India, May 13 -- Some remember Ludhiana as the city of the much-loved poet and lyricist Sahir; others recall it as the home of Mohan Singh, the celebrated Punjabi poet who lived near Railway Gate No. 3 on the outskirts of the city. But for me, Ludhiana had always been the city of Surjit Patar - the poet of our times who reached straight into people's hearts through his ghazals and nazams. His poetry reflected the predicaments of our times, especially in the aftermath of Partition, which divided the land of five rivers between India and Pakistan. Born in Patar Kalan near Kapurthala in 1945, Surjit made his village proud by touching generations of readers with his verses on Punjab and Punjabiat. Beginning young, he created fresh metaphors in Punjabi poetry alongside contemporaries such as Avtar Singh Sandhu (Pash) and Amitoj. Across his long literary journey, he remained deeply connected to the souls of his readers and listeners, often reciting his verses in tarannum, giving them a haunting musicality. Having shared an old family acquaintance with him, I carried the guilt of not having condoled Surjit's demise with his wife Bhupinder - a dear friend - and children. So this Monday, during a short trip to Ludhiana, I decided to make up for that lapse. I went to his home at No. 46, Ashapuri - a favourite abode in younger days. As I entered the house late in the evening, I found the close-knit family gathered to remember the poet on his second death anniversary after offering prayers and paying respects at the gurdwara earlier in the day. Hanging on the wall was a painting by his elder son Ankur Patar, now settled in Australia, while the evening was devoted to the singing of Surjit's ghazals by his younger son, Manraj Patar. Among the many compositions he sang, this was a particularly pensive one: "Ki khabar si jag tainu is taran bhul jayega, Daak nit ayegi, tere naam da khat na ayega" (Who knew the world would forget you this way; The post would still arrive, but no letter would bear your name) Dear Surjit, you were wrong. You will never be forgotten - and this, here, is a letter in your name....