Writer

Kahn Singh Nabha
punjabi personalities

Kahn Singh Nabha

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Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha (August 30, 1861- November 24, 1938) was a Sikh lexicographer and encyclopedist. His most influential work, Mahan Kosh, inspired generations of scholars after him.He also played a role in the Singh Sabha movement.

Biography

He was born to Narain Singh and Har Kaur at the village of Sabaz Banera, located in what was then Patiala State. His father, Narain Singh succeeded to the charge of Gurdwara Dera Baba Ajaypal Singh at Nabha, after the death of his grandfather Sarup Singh in 1861. Kahn Singh was the eldest of three brothers (the other two being Meehan Singh and Bishan Singh) and one sister (Kahn Kaur). His books Gurmat Prabhakar and Gurmat Sudhakar are the standard guide books for understanding Sikhism. His work Mahan Kosh (known as the Sikh encyclopedia) is his magnum opus. He published magazine”Khalsa Gazzete” and is also regarded as one of the founders of the weekly newspaper, Khalsa Akhbar. Some of his noted works which are believed to be have accomplished between the years 1882 and 1911 are as follows .

Shareef Kunjahi
punjabi personalities

Shareef Kunjahi

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Shareef  Kunjahi  was a leading writer and poet of Punjabi. He was among the first faculty members of the Department of Punjabi Language at University of Punjab in 1970 s and contributed to Punjabi literature as a poet, prose writer, teacher, research scholar, linguist, lexicographer and translator.

Biography

Shareef was born in 1915 in Kunjah, a small town of Gujrat District in Punjab. Although Shareef wrote poetry in both Urdu and Persian languages, and even made a name as an Urdu poet quite early in his writing career, Punjabi was always his first love. For an up-and-coming Muslim writer of that period, especially among the early progressive writers and poets, adopting Punjabi for his creative articulation was a rare phenomenon.

He became among the pioneers of modern Punjabi poetry from 1930s at about the same time when Prof Mohan Singh introduced secular themes and a new style in Punjabi poetry. His first collection of Punjabi poetry Jagrate (sleepless nights) was first published in Gurmukhi in East Punjab in 1958, and wasn’t published in Shahmukhi in West Punjab until 1965. It contained only 37 poems. His second anthology Orak Hondi Lou (dimming light) was published in 1995.

Gurbaksh Singh Preetlari
punjabi personalities

ਗੁਰਬਖਸ਼ ਸਿੰਘ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਲੜੀ

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ਗੁਰਬਖਸ਼ ਸਿੰਘ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਲੜੀ (26 ਅਪਰੈਲ 1895 – 20 ਅਗਸਤ 1978) ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਦਾ ਇਕ ਕਹਾਣੀਕਾਰ, ਨਾਵਲਕਾਰ, ਨਾਟਕਕਾਰ, ਵਾਰਤਕ ਲੇਖਕ ਅਤੇ ਸੰਪਾਦਕ ਸਨ। ਗੁਰਬਖਸ਼ ਸਿੰਘ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਲੜੀ ਦਾ ਜਨਮ 26 ਅਪਰੈਲ 1895 ਸਿਆਲਕੋਟ ਵਿਖੇ ਹੋਇਆ। ਉਹਨਾਂ ਦੇ ਪਿਤਾ ਦਾ ਨਾਂ ਪਸ਼ੌਰਾ ਸਿੰਘ ਅਤੇ ਮਾਤਾ ਦਾ ਨਾਂ ਮਿਲਣੀ ਕੌਰ ਸੀ। ਉਹ 7 ਸਾਲ ਦੇ ਹੀ ਸਨ ਤਾਂ ਪਿਤਾ ਦਾ ਦਿਹਾਂਤ ਹੋ ਗਿਆ।

