WASHINGTON: Dr Satya Pal Anand, a distinguished poet, critic, and scholar whose life and work bridged nations, languages, and traditions, passed away in Toronto this past weekend. He was 93.

Born in 1931 in Kot Sarang, now located in Pakistan’s Talagang district, Anand belonged to the last generation raised in an undivided India. After early education in Rawalpindi, his family moved to Ludhiana after Partition in 1947 — a theme that would echo through much of his poetry.

Holding two doctorates — one in English literature and another in philosophy — Anand taught at universities across India, Britain, US, Canada, and Saudi Arabia.

A prolific writer, he produced fiction and poetry in four languages — English, Urdu, Hindi, and Punjabi — and received multiple awards for his literary work.

He wrote ghazals, nazms, narrative poems, elegies, and masnavis, as well as critical essays on literature and philosophy.

Anand married Promila Anand in 1957. Together, they raised two sons, Pramod and Sachin, and a daughter, Daisy. In recent years, he lived in Toronto with one of his sons.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2025