Navtej Bharati

{{Infobox writer

| name = Navtej Bharti

| image = NavtejBharati.jpg

| image_size = 220px

| caption = Bharti looking very chad-like in this pic

| birth_date = 5 February 1938

| birth_place = Rode, Moga, Punjab, British India

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| language = Punjabi

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| occupation = Poet

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| notableworks = Leela

| spouse = Surinder Kaur

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Navtej Bharati ({{langx|pa|ਨਵਤੇਜ ਭਾਰਤੀ}}) is one of the most well-known Punjabi poets living in Canada. Born and brought up in Rode village near Moga in Punjab, India, he moved to Canada in 1960s. He now lives in London, Ontario with his wife Surinder Kaur. They have two children, a son Subodh and daughter Sumeet.

Bharati has published books in Punjabi and English. He was the publisher of Third Eye Press,{{cite book|last=Hubbard|first=Linda S.|title=Publishers directory: a guide to more than 9.000 new and established, commercial and nonprofit, private and alternative, corporate and association, government and institution publishing programs and their distributors : includes producers of books, classroom materials, reports, and databases : [1984-85]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HtQdAQAAMAAJ|date=December 1984|publisher=Gale Research Company|isbn=978-0-8103-0412-3|page=1199}} whose books covered many genres.

His book Leela (ਲੀਲਾ), co-authored with his brother Ajmer Rode, is more than 1000 pages long and is considered one of the most important Punjabi poetry works of the twentieth century.{{cite news |url=http://www.geocities.com/ajmerrode/LEELA1.htm |title=Leela |publisher=Webcitation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091024123816/http://geocities.com/ajmerrode/LEELA1.htm |archive-date=24 October 2009}}

In 2012 he wrote a long poem Lali(ਲਾਲੀ), based on the iconic character of Prof Hardiljeet Singh who taught in Punjabi University, Patiala and was known as 'Lali'. The book was also a tribute to the legendary Bhootwara (ghost house) in Patiala that was a centre of intellectual activities involving Lali among others with Sutinder Singh Noor, Gurbhagat Singh, Harinder Singh Mehboob, Prem Pali, Amarjit Sathi, Surjit Lee and Kulwant Grewal besides Bharati.{{cite news | url = http://www.indianexpress.com/news/lali-immortalised-by-canadabased-poet/934761/0 | title = Lali immortalized by Canada-based author | author = Amrita Chaudhry | work = The Indian Express | date = 2012-04-10 }}

Bharati's English-language poetry book, Endless Eye, was published by the Canadian Poetry Association.{{cite book|last=Bharati|first=Navtej|title=Endless Eye|year=1973|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R3_mAQAACAAJ|publisher=HMS Press}}

While living in India, Bharati was a three-time winner (1959, 1960, 1961) of the Best Poet of the State award, given by the Punjab Languages Department. {{Citation needed|date=October 2007}} In 2003 he was given the Best Overseas Author Award by the Languages Department. {{Citation needed|date=October 2007}} In 2010 Navtej Bharati received Anād Kāv Sanmān carrying a citation and cash prize of Rs 2.5 lakh.{{cite news | url = http://anadfoundation.org/anad-kav-sanman-poetry-award/kav-sanman/2010-kav-sanman/| title = Anād Kāv Sanmān 2009-10 | publisher = Anad Foundation }}