Amrita Pritam is an Indian novelist and poet known for writing Punjabi and Hindi poetry and novels. His most famous poem is ‘Ajj aakhaan Waris Shah nu’ dedicated to Waris Shah, an 18th century Punjabi poet. He wrote various poems and novels to express his pain over the massacres during the partition of India. On October 31, 2005, he died of a prolonged illness at his home in Hauz Khaz.
Wiki/Biography
Amrita Pritam was born Amrit Kaur on Sunday, 31 August 1919 (age 86 years; at death) in Gujranwala, Punjab, British India. His zodiac sign is Scorpio. He was born in Punjab, but after his mother’s death, he moved to Lahore with his father.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 5″
Hair Color: Gray
Eye Color: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Amrita’s father’s name is Kartar Singh Hitkari, a poet. His father knew the Braj Bhasha language, and he was a pracharak – a preacher of the Sikh faith. His mother’s name is Raj Bibi, who is a teacher.
Husband & Son
Amrita married Pritam Singh, who was an editor in 1936 when she was sixteen. He has been engaged to her since childhood. Amrita divorced in 1960. They had a son, Navraj Kwatra and a daughter Kandlla. His son was killed in Elysee Colony, Borivilli, Mumbai.
Son of Amrita Pritam
After her divorce, in her poems, she began to express how unhappy she was in her marriage. In an interview, she became more productive after her divorce and said,
It is true that I was married when I was very young. After marriage I did not find the mahol (environment) that a writer needs for his creativity to flourish. So I decided to create my own environment and sow my creative seeds (she left her husband well with their two children, it was he who encouraged her to leave to pursue her life as a writer). In order to gain something, you have to be willing to lose something. You have to be willing to make sacrifices to feed your passions. What is also required is a lot of confidence in your efforts. I wanted to be able to write at all costs, and I did.
Relationships/Affairs
In the 1960s, she fell in love with the poet Sahir Ludhianvi. He loved her so much that many of his poems were about her.
Amrita Pritam with Sahir Ludhianvi
Sahir left her for singer Sudha Malhotra. After their separation, her sadness and loneliness can be seen in her poetry. Amrita declared her love for Sahir in her autobiography Rasidi Ticket. In the book, he said that he couldn’t take his eyes off Sahir when they were together. In the book, he also mentions smoking half of Sahir’s remaining cigarettes. In the interview, he added,
I will keep the rest of these cigarettes carefully in the closet after he leaves. I’ll just turn it on while sitting alone. When I hold this cigarette between my fingers, I will feel as if I am touching his hand… This is how I smoke. Smoking gives me the feeling that he is close to me. He appears, every time, like a genie in the smoke from a cigarette.”
Cover of the book ‘Ticket Receipt’
After a long hiatus, she started dating writer Inderjeet Imroz. They lived together for four decades before his death. They had a direct relationship in a house in Hauz Khaz, Delhi.
Amrita Pritam with Inderjeet Imroz
Imroz loved her so much that he took care of Amrita’s ex-husband Pritam when he was sick, and even used to send his children to school on his scooter. Imroz helped Amrita design her book covers and he was the subject of some of her drawings. Their love story is written in the book, Amrita Imroz: A Love Story. Before she died, Amrita expressed her love for Imroz in a poem, Main tainu pher milaangi (I will see you again).’ In an interview, Imroz spoke about his love for Amrita and said,
I had a bike then and started saving money, and soon bought a scooter. I met him and said now we will ride the scooter to the AIR building. He looked at me and asked, ‘Why did you meet me so late?’ I said maybe, I came too late in age and money too late.”
Last poem by Amrita Pritam for Imroz
religious views
According to Amrita, she became an atheist after her mother’s death. In an interview, he talked about how he lost faith in God after his mother’s death and said,
I was very young and cried by my mother’s bedside when she breathed her last. One of my friends came and asked me so- Amrita, wake up. do not Cry. God always listens to children. Go! Pray to God for your mother’s life. I woke up and began to pray fervently for my mother’s life, but maybe her time was up and she died. My prayer was not accepted by the Almighty. This incident left a lasting impression on my mind.”
Ethnicity
Amrita was born in a Sikh family.
Signature
Amrita Pritam’s signature
Career
When he was in Lahore, he used to work in a radio station there. In 1947, after partition, when he came to Delhi, he worked in the Punjabi service of All India Radio, Delhi till 1961.
Amrita Pritam on All India Radio
Amrita started her career at a very young age. When he was sixteen, he wrote his first poem Amrit Lehran which was published in 1936. In 1950, he wrote the novel Pinjar and the character Puro from that novel gained a lot of popularity.
The cover of the novel ‘Pinjar’ by Amrita Pritam
The novel is based on violence against women. In 2003, his novel was turned into a film titled ‘Pinjar,’ which was shot in the border region of Rajasthan and Punjab. He wrote more than 100 books including poetry, fiction, biography, and essays. He also made a collection of Punjabi folk songs and wrote an autobiography which was later translated into several Indian and foreign languages. He wrote the book ‘Lok Peed,’ and spoke about the economic condition of Bengal after the Bengal famine of 1943. The books he wrote in Punjabi were translated from Punjabi and Urdu into English, French, Danish, Japanese and Mandarin. His book Sippiyan was made into a film called Kadambari (1965) and Unah Di Kahani was made into Daaku (Dacoit, 1976). After she started living with Imroz, she was responsible for editing a monthly magazine, Nagmani in Punjabi.
Nagmani monthly magazine cover by Amrita
He also wrote introductions for several of Osho’s books, including Ek Onkar Satnam. Later, he turned to writing spiritual works including Kaal Chetna (“Consciousness of Time”) and Agyat Ka Nimantran (“The Call of the Unknown”). He also wrote autobiographies including Kala Gulab (“Black Rose”, 1968), Tiket Rasidi (“Revenue Stamps”, 1976), and Aksharon kay Saayee (“Shadows of Words”).
Controversy
Amrita is a controversial writer who writes about women’s rights and feelings. In 2015, a writer, Gurbachan Singh Bhullar criticized Amrita in his novel for her relationships with different men. He wrote that Amrita is a selfish woman who uses men to her advantage to achieve fame. Later, one of the critics, Amiya Kanwar, dismissed the claim and said,
They were attracted to her beauty and talent but they hated her fame. Even when he became the first Punjabi writer to win the Jnanpith Award in 1981, several male Punjabi writers wrote bitter articles about him. This trend has increased after his death because he was not there to oppose it. Also, some do it to attract attention.”
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- 1956: Sahitya Academy Award for Punjabi poetry, Sunehade
- 1969: Padma Shri Award
Amrita Pritam received the Padma Shri Award
- 1973: Delhi University awarded D. Litt.
- 1973: Jabalpur Uniersity awarded D. Litt.
- 1979: Vaptsarov Award from the Republic of Bulgaria
- 1981: Bharatiya Jnanpith Award for the book Kagaz Te Canvas
- 1987: Vishwa Bharati, Shantiniketan, awarded D. Litt.
- 1987: Degree of Officer dens, Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Officer) by the French Government
- 2004: Sahitya Akademi Fellowship
Death
Amrita died on 31 October 2005 at her home in Hauz Khaz, Delhi due to a long illness.
Facts/Trivia
- In 1936, she married Pritam Singh and changed her name from Amrit Kaur to Amrita after marrying him.
- He witnessed the partition of 1947 and came to India. While traveling from Dehradun to Delhi, she conceived her son.
- After coming to India, he continued to work on his poetry and gained a lot of popularity in India as well as Pakistan.
- During the early days of his career, he used to write romantic poetry, but later, he became part of the Progressive Writers’ Movement.
- When he was a child, he often questioned any odd activities that took place around him. In an interview, she said that she questioned her grandmother about using different utensils for non-Hindu guests. In the interview, he further added,
I once noticed three glasses kept away from all the other pots and pans on a shelf in the corner of the kitchen. This was only to be used when dad’s Muslim friends were offered tea…when they came to visit him… I insisted. ; I will not drink from any other glass but one of those.”
- She is the first and only woman to win a Sahitya Akademi Award for a Punjabi work.
- He was part of the inauguration of the first Janta Library in Delhi. The library is still located in the Clock Tower, Delhi.
- Stamp Hasil, his autobiography was banned at Punjabi University, Patiala.
Cover of Amrita Pritam’s book ‘The Revenue Stamp’
- In 2019, she was honored by director MS Sathyu through her performance ‘Ek Thee Amrita’.
- In 2012, his son was found guilty of engaging in adult photography when police found porn CDs from his flat featuring several models and actresses.
- In 2007, lyricist Gulzar made an audio album titled, ‘Amrita recited by Gulzar’ in which he recited poetry by Amrita Pritam.
Audio album poster, ‘Amrita recited by Gulzar’
- On August 31, 2019, Google honored him by posting a snippet for him on his 100th birthday. With the picture, Google wrote,
Today’s Doodle celebrates Amrita Pritam, one of history’s foremost female Punjabi writers, who ‘dared to live the life she imagined.’ Born in Gujranwala, British India, 100 years ago today, Pritam published his first collection of poems at the age of 16.”
Google Snippets on Amrita Pritam’s 100th birthday
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
