A new and refreshingly fresh voice among contemporary Christian literary circles, Preeya Tabita is a researcher, literary critic, columnist and poetess. Her latest research efforts are being considered for a PhD award at the Government College, University of Lahore.
One only has to study her book, "Urdu Novel kay manfi kirdar - aghaz taa qayam-e Pakistan"
- اردو ناول کے منفی کردار
آغاز تا قیام پاکستان published in 2006, to discover that Urdu is her subject - her passion. Her best known published work on literary criticism, which also meets the gold standard of academic research, Younas Adeeb - Hayat o fun (یونس ادیب - حیات و فن) was published in August 2009.
"Hamesha rooth jaatay ho", (ہمیشہ روٹھ جاتے ھو) is Tabita's successful attempt to be counted among the generation of new poets who will often be quoted in years to come.
Tabita's awards and honours include the following: BM Hasrat Award (2007) presented by Christian Writers Guild; National Youth Award (cash prize of Rs.50,000 ) presented by The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Sayed Yousaf Raza Gillani (2008); Taak Kashmiri Award (cash prize Rs. 10,000), awarded by Lahore Diocesan Board of Education (2008); Sacred Heart Award (2008) presented by Rev. Lawrence Saldana (2008); Quaid-e Azam hlal-e Ahmar Gold Medal (2009) and Crown Certificate for Excellent Services (2009).
Between 2008 and 2009 Tabita was in charge of, and contributed a daily column to, the literary edition of the daily Aftab in Quetta, Pakistan. Since 2003, she has served as an Assistant Professor in the department of Urdu Language at Foreman Christian College, University of Lahore.
Her published articles and columns are too many to be enumerated here. Only a short, and hopefully a fairly representative, selection of these is presented here: Shazad Ahmad ka asri sha'oor, Aangan آنگن novel ka tajazziyati mutaliya, novel nigari ka irtiqa, Ibne Insha kee safar nigari, Taraqi passad tehreek: ik jaiza, and Romanvi tehreek: aaghaz o irtika. Her poetry, both nazms and ghazzlas, has appeared in reputable magazines including Shadab, Al-hamra, Dabistan, Naqeeb and Saher.