ASHOK Bhargava, a Vancouver-based multilingual poet, speaker and writer was recently bestowed with the title of Poet Laureate at Rockwell Club in the City of Makati by Axlepin Publishing for 2013 -2015.
He was honored with an Ambassador Poet Award by Historical Pentasi B. Forum in collaboration with the National Museum of the Philippines and the National Library of the Philippines. The award ceremony took place at Marble Hall in Metro Manila. He will serve as the literary and cultural ambassador for a two-year term for the World Friendship Poetry of Pentasi B Historical Forum.
Ashok has published four books of poetry. His poetry has been published in various literary magazines and anthologies. He has been featured on CBC Radio and Chanel M TV as well as Word On The Street, Explorasian and Chapter’s Under The Cherry Tree. He has won Poet Ambassador and Lifetime Achievement Awards. Recently he was honored by UBC and GF Trust with a humanitarian award.
He is an avid volunteer, supporter and organizer of various social and artistic activities. He is the founder of “WIN – Writers International Network Canada.”
As a Poet Laureate, Bhargava is to promote poetry as a vehicle of global peace, harmony and understanding. As an ambassador for the literary arts, he will incorporates poetry into a range of informal local and international literary activities.
Interestingly some Punjabis living in Manila noticed the big welcoming posters of Bhargava and decided to come in and join the celebration. Bhargava said: “It was such a heart-warming and spontaneous act of relating to a fellow countrymen that it brought tears to my eyes and I felt very proud to be a Punjabi and an Indian.”