Punjabi Literature
Encyclopedia
Punjabi literature refers to literary works written in the Punjabi language
particularly by peoples from the historical Punjab region
of India and Pakistan including the Punjabi diaspora
. The Punjabi language is written in several different scripts, of which the Shahmukhi, the Gurmukhī scripts are the most commonly used.
The earliest Punjabi literature is found in the fragments of writings of the 11th Nath yogis Gorakshanath
and Charpatnah which is primarily spiritual and mystical in tone. Notwithstanding this early yogic literature, the Punjabi literary tradition is popularly seen to commence with Fariduddin Ganjshakar (1173–1266). whose Sufi poetry was compiled after his death in the Adi Granth
.
The Janamsakhis
, stories on the life and legend of Guru Nanak (1469–1539), are early examples of Punjabi prose literature. Nanak himself composed Punjabi verse incorporating vocabulary from Sanskrit
, Arabic, Persian
, and other Indic languages as characteristic of the Gurbani tradition. Punjabi Sufi poetry developed under Shah Hussain
(1538–1599), Sultan Bahu
(1628–1691), Shah Sharaf (1640–1724), Ali Haider (1690–1785), and Bulleh Shah
(1680–1757). In contrast to Persian poets who had preferred the ghazal
for poetic expression, Punjabi Sufi poets tended to compose in the Kafi.
Punjabi Sufi poetry also influenced other Punjabi literary traditions particularly the Punjabi Qissa, a genre of romantic tragedy which also derived inspiration from Indic, Persian and Quranic sources. The Qissa of Heer Ranjha
by Waris Shah
(1706–1798) is among the most popular of Punjabi qisse. Other popular stories include Sohni Mahiwal
by Fazal Shah, Mirza Sahiba
by Hafiz Barkhudar (1658–1707), Sassi Punnun
by Hashim Shah (1735?-1843?), and Qissa Puran Bhagat by Qadaryar
(1802–1892).
Heroic ballads known as Vaar
enjoy a rich oral tradition in Punjabi. Prominent examples of heroic or epic poetry include Guru Gobind Singh
's in Chandi di Var (1666–1708). The semi-historical Nadir Shah Di Vaar by Najabat describes the invasion of India by Nadir Shah in 1739. The Jangnama, or 'War Chronicle,' was introduced into Punjabi literature during the Mughal period; the Punjabi Jangnama of Shah Mohammad
(1780–1862) recounts the First Anglo-Sikh War
of 1845-46.
The Victorian novel, Elizabethan drama, free verse and Modernism
entered Punjabi literature through the introduction of British education during the Raj. The first Punjabi printing press (using Gurmukhi font) was established through a Christian mission at Ludhiana in 1835, and the first Punjabi dictionary was published by Reverend J. Newton in 1854.
The Punjabi novel developed through Nanak Singh
(1897–1971) and Vir Singh. Starting off as a pamphleteer and as part of the Singh Sabha Movement, Vir Singh wrote historical romance through such novels as Sundari, Satwant Kaur and Baba Naudh Singh, whereas Nanak Singh helped link the novel to the story telling traditions of Qissa and oral tradition as well as to questions of social reform.
The novels, short stories and poetry of Amrita Pritam
(1919–2005) highlighted, among other themes, the experience of women, and the Partition of India
. Punjabi poetry during the British Raj moreover began to explore more the experiences of the common man and the poor through the work of Puran Singh
(1881–1931). Other poets meanwhile, such as Dhani Ram Chatrik
(1876–1957), Diwan Singh
(1897–1944) and Ustad Daman
(1911–1984), explored and expressed nationalism in their poetry during and after the Indian freedom movement. Chatrik's poetry, steeped in Indian traditions of romance and classical poetry, often celebrated varied moods of nature in his verse as well as feelings of patriotism. Brought up on English and American poetry, Puran Singh was also influenced by Freudian psychology in his oftentimes unabashedly sensuous poetry.
Modernism was also introduced into Punjabi poetry by Prof. Mohan Singh (1905–78) and Shareef Kunjahi
. The Punjabi diaspora also began to emerge during the Raj and also produced poetry whose theme was revolt against British rule in Ghadar di Gunj
(Echoes of Mutiny).
(b. 1932), Ahmad Salim
, and Najm Hosain Syed
(b. 1936).
The work of Zaman and Randhawa often treats the rediscovery of Punjabi identity and language in Pakistan since 1947. Ali's short story collection Kahani Praga received the Waris Shah Memorial Award in 2005 from the Pakistan Academy of Letters. Mansha Yaad also received the Waris Shah Award for his collection Wagda Paani in 1987, and again in 1998 for his novel Tawan TawaN Tara, as well as the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Pride of Performance) in 2004. The most critically successful writer in recent times has been Mir Tanha Yousafi
who has won the Massod Khaddar Posh Trust Award 4 times, and has had his books transliterated into Gurmukhi for Indian Punjabi readers.
Urdu poets of the Punjab have also written Punjabi poetry including Munir Niazi
(1928–2006).
(1919–2005), Shiv Kumar Batalvi
(1936–1973), Surjit Paatar
(1944-) and Pash
(1950–1988) are some of the more prominent poets and writers of East Punjab (India). Pritam's Sunehe (Messages) received the Sahitya Akademi in 1982. In it, Pritam explores the impact of social morality on women. Kumar's epic Luna (a dramatic retelling of the legend of Puran Bhagat) won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1965. Socialist themes of revolution meanwhile influenced writers like Pash whose work demonstrates the influence of Pablo Neruda
and Octavio Paz
.
Punjabi fiction in modern times has explored themes in modernist and post-modernist literature. Punjabi culture. Moving from the propagation of Sikh thought and ideology to the themes of the Progressive Movement, the short story in Punjabi was taken up by Nanak Singh, Charan Singh Shaheed, Joshua Fazal Deen, and Heera Singh Dard. Women writers such as Ajit Cour and Daleep Kaur Tiwana meanwhile have questioned cultural patriarchy and the subordination of women in their work.
Modern Punjab drama developed through Ishwar Nanda's Ibsen-influenced Suhag in 1913, and Gursharan Singh who helped popularize the genre through live theatre in Punjabi villages. Sant Singh Sekhon, Kartar Singh Duggal, and Balwant Gargi
have written plays, with Atamjit has also been awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2010 for his play Tatti Tawi De Vich.
literature has developed through writers in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the United States as well as writers in Africa such as Ajaib Kamal
(b. 1932) in Kenya. Mazhar Tirmazi writer of famous song "Umraan Langhiyan Pabhan Bhaar". Themes explored by diaspora writers include the cross-cultural experience of Punjabi migrants, racial discrimination, exclusion, and assimilation, the experience of women in the diaspora, and spirituality in the modern world. Second generation writers of Punjabi ancestry such as Rupinderpal Singh Dhillon
(writes under the name Roop Dhillon) have explored the relationship between British Punjabis and their immigrant parents as well as experiment with surrealism, science-fiction and crime-fiction. Other known writers include Sadhu Binning and Ajmer Rode (Canada), Mazhar Tirmazi, Amarjit Chandan, Harjeet Singh Atwal and Surjit Kalsi. The most successful writer has been Shivcharan Jaggi Kussa'.
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
particularly by peoples from the historical Punjab region
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
of India and Pakistan including the Punjabi diaspora
Punjabi diaspora
The Punjabi diaspora refers to the descendants of ethnic Punjabis who emigrated out of the Punjab region to the rest of world. Punjabis are one of the largest ethnic groups in both the Pakistani and Indian diasporas...
. The Punjabi language is written in several different scripts, of which the Shahmukhi, the Gurmukhī scripts are the most commonly used.
Medieval era
Early Punjabi literature (c. 11th-13th century)The earliest Punjabi literature is found in the fragments of writings of the 11th Nath yogis Gorakshanath
Gorakshanath
Gorakshanath was an 11th to 12th century Hindu Nath yogi, connected to Shaivism as one of the two most important disciples of Matsyendranath, the other being Caurangi. There are varying records of the spiritual descent of Gorakshanath. All name Adinath and Matsyendranath as two teachers preceding...
and Charpatnah which is primarily spiritual and mystical in tone. Notwithstanding this early yogic literature, the Punjabi literary tradition is popularly seen to commence with Fariduddin Ganjshakar (1173–1266). whose Sufi poetry was compiled after his death in the Adi Granth
Adi Granth
Adi Granth is the early compilation of the Sikh Scriptures by Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the fifth Sikh Guru, in 1604. This Granth is the Holy Scripture of the Sikhs. The tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh added further holy Shabads to this Granth during the period 1704 to 1706...
.
Golden era
The Mughal and Sikh periods (c. 16th century - 1849The Janamsakhis
Janamsakhis
The Janamsakhis , literally birth stories, are writings which profess to be biographies of the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak. These compositions have been written at various stages after the death of the first guru.-Overview:...
, stories on the life and legend of Guru Nanak (1469–1539), are early examples of Punjabi prose literature. Nanak himself composed Punjabi verse incorporating vocabulary from Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, Arabic, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, and other Indic languages as characteristic of the Gurbani tradition. Punjabi Sufi poetry developed under Shah Hussain
Shah Hussain
Shah Hussain was a Punjabi Sufi poet who is regarded as a Sufi saint. He was the son of Sheikh Usman, a weaver, and belonged to the Dhudha clan of Rajputs. He was born in Lahore...
(1538–1599), Sultan Bahu
Sultan Bahu
Sultan Bahu was a Muslim Sufi and saint, who founded the Sarwari Qadiri Sufi order.Sultan Bahu belonged to the Awan tribe, and was born in Anga, Soon Valley, Sakesar . Like many other Sufi saints of South Asia, Sultan Bahu was a prolific writer, with more than forty books on Sufism attributed to...
(1628–1691), Shah Sharaf (1640–1724), Ali Haider (1690–1785), and Bulleh Shah
Bulleh Shah
Bulleh Shah was a Punjabi Sufi poet, a humanist and philosopher.-Early life:Bulleh Shah is believed to have been born in 1680, in the small village of Uch, Bahawalpur, Punjab, in present day Pakistan. His father, Shah Muhammad Darwaish, was a teacher and preacher in a village mosque...
(1680–1757). In contrast to Persian poets who had preferred the ghazal
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
for poetic expression, Punjabi Sufi poets tended to compose in the Kafi.
Punjabi Sufi poetry also influenced other Punjabi literary traditions particularly the Punjabi Qissa, a genre of romantic tragedy which also derived inspiration from Indic, Persian and Quranic sources. The Qissa of Heer Ranjha
Heer Ranjha
For 1970 Hindi movie of same name and characters, see Heer Raanjha.Heer Ranjha is one of the four popular tragic romances of the Punjab. The other three are Mirza Sahiba, Sassi Punnun and Sohni Mahiwal. There are several poetic narrations of the story, the most famous being 'Heer' by Waris Shah...
by Waris Shah
Waris Shah
Waris Shah was a Punjabi Sufi poet, renowned for his contribution to Punjabi literature. He is best-known for his seminal work Heer Ranjha, based on the traditional folk tale of Heer and her lover Ranjha. Heer is considered one of the quintessential works of classical Punjabi literature...
(1706–1798) is among the most popular of Punjabi qisse. Other popular stories include Sohni Mahiwal
Sohni Mahiwal
Sohni Mahiwal and is included in seven popular tragic romances from Sindh and Baluchistan. The other six are Momal Rano, Umar Marvi, LiLa Chanesar, Noori Jam Tamachi, Sassi Punnun and Dhaj, Ror Kumar commonly known as Seven Queens of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai...
by Fazal Shah, Mirza Sahiba
Mirza Sahiba
Mirza Sahiba is one of the four popular tragic romances of the Punjab. Heer Ranjha and Mirza Sahiba, including Sohni Mahiwal and Sassi Punnun are the four tales from Punjab, narrated in Punjabi...
by Hafiz Barkhudar (1658–1707), Sassi Punnun
Sassi Punnun
Sassi Punnun ; is one of the seven popular tragic romances from Sindh and Baluchistan. The other six are Umar Marui, Sohni Mehar, Lila Chanesar, Noori Jam Tamachi, Momal Rano and Dhaj, Ror Kumar commonly known as Seven Queens of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai...
by Hashim Shah (1735?-1843?), and Qissa Puran Bhagat by Qadaryar
Qadaryar
Qadaryar was a poet of the Punjabi language. Born in Gujranwala, Qadaryar wrote Punjabi Qissa like Qissa Purana Bhagat, Raja Rasal and Siharfi Harisingh Nalua.-References:...
(1802–1892).
Heroic ballads known as Vaar
Vaar
The var, in Punjabi poetry, is a heroic ode or ballad which generally narrates legend such as stories of Punjabi folk heroes or a historical event. Examples of the former including ballads narrating the feats of Dulha Bhatti and Raja Rasalu, whereas examples of the latter might include Najabat's...
enjoy a rich oral tradition in Punjabi. Prominent examples of heroic or epic poetry include Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh is the tenth and last Sikh guru in a sacred lineage of ten Sikh gurus. Born in Patna, Bihar in India, he was also a warrior, poet and philosopher. He succeeded his father Guru Tegh Bahadur as the leader of Sikhs at a young age of nine...
's in Chandi di Var (1666–1708). The semi-historical Nadir Shah Di Vaar by Najabat describes the invasion of India by Nadir Shah in 1739. The Jangnama, or 'War Chronicle,' was introduced into Punjabi literature during the Mughal period; the Punjabi Jangnama of Shah Mohammad
Shah Mohammad
Shah Mohammad was a Punjabi poet who lived during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and is best known for Jangnama— a colossal work that gave an eyewitness account of the First Anglo-Sikh War that took place after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.- Controversy over native place :It was...
(1780–1862) recounts the First Anglo-Sikh War
First Anglo-Sikh War
The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company between 1845 and 1846. It resulted in partial subjugation of the Sikh kingdom.-Background and causes of the war:...
of 1845-46.
Silver era
Punjabi literature during the British Raj (c. 1860-1947)The Victorian novel, Elizabethan drama, free verse and Modernism
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
entered Punjabi literature through the introduction of British education during the Raj. The first Punjabi printing press (using Gurmukhi font) was established through a Christian mission at Ludhiana in 1835, and the first Punjabi dictionary was published by Reverend J. Newton in 1854.
The Punjabi novel developed through Nanak Singh
Nanak Singh
Nanak Singh , born Hans Raj, was a poet, songwriter and novelist in the Punjabi language. His writing in support of India's independence movement led the British to arrest him...
(1897–1971) and Vir Singh. Starting off as a pamphleteer and as part of the Singh Sabha Movement, Vir Singh wrote historical romance through such novels as Sundari, Satwant Kaur and Baba Naudh Singh, whereas Nanak Singh helped link the novel to the story telling traditions of Qissa and oral tradition as well as to questions of social reform.
The novels, short stories and poetry of Amrita Pritam
Amrita Pritam
Amrita Pritam was a Punjabi writer and poet, considered the first prominent woman Punjabi poet, novelist, and essayist, and the leading 20th-century poet of the Punjabi language, who is equally loved on both the sides of the India-Pakistan border, with a career spanning over six decades, she...
(1919–2005) highlighted, among other themes, the experience of women, and the Partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
. Punjabi poetry during the British Raj moreover began to explore more the experiences of the common man and the poor through the work of Puran Singh
Puran Singh
Puran Singh was a Punjabi poet. He composed three volumes of Punjabi poetry: Khule Maidan in 1923, Khule Ghund 1923, and Khule Asmani Rang in 1926. His poetry was composed in free verse and explored the experience of villagers, peasants, and the poor.-References: *...
(1881–1931). Other poets meanwhile, such as Dhani Ram Chatrik
Dhani Ram Chatrik
Dhani Ram Chatrik is considered the founder of modern Punjabi poetry.He worked all his life to lift the status of the Punjabi language. He was the founding president of Punjabi Sabha...
(1876–1957), Diwan Singh
Diwan Singh
Diwan Singh Kalepani was a Punjabi poet. He was interested in the Indian freedom movement and the Non-cooperation movement in the 1920s. He wrote poetry in free verse and composed two volumes of poetry: Vagde Pani in 1938, and Antim Lehran which was published posthumously in 1962...
(1897–1944) and Ustad Daman
Ustad Daman
Ustad Daman was a Punjabi poet and mystic. He was the most celebrated Punjabi poet at the time of the Partition of British India in 1947...
(1911–1984), explored and expressed nationalism in their poetry during and after the Indian freedom movement. Chatrik's poetry, steeped in Indian traditions of romance and classical poetry, often celebrated varied moods of nature in his verse as well as feelings of patriotism. Brought up on English and American poetry, Puran Singh was also influenced by Freudian psychology in his oftentimes unabashedly sensuous poetry.
Modernism was also introduced into Punjabi poetry by Prof. Mohan Singh (1905–78) and Shareef Kunjahi
Shareef Kunjahi
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 1970s and contributed to Punjabi literature as a poet, prose writer, teacher, research scholar, linguist, lexicographer and...
. The Punjabi diaspora also began to emerge during the Raj and also produced poetry whose theme was revolt against British rule in Ghadar di Gunj
Ghadar di gunj
Ghadar di Gunj is a compilaion of nationalist and socialist literature that were produced in the early stages of the Ghadar movement....
(Echoes of Mutiny).
Western Punjab (Pakistan)
Najm Hossein Syed, Fakhar Zaman and Afzal Ahsan Randhawa are some of the more prominent names in West Punjabi literature produced in Pakistan since 1947. Literary criticism in Punjabi has also emerged through the efforts of West Punjabi scholars and poets, Shafqat Tanvir MirzaShafqat Tanvir Mirza
Shafqat Tanvir Mirza is a Pakistani writer who has written several works of literary criticism on Punjabi literature. His English book Resistance Themes in Punjabi Literature explores Punjab’s political history...
(b. 1932), Ahmad Salim
Ahmad Salim
Ahmad Salim or Muhammad Salim Khawaja is a writer, archivist and co-founder of the South Asian Research and Resource Centre, a private archive established in 2001...
, and Najm Hosain Syed
Najm Hosain Syed
Najm Hosain Syed is a Pakistani writer. He has written poetry and plays in the Punjabi language as well as literary criticism on Punjabi literature in his Recurrent Patterns in Punjabi Poetry .-References:...
(b. 1936).
The work of Zaman and Randhawa often treats the rediscovery of Punjabi identity and language in Pakistan since 1947. Ali's short story collection Kahani Praga received the Waris Shah Memorial Award in 2005 from the Pakistan Academy of Letters. Mansha Yaad also received the Waris Shah Award for his collection Wagda Paani in 1987, and again in 1998 for his novel Tawan TawaN Tara, as well as the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Pride of Performance) in 2004. The most critically successful writer in recent times has been Mir Tanha Yousafi
Mir Tanha Yousafi
Mir Tanha Yousufi, born Muhammad Saleh on January 1, 1955 in the village Adam Ke Cheema, tehsil Daska, district Sialkot, Punjab Pakistan, is one of well-known and popular contemporary Punjabi and Urdu writers....
who has won the Massod Khaddar Posh Trust Award 4 times, and has had his books transliterated into Gurmukhi for Indian Punjabi readers.
Urdu poets of the Punjab have also written Punjabi poetry including Munir Niazi
Munir Niazi
Munir Ahmad, better known as Munir Niazi, SI was an Urdu poet from Pakistan who also produced poetry in the Panjabi language.Niazi was born in Khanpur on 19 April 1928, a village near Hoshiarpur, India. He was from the Niazi tribe...
(1928–2006).
Eastern Punjab (India)
Amrita PritamAmrita Pritam
Amrita Pritam was a Punjabi writer and poet, considered the first prominent woman Punjabi poet, novelist, and essayist, and the leading 20th-century poet of the Punjabi language, who is equally loved on both the sides of the India-Pakistan border, with a career spanning over six decades, she...
(1919–2005), Shiv Kumar Batalvi
Shiv Kumar Batalvi
Shiv Kumar 'Batalvi was a noted Punjabi language poet, who was most known for his romantic poetry, noted for its heightened passion, pathos, separation and lover's agony...
(1936–1973), Surjit Paatar
Surjit Paatar
Surjit Patar is an Indian Punjabi language poet who debuted in 1960s-Biography:Dr Surjit Patar is a renowned Punjabi poet. He obtained a Masters degree from Punjabi University, Patiala and then a Ph.D in Literature on "Transformation of Folklore in Guru Nanak Vani" from Guru Nanak Dev...
(1944-) and Pash
Pash
Pash was the pen name of Avtar Singh Sandhu, an Indian poet...
(1950–1988) are some of the more prominent poets and writers of East Punjab (India). Pritam's Sunehe (Messages) received the Sahitya Akademi in 1982. In it, Pritam explores the impact of social morality on women. Kumar's epic Luna (a dramatic retelling of the legend of Puran Bhagat) won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1965. Socialist themes of revolution meanwhile influenced writers like Pash whose work demonstrates the influence of Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He chose his pen name after Czech poet Jan Neruda....
and Octavio Paz
Octavio Paz
Octavio Paz Lozano was a Mexican writer, poet, and diplomat, and the winner of the 1990 Nobel Prize for Literature.-Early life and writings:...
.
Punjabi fiction in modern times has explored themes in modernist and post-modernist literature. Punjabi culture. Moving from the propagation of Sikh thought and ideology to the themes of the Progressive Movement, the short story in Punjabi was taken up by Nanak Singh, Charan Singh Shaheed, Joshua Fazal Deen, and Heera Singh Dard. Women writers such as Ajit Cour and Daleep Kaur Tiwana meanwhile have questioned cultural patriarchy and the subordination of women in their work.
Modern Punjab drama developed through Ishwar Nanda's Ibsen-influenced Suhag in 1913, and Gursharan Singh who helped popularize the genre through live theatre in Punjabi villages. Sant Singh Sekhon, Kartar Singh Duggal, and Balwant Gargi
Balwant Gargi
Balwant Gargi was a renowned Punjabi language dramatist, theatre director, novelist, and short story writer, and academic.-Early life:Balwant Gargi Born on December 4, 1916 in Neeta Khandan in Bathinda...
have written plays, with Atamjit has also been awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2010 for his play Tatti Tawi De Vich.
Diaspora Punjabi literature
Punjabi diasporaPunjabi diaspora
The Punjabi diaspora refers to the descendants of ethnic Punjabis who emigrated out of the Punjab region to the rest of world. Punjabis are one of the largest ethnic groups in both the Pakistani and Indian diasporas...
literature has developed through writers in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the United States as well as writers in Africa such as Ajaib Kamal
Ajaib Kamal
Ajaib Kamal is a writer of the Punjabi language. Born in the Hoshiarpur District of the Punjab, he later moved to Kenya. As a poet and playwright, his work is considered part of the modernist tradition in Punjabi literature. Beginning as a writer of ghazals, he later shifted to other verse forms...
(b. 1932) in Kenya. Mazhar Tirmazi writer of famous song "Umraan Langhiyan Pabhan Bhaar". Themes explored by diaspora writers include the cross-cultural experience of Punjabi migrants, racial discrimination, exclusion, and assimilation, the experience of women in the diaspora, and spirituality in the modern world. Second generation writers of Punjabi ancestry such as Rupinderpal Singh Dhillon
Rupinderpal Singh Dhillon
Rupinderpal Singh Dhillon is a British Contemporary Punjabi Writer who writes Punjabi short stories, novels and poetry....
(writes under the name Roop Dhillon) have explored the relationship between British Punjabis and their immigrant parents as well as experiment with surrealism, science-fiction and crime-fiction. Other known writers include Sadhu Binning and Ajmer Rode (Canada), Mazhar Tirmazi, Amarjit Chandan, Harjeet Singh Atwal and Surjit Kalsi. The most successful writer has been Shivcharan Jaggi Kussa'.
Contemporary era
Since the turn of the century, diaspora literature has increased, as has feminist literature, as is seen in Surjit Kalsi's work. There has also been an increase in dalit literature, as seen in Desraj Kali's work. Surreal and second generation diaspora writings, as seen in Roop Dhillon's (Rupinderpal Dhillon) work is on the increase, as is the publication of works on the internet, partly due to establishing itself in the new world, partly a reaction to the tight vanity press of India. The only factor that has gone against Punjabi is the drop in interest in reading amongst its target audience, due either to English, Hindi or other media.Genres
Currently Punjabi writing can be split between the following genres- Punjabi Qissa (Waris Shah)
- Traditional poetry (Surjit PaatarSurjit PaatarSurjit Patar is an Indian Punjabi language poet who debuted in 1960s-Biography:Dr Surjit Patar is a renowned Punjabi poet. He obtained a Masters degree from Punjabi University, Patiala and then a Ph.D in Literature on "Transformation of Folklore in Guru Nanak Vani" from Guru Nanak Dev...
) - NaxaliteNaxaliteThe word Naxal, Naxalite or Naksalvadi is a