Gems of Punjab

The golden period of Punjabi literature begins with the first Sikh guru Nanak Sahib and continued until the last Sikh Guru Gobind Singh. Modern Punjabi literature begins with the work of Bhai Vir Singh, who is described as the ‘Father of Modern Punjabi Literature’. Let me tell you something about most famous and worldwide poets and writers. 

Amrita Pritam

Amrita Pritam: She is one of the most celebrated poets of Punjabi literature. She embodied the fullness of poetic expression, creativity and the intensity of a woman in the perpetual state of love. Yet her audience has been global as well: her work was translated into dozens of world languages. One of her poems makes the following confession:

“Today I have erased the number of my house

And removed the stain of identity on my street’s forehead

And I have wiped the direction on each road

But if you really want to meet me

Then knock at the doors of every country

Every city, every street

And wherever a glimpse of a free spirit exists

That will be my home”  Read more….

Watch the interview of Amrita Pritam in the below video:

Waris Shah: A tribute to Waris Shah by Amrita Pritam    

From Aj Aakhan Waris Shah Nu:

"I say to Waris Shah today, speak from your grave

And add a new page to your book of love

Once one daughter of Punjab wept, and you wrote your long saga;

Today thousands weep, calling to you Waris Shah:

Arise, o friend of the afflicted; arise and see the state of Punjab,

Corpses strewn on fields, and the Chenaab flowing with much blood.

Someone filled the five rivers with poison,

And this same water now irrigates our soil......"

Waris Shah was a Punjabi Sufi poet, best-known for his seminal work Heer Ranjha, based on the traditional folk tale of Heer and her lover Ranjha. Waris Shah also sublimated his own unrequited love for a girl (Bhag Bhari) in writing romance.

Khushwant Singh

Khuswant Singh: Khushwant Singh is many things to many people. More you read about him, hungrier you get. He is the high priest of journalism and can be said to be India's best. he is a free thinker and an international celebrity. Khushwant Singh had become a legend and an icon in his lifetime. He is a lawyer, critic and columnist. He is a prolific writer and historian. He is a man people love to hate and may even agree "Not a nice man to know". Yet, you would love to read him day after day to no end. Singh's weekly column, "with Malice towards One and All", carried by several Indian newspapers, is among the most widely-read columns in the country. Read more....
(All the pics in my blog have been taken from google and other sources)