Rajwant Raj- Poet and Novelist

Rajwant Bagri known as the famous poet Rajwant Raj. He was born in village Ibban of Punjab, India. He attained a degree in MA, and he is a certified cost accountant. In 1999, he immigrated to Canada and in 2000, he graduated from a technical college in Vancouver in computer programming and web design. Rajwant was interested in Punjabi literature throughout his schooling years including university, but it was poetry that truly captured his heart. 

In 2009, Rajwant had established himself in Canada, he could now pursue his passion of poetry. He started his journey in ghazal poetry when he had the opportunity to meet ustad Krishan Bhanot; he learned the methodology of Arooz and the mechanism of Behr. Rajwant’s poetry is emotionally intense with contemporary lyrical language of lost love, and he writes about female suffering as an implication of cultural burdens. His poetry is engaging, he has established a cliff hanger strategy in poetry where the listener is desperate to find out what he is going to say next.  Rajwant is an author of Punjabi novels; all his novels are page turners, the story line is engaging and realistic, and they reflect the lives of Indo-Canadians. The stories consist of red herrings, flamboyant characters, relationships, and cliff hangers adding a strong element of suspense.

Rajwant and his fellow ghazal poets came together to create a prestigious literary group known as the “Ghazal Manch Surrey”. He was one of the founding members of this organization and he played an integral part in taking Ghazal Manch Surrey from concept to realization. He is a pillar in planning, organizing, and executing Ghazal Manch Surrey events professionally. Famous poets and poetry critics have commended him and the team on taking Ghazal Manch Surrey on the world stage. 

Rajwant single handedly created and designed a website for Ghazal Manch Surrey to promote high level Punjabi literature around the world. One of the unfortunate facts about Punjabi literature, history, and Sikh religion is that there was a systemic failure to document and retain information. The reason for this loss was tragedies for hundreds of years including 1947 partition and 1984 Genocide; even today, there is a willful act of erosion of Punjabi language in Punjab. Therefore, transfer of knowledge did not take place creating a gap for the following generations to develop and sustain their culture. Rajwant developed this website to ensure documentation and transfer of knowledge takes place for ghazal poetry, poets, and literary scholars for years to come.

Poets and authors often request Rajwant to critique and present an extensive analysis of their books at their official book release functions. He is frequently interviewed by media including universities of academic integrity such as UBC, as he is a subject matter expert in ghazal poetry and literature. Rajwant is a multi-talented individual; he has made his footprint on Punjabi literature, and he continues to contribute to the art of ghazal.