Noted poet Patar is Punjab Kala Parishad chief

Chandigarh, Aug 22 (IANS) Noted Punjabi poet Surjit Patar was nominated as the Punjab Kala Parishad Chairman on Tuesday, state Tourism and Culture Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu said.

Patar replaced television anchor Satinder Satti.

Sidhu, who called on Patar at his residence in Ludhiana city, said it was a matter of pride for this government that Patar had agreed to this role.

"There cannot be a more able man to head this chair. He is not only an icon but a genius," an official statement quoting Sidhu said.

The minister said the state government is contemplating to constitute a "Cultural Parliament" by next month to ensure that constructive deliberations are held to devise strategies for popularising Punjabi art and culture.

Patar said he would leave no stone unturned to propagate Punjabi culture as well as literature to the village level.

"We plan to create a cultural centre comprising a library, a place for staging plays at village level. We would collaborate with the education department so that cultural icons can interact with children at the school level," he said.