English teaching across Punjab

Sant Singh Sekhon’s professional route crossed several Punjab colleges. Amarjit Singh Buttar’s 1987 profile records English teaching at Khalsa College, Amritsar, from 1931 to 1951, followed by leadership of the English department at Guru Sar Sudhar during 1953–61. It then identifies principalships at Mata Gujri College in Sirhind and at Khalsa College in Patiala, before work at Guru Gobind Singh College in Jandiala. The account dates the Sirhind principalship to 1961–65 and the Jandiala post to 1968–71. The introduction also identifies short stories, one-act plays and English verse renderings among his activities. Teaching and literary production therefore appear together in this dated public profile. Its subsequent political interview belongs to a particular historical moment and does not supply an impartial explanation of every community or event discussed.[1]

A bilingual body of writing

Jasbir Jain’s 2006 review of Selected Writings offers a later view of the literary range. She describes a volume edited by Tejwant Singh Gill that brings poetry, fiction, autobiography, articles and criticism into English. Historical plays are absent from that selection, an important limit on what the volume represents. Jain also discusses Sekhon’s early English writing and his commitment to Punjabi as a language of intellectual work. Bilingual practice, in her account, connected literary thought with creative expression rather than assigning each language a single function.[2]

Criticism and later reception

Her discussion gives particular attention to essays that relate literary forms to their social history and reception. She values the movement between aesthetics, history and political thought, while also noting specific awkwardness in some translations. Praise and reservation coexist within the review. This gives a more precise account of later reception than a general claim of greatness, showing which aspects of Sekhon’s work prompted critical attention and debate.[2]

Sources & notes

Source records include access dates and, where known, limits on what was examined. Checks used AI assistance; independent human or specialist review has not been completed.

  1. Amarjit Singh Buttar; World Sikh News, 13 March 1987; Sikh Heritage Education reprint. Professor Sekhon on Punjab Problem ↗primary dated public interview/reported profile · Source date: 2021-12-23 · Locator: Actual archive breadcrumb 1987 / March-13-1987, title/byline, first professional-biographical paragraph and terminal extracted-publication date. Accessed 2026-11-02.The actual dated reprint witness was read. The original issue was not independently inspected.Return to English teaching across Punjab, paragraph 1 ↑
  2. Jasbir Jain, University of Jaipur; Journal of Punjab Studies 13:1&2 (2006). Reflections on Sant Singh Sekhon’s Writings ↗signed scholarly review article · Source date: 2006 · Locator: Complete printed pp.285–288 / PDF pp.1–4; reviewed-book title/editor/date/ISBN on p.285; genre discussion pp.286–287 and translation/criticism evaluation pp.287–288. Accessed 2026-11-02.The complete four-page review and official issue contents were read. The underlying anthology was not separately inspected.Return to A bilingual body of writing, paragraph 1 ↑Return to Criticism and later reception, paragraph 1 ↑
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Record PH-PEO-0103 · English edition · human review not performed