses in Punjabi language at Tokyo University of Foreign Languages, and gave seminars and workshops at the Osaka University of Foreign Studies. His other diaspora experience included conducting courses in Punjabi and Sikh Studies
in Thailand, United Kingdom, and United States.
He was twice the Director of Punjab State Text Book Board, Chandigarh, where he led the development of curriculum and textbooks for use in East Punjab at K-12 and college levels.
While he was primarily a scholar of Punjabi language and literature, he knew many other languages such as Urdu, Persian, Hindi, Sanskrit, and Bengali.
In August 1993, Dr. Atamjit Singh joined the University of California - Berkeley's Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies and established the first-ever Punjabi Language Program on a California campus.
In 1998, he moved to San Jose State University (SJSU), where he directed until June 2010 a successful Punjabi Language Program as part of the university's Department of Modern Languages. He worked with volunteers from the community, high schools in Bay Area, and other academic bodies to establish a solid program for Punjabi studies at SJSU. With the support of community leaders such as Doctors Mahinder Singh MadÄn, Avtar Singh, and Inder Mohan Singh, he also organised over the years several major international conferences on Sikhism and Punjabi Literature. He was a beloved teacher and mentor
to many students in the Bay Area, including at the San Jose Gurdwara, where he taught Punjabi for many years.
Both in India and the United States, Atamjit Singh worked with a number of academic organisations such as the Punjabi Sahit Akademi (the Punjabi Literary Academy) in India and the Punjabi Writers Associations in U.S. and Canada.
In a message from Delhi, Professor Chandra Mohan, the General Secretary of Comparative Literature Association of India (of which Professor Singh was an Advisory Council Member), paid tributes to Atamjit's "outstanding contributions to the development of Punjabi and Comparative Indian Literature both at national and international levels."
David Ray of Tucson, rizona, a well-known American poet and an old family friend, described Atamjit Singh as "a strong link in the web of connections that might heal us all - the many different communities that so desperately need the light of education and tolerance, loving and co-operative engagement."
While highly respected as a scholar and teacher, Professor Atamjit Singh's most endearing qualities were his humanity, gentle humor and forgiveness. He was gentle, sweet and generous in his ways. His brilliant intellect did not come in the way of his tolerance for human foibles, or for his respect for religious and cultural diversity. He combined his soft-spoken ways with active and strong progressive attitudes toward men and women of all castes, classes and races.
Amritjit Singh, an eminent professor of English and African American Studies at Ohio University, recalled his beloved older brother as "a gentle lion, whose rib-cage was made of steel-like values." He added: "Atamjit was both Blake's Lamb and Tiger."
Atamjit Singh is survived by his wife, their son and large family.
November 15, 2010
Conversation about this article
1: Bibek Singh (Jersey City, U.S.A.), November 15, 2010, 11:29 AM.
Very sad news indeed. May God bless his departed soul and provide strength to his family at this difficult hour!
2: Chintan Singh (San Jose, California, U.S.A.), November 15, 2010, 11:52 AM.
The San Francisco Bay Area Sikh community will always miss Professor Sahib, and yes, as the author states, his sweet and gentle ways will be remembered forever. It behoves the Sikh community now to make the Punjabi studies program at SJSU permanent in memory of Professor Sahib, for which he worked tirelessly.
3: I.J. Singh (New York, U.S.A.), November 15, 2010, 12:42 PM.
Having met Dr. Atamjit Singh a couple of times and witnessed his gentle way with people, I, too, will miss him. He was not in best of health and death is universal, so his passing away should not have surprised me but it does. More importantly, he had miles to go yet and many more things to do. I had visited him a couple of times to participate in programs that he initiated and learned to appreciate the man. A truly gentle scholar that will be missed.
4: Jasmit Singh (Olympia, WA, U.S.A.), November 15, 2010, 9:39 PM.
Dr. Atamjit Singh ji will be dearly missed by everyone who has come in contact with him. There is also a Facebook memorial page that has been setup for people to leave messages. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Atamjit-Singh-Memorial-Page/112918535442632
5: Amindeep Kaur (San Jose, California, U.S.A.), November 16, 2010, 10:58 AM.
I was fortunate enough to work aside him on many of his conferences and projects, and I was lucky to take all of his Punjabi courses that he taught at San Jose State University. He was a great Professor and a great mentor. I will never forget his guidance, and all he has done for our community here in the Bay.
6: Pashaura Singh (Riverside, California, U.S.A.), November 16, 2010, 11:19 AM.
I was saddened to hear of Dr. Atamjit Singh's sudden demise. He was a pioneer in promoting the Punjabi Language among diaspora Sikh children. He enjoyed a very special relationship among his peers in his field of linguistics. I still remember how Prof. Peter Hook, my colleague at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, frequently referred me to consult with Dr. Atamjit Singh about the curriculum of the teaching of Punjabi language. I had a number of telephonic conversations with him in this regard. He was very helpful. His vision for the Sikh community's progress in the field of education was laudable. He would go to any length to promote the cause of Punjabi language. It is no wonder that he spent five years at University of California, Berkeley's Punjabi Program and then the final years of his life to put the teaching of Punjabi language on solid footing at San Jose State University, East Bay Area. His death is indeed a great loss not only to the family but to the whole Sikh community at large. He will be sorely missed. With deep condolences ...
7: Gurvinder Singh Oberoi (Chandigarh, Punjab), November 18, 2010, 3:50 AM.
I am Dolly Soins' brother from Chandigarh. We are all very sorry to hear of the untimely demise of Uncle ji. His contributions to the Punjabi language will always be remembered by all of us. We join you in this deep sorrow. May God bless his soul.
8: Harbans Lal (Arlington, Texas, U.S.A.), November 22, 2010, 8:36 AM.
Atamjit Singh has been my colleague since we were teenagers and were neighbors in Ambala Cantt. (then Punjab). He was an active participant of the Sikh Study Circles organized by the All India Sikh Students Federation, Ambala Circle. Since then, I have been seeking his guidance on Guru Granth Sahib. He was a linguist as well as a Guru Granth scholar, in addition to being a committed Sikh of the Guru. He often guided me on the linguistic aspects of the Gurus' hymns. News of his passing away was not easy to take. I will certainly miss him.
9: Ravinder Singh Bhalla (Hoboken, United States), December 21, 2010, 11:41 AM.
I was a student of Professor Atamjit Singh's at University of California - Berkeley in 1993. He was a great teacher and, more importantly, a superb human being. He was kind, compassionate and had a true passion for the Punjabi language. He took our class to Punjabi University in Patiala, Punjab, as well as other parts of east and west Punjab, to explore Punjabi language and culture. He was a true scholar, gentleman and supporter of Punjabi language and culture. He will be sorely missed by all of his students as well as many, many others in the community. May God rest his soul.