It was a fine gesture by the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi to have a face-to-face with him on Saturday morning. However, what has always struck me is his passion for reading and more so in times when many writers read perhaps only the books they write, or perhaps not even that. I recall late satirist friend Bhushan holding Chauhan suspect for reading Western literature and probably bringing its elements into his writing. He adds that it is presumptuous to write without reading for ‘illiteracy’ and ‘originality’ should not be confused. His notable literary works include poetry anthologies ‘Makki de Geet’, ‘Nikkian Berian Nikke Chappu’, a collection of satirical writing ‘Kutta, Kitab te Gulab’ in Punjabi and ‘Sahitya Satyanaash’ in Hindi.

Source: Hindustan Times February 19, 2017 07:41 UTC