On July 11th 2000, noted Punjabi writer Amrita Pritam was honoured with the highest award for Punjabi literature, the Shatabdi Samman.
Amrita Pritam remains one of the most popular figures in Punjabi literature today and was a Punjabi writer and poet and is considered as one of the most prominent among poets, novelists and essayists.
Pritam was born on August 31st 1919 in Gujranwala, Punjab to a schoolteacher. At the age of eleven, Amrita Pritam’s mother passed away. Her father and she moved to Lahore, where she lived till 1947. Overwhelmed by her loneliness and her mother’s untimely death, Pritam began writing at a young age. She was only sixteen when she published her first collection of poems titled Amrit Lehran in 1935, the same year she was married to Pritam Singh, to whom she was engaged since childhood.
Starting of as a romantic poet, Pritam soon became part of the Progressive Writers Movement and the effect of that can be seen in her writing. In her collection Lok Peed written in 1944, Pritam comments on the war-ravaged economy after the Bengal famine in 1943. Apart from writing, Pritam also supported social causes enthusiastically. She also supported the opening of the first Janta Library in Delhi and was also part of Lahore Radio Station before Partition.
After Partition in 1947, Amrita moved from Lahore to Delhi and was then heartbroken over the millions of deaths caused by the Partition. Amrita penned one of her most famous works, a poem titled “Ajj Akhaan Waris Shah Nu”, which epitomizes the terror of Partition.
By 1960, Pritam had divorced her husband Pritam Singh and it is believed that she had an extreme fondness for poet Sahir Ludhainavi, which is something she wrote about in her autobiography Rasidi Ticket. Later in her life, Amrita found comfort in the company of writer and artist Imroz, whom she spent the last forty years of her life with. Imroz designed most of her book covers and made her the subject of most of his paintings. Their life together has been chronicled in a book titled, Amrita Imroz: A Love Story. Until 1961, Pritam worked in All India Radio, Delhi and post her divorce most of her work portrayed her unhappy married experiences. Apart from her job in radio and her writing, Pritam also edited a monthly Punjabi literary magazine titled Nagmani.
Post-Partition, Pritam had also begun to write in Hindi and soon became a disciple of Osho as well and wrote introductions to many Osho books, such as Ek Onkar Satnam. She also began writing on spiritual topics and some of her best known works are Kaal Chetna and Agyat ka Nimantran among others.
Some of Pritam’s best known works remain Pinjar, Dharti Sagar te Sippiyan and Unah Di Kahan. She also penned many memorable autobiographies, such as Kala Gulab, Rasidi Ticket and Aksharon Kay Saaye. Many of her novels have been made into popular films and her works have been translated into foreign languages such as English, French, Danish, Japanese and even Hindi and Urdu.
Amrita Pritam has been the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the Punjab Rattan Award, Sahitya Akademi Award (she was the first woman recipient), Bhartiya Jnanpith Award, the Shatabhi Samman, the Padma Shri, the Padma Vibhushan and the Sahatiya Akademi Fellowship. Apart from these, Pritam has also received international honours like the Vaptsarov Award from Bulgaria and the Ordre d'Arts et des Lettres from the government of France. She was also elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1986 to 1992 and was awarded by Pakistan’s Punjabi Academy as well, being extremely popular across the border.
Also On This Day:
1924 - Muslim-Hindu rebellion breaks out in Delhi
1957 - Co-founder of the Muslim League, Aga Sultan Sir Muhammad (1877-1957), Aga Khan III passes away.