ਜੀਵਨ

1932 ਵਿੱਚ ਨੌਕਰੀ ਤੋਂ ਮੁਕਤ ਹੋ ਕੇ ਨੌਸ਼ਹਿਰੇ ਦੇ ਸਥਾਨ ’ਤੇ ਜ਼ਮੀਨ ਲੈ ਕੇ ਆਧੁਨਿਕ ਵਿਗਿਆਨਕ ਢੰਗ ਨਾਲ ਖੇਤੀ ਕਰਨੀ ਸ਼ੁਰੂ ਕਰ ਦਿੱਤੀ। ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਆਦਰਸ਼ਕ ਸਮਾਜ ਦੀ ਉਸਾਰੀ ਲਈ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਉਤਸ਼ਾਹ ਪੈਦਾ ਕਰਨ ਲਈ ਇੱਕ ਮਾਸਿਕ ਰਸਾਲੇ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਲੜੀ ਦੀ ਪ੍ਰਕਾਸ਼ਨਾ 1933 ਦੇ ਸਤੰਬਰ ਮਹੀਨੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਆਰੰਭ ਕੀਤੀ। ਪ੍ਰੀਤਲੜੀ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਪੱਤਰਕਾਰੀ ਦੇ ਖੇਤਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਇੱਕ ਮਾਅਰਕਾ ਸੀ। ਇਹ ਮਾਸਿਕ ਪੱਤਰ ਪਾਠਕਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਬਹੁਤ ਹਰਮਨ ਪਿਆਰਾ ਹੋਇਆ। ਸੰਨ 1936 ਵਿੱਚ ਆਪ ਮਾਡਲ ਟਾਊਨ ਲਾਹੌਰ ਆ ਵਸੇ। ਦੋ ਕੁ ਸਾਲ ਬਾਅਦ 1939 ਵਿੱਚ ਇਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੇ ਲਾਹੌਰ ਤੇ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ ਦੇ ਵਿਚਕਾਰ 15 ਏਕੜ ਜ਼ਮੀਨ ਮੁੱਲ ਲੈ ਕੇ ਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਨਗਰ ਦੀ ਸਥਾਪਨਾ ਕੀਤੀ। 1947 ਵਿੱਚ ਦੇਸ਼ ਦੀ ਵੰਡ ਸਮੇਂ ਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਨਗਰ ਉਜੜ ਗਿਆ ਤੇ ਆਪ ਦਿੱਲੀ ਚਲੇ ਗਏ ਪਰ ਉੱਥੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦਾ ਦਿਲ ਨਾ ਲੱਗਾ। ਉਹ ਮੁੜ 1950 ਵਿੱਚ ਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਨਗਰ ਆ ਕੇ ਉਸ ਦੀ ਪੁਨਰਸਥਾਪਨਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਜੁੱਟ ਗਏ ਅਤੇ ਆਖ਼ਰੀ ਦਮ ਤਕ ਇੱਥੇ ਰਹੇ। ਇੱਥੋਂ ਹੀ 1940 ਵਿੱਚ ਬਾਲ ਸੰਦੇਸ਼ ਨਾਂ ਦਾ ਮਾਸਿਕ ਪੱਤਰ ਸ਼ੁਰੂ ਕੀਤਾ।

Giani Gurdit Singh
punjabi personalities

Giani Gurdit Singh

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Giani Gurdit Singh (24 February 1923 – 17 January 2007) was born in Mithewal village in the state of Punjab (India). He was considered one of the greatest contemporary writers in Punjabi and his book Mera Pind is regarded as a classic. It is now in its 10th edition and celebrates 50 years of publication this year. He was also a pioneering journalist, the Owner-Editor of Parkash (a Punjabi language newspaper) 1947-1978. He was also the Editor of Singh Sabha Patrika a monthly magazine of Sikh history and divinity (from 1973–1988). Giani Gurdit Singh graduated as “Giani” from Punjab University, Lahore in 1945 and he specialized in literature, divinity, history and folklore.

Biography

Giani Gurdit Singh was a member of the Punjab Legislative Council from 1956 to 1962. He contributed to the debates at that time and in the creation of Punjabi University, Patiala and in the recognition of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sabo, as the 5th Takht of the Sikhs. He was General Secretary of the Singh Sabha Shatabadi Committee, Amritsar, which was renamed Kendriya Sri Guru Singh Sabha. As the Editor of the magazine Singh Sabha Patrika he focused on issues of importance to the Sikhs. He also established two Guru Granth Vidya Kendras, one in Chandigarh and another in Mehrauli, Delhi.

Kartar Singh Duggal
punjabi personalities

Kartar Singh Duggal

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Kartar Singh Duggal (1 March 1917 – 26 January 2012) was an Indian writer who wrote in Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, and English. His works include short stories, novels, dramas and plays. His works have been translated into Indian and foreign languages. He has served as Director, All India Radio.He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by Government of India in 1988. In 2007, he was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, the highest honour given by Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters.

Biography

Duggal has authored twenty four collections of short stories, ten novels, seven plays, seven works of literary criticism, two poetry collections and an autobiography. Many of his books have been adopted by various universities for graduate studies.

Duggal started his professional career with All India Radio (AIR). He worked there from 1942 to 1966 in various jobs including Station Director. For the AIR, he wrote and produced programmes in Punjabi and other languages. In addition, he authored a large number of plays and dramas. He was the Secretary/Director, National Book Trust, India from 1966 to 1973. From 1973 to 1976, he served as an Information Advisor at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (Planning Commission).

Sukhbir
punjabi personalities

Sukhbir (writer)

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Sukhbir, (July 9, 1925 – February 22, 2012), alias Balbir Singh is a Punjabi novelist, short-story writer, poet and an essayist. He was born on 9 July 1925 to S. Mansha Singh and Smt. Shiv Kaur in Mumbai, India. He was suffering from multiple complications after severe cardiac arrest and died on February 22, 2012.
Sukhbir has been writing and publishing for the last fifty years. He has authored 7 novels, 11 short story collections, 5 poetry collections among many translations of world literature, essays, letters and book reviews. He is the only Punjabi writer to have written in the stream-of-consciousness genre.

Biography

Sukhbir’s major literary influences have been John Steinbeck, Anton Chekhov, Irving Stone, Sigmund Freud, T. S. Eliot, Pablo Neruda, Sardar Jafri, Krishan Chander, Rajinder Singh Bedi and he in turn, influenced a whole generation of writers after him.
He was greatly influenced by the philosophy of Gautama Buddha and Portuguese philosopher Baruch Spinoza. His writings depicted the inner travails of the human mind as a significant aspect of the life of the characters, and these thinkers dwelt upon the ambiguous nature of mental processes. He also studied the works of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung to understand the inner workings of the mind to add psychological dimensions to the characters of his novels and short stories.Karl Marx’s life and works also had an everlasting influence on him, as Sukhbir identified with his empathy and concern for the underprivileged in society.
Sukhbir was an avid reader of biographies of great writers and other personalities because he believed that an understanding and appreciation of their work is not complete unless one has studied the background contexts in which they lived and worked.

Khuswant Singh
punjabi personalities

Khushwant Singh

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Khushwant Singh (born 2 February 1915 to 20 March 2014) is an Indian novelist and journalist. An Indo-Anglian novelist, Singh is best known for his trenchant secularism, his humor, and an abiding love of poetry. His comparisons of social and behavioral characteristics of Westerners and Indians are laced with acid wit. He served as editor of several literary and news magazines, as well as two broadsheet newspapers, through the 1970s and 1980s. He is a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award in India.

Biography

Khuswant Singh was born in Hadali District Khushab, Punjab (which now lies in Pakistan), in a Sikh family. His father, Sir Sobha Singh (builder), was a prominent builder in Lutyens’ Delhi. His uncle Sardar Ujjal Singh (1895–1983) was Ex. Governor of Punjab & Tamil Nadu. He was educated at Modern School, New Delhi, Government College, Lahore, St. Stephen’s College in Delhi and King’s College London, before reading for the Bar at the Inner Temple.

 

 

balwant gargi
punjabi personalities

Balwant Gargi

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Balwant Gargi (4 December 1916 – 22 April 2003) (Punjabi: ਬਲਵੰਤ ਗਾਰਗੀ, Balwant Gārgi, Balwant Gārgi) was a renowned Punjabi language dramatist, theatre director, novelist, and short story writer, and academic.

Biography

Balwant Gargi Born on 4 December 1916 in Neeta Khandan in Bathinda (Punjab). Balwant Gargi was born in a house in the Neeta Mal street, near the 1800-year-old historical Gobind Fort, famous for being the spot where Razia Sultan was imprisoned. The second son in the family of Shiv Chand, a Head Clerk in the Irrigation Department, he would go on create history in the world of Indian and Punjabi literature.

Gargi wrote several plays, including Loha Kutt, Kesro, Kanak Di Balli, Sohni Mahiwal, Sultan Razia, Soukan, Mirza Sahiba and Dhooni di Agg and short stories Mircha Wala Sadh, Pattan di Berhi and Kuari Disi. His plays were translated into 12 languages, and have been performed around the world, including Moscow, London, New Delhi and around the USA.Gargi was awarded the Sahitya Akademi award, the highest Indian literary award, in 1962 for his play Rang Manch. This was followed by the Padma Shri (1972), and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in Punjabi Playwriting in 1998.Gargi is one of the few artistic to win both the Sahitya Akademi and Sangeet Natak Akademi awards.