Dr. Rajwant Singh Chilana was born in April 1952 at Karnal (India), and holds M.Sc (Zoology), M. Lib. Sc. and Ph.D degrees from prestigious Indian universities. He is a Professor Emeritus of the University of Illinois, USA. Earlier Dr. Chilana served as Librarian at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, and University of Delhi, India as well as Library Manager at the Fraser Valley Regional Library, BC. He also taught at the Department of Library and Information Science of the University of Delhi, and worked as Chief Librarian at the Guru Nanak Institute of Comparative Study of Religions, New Delhi, and acted as Library Consultant of the Bhai Vir Singh Sahit Sadan, Delhi. He was in close contact with many popular Punjabi writers like- Prabhjot Kaur, Narenderpal Singh, Satinder Singh Noor, Prof. Harbhajan Singh, Kartar Singh Duggal, and many others. He has published nine books and over thirty five research papers, and fifty book reviews. His monumental book “International Bibliography of Sikh Studies” was published in 2006. His other books include- University Library Buildings in India (1984), The Sikhs: Their Literature on Culture History Philosophy Politics Religion and Tradition (1989), Handbook of Libraries, Archives and Information Centers in India (Co-editor, 1988), Digital Information Resources and Networks of India (2006), Challenges for South Asian Resources & Information Services (2008), Dictionary of Sikh Names (2002), Punjabi Names and Their Meanings (2012), and South Asian Writers in Canada (2017). His forthcoming books are: Canada de Punjabi Lekhak and Prominent Sikhs of Canada. Dr. Chilana has received many scholarships, fellowships and Gold Medal from the University of Illinois, University Grants Commission (India), University of Rajasthan as well as the Indo-Canadian Shastri Institute (Canada) for various research projects. In December 2005 he was honored with the Best Punjab National Librarian award by SATKAL Trust of Chicago for his outstanding contributions in promoting librarianship in India, Canada and United States. In 2004, he also received a Fellowship from the Society for the Information Science (India) for his significant contribution to librarianship. He is actively involved in various professional organizations, and is member of many Punjabi literary associations. He is resident of Surrey (Canada) for the last 32 years, and through India Bookworld — a unique store — he is promoting Punjabi literature particularly Canadian Punjabi writer’s books in various libraries and other institutions across North America. He is the first Library professional to introduce Internet training in Punjabi and produced a Canadian Citizenship Test paper in Punjabi for use in various libraries.
Short Promotional Video (with English subtitles), 1: Why is learning Punjabi important? ਪੱਜਾਬੀ ਸਿੱਖਣ ਦਾ ਕੀ ਮਹੱਤਵ ਕੀ ਹੈ? پنجابی سکھن دی کی اھمیت ہے؟
Short Promotional Video (with English subtitles), 2: Why are Punjabi books important? ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਕਿਤਾਬਾਂ ਦਾ ਕੀ ਮਹੱਤਵ ਕੀ ਹੈ? پنجابی کتاباں دی کی اھمیت ہے؟
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Full interview, part 2:
Full interview, part 3: