The Silver Oak of Kotkapura: Hari Singh Mohi
Born on 14 November, 1945, Hari Singh Mohi retired from School Education Department Punjab as Principal in 2003. A post graduate in English literature, he was acclaimed as an accomplished teacher of English. As the first translator of Paash in English, he translated his 81 poems and published 'Pash An anthology' in 1991, Its online edition is still available on the Net.
Though popular as a melodious singer of Urdu gazals and a connoisseur of music in the Kotkapura area since his student days, he started writing in Punjabi in the late eighties and published his first collection of gazals, songs and poems as 'Sahime Birkh udase Rang'in 1992. Soon he was the darling of punjabi gazal mehfils thanks to his melodious singing. Four more collections of gazals came one after the other in the coming decade namely Mukhalif Hawa, Manhke, Baazi and Rooh Da Raks. He was a voracious reader of punjabi and English literature and housed a big library at his home. After retirement from Govt job, he pursued his interest in music and passed M.A in Music Vocal with distinction from Pracheen kla kendra, Chandigarh. He remained immensely active on social media too, cultivating his numerous artistic interests. He brimmed with passionate energy and birdlike carefree fancies. He breathed his last after a brief illness and has left behind his wife Niranjan Kaur, two daughters Ravinder and Arvind- both teachers and countless Ex -students and friends in tears .
While studying in PU in M.A English in 1969, he got a Silver Oak tree from Chandigarh and planted in his farm where he did agriculture as a side vocation. The silver oak still stands tall in his Mohi Farm in the outskirts of Kotkapura town. However, he chose to emerge as Silver Oak of Kotkapura in literature, music and teaching. Adieu!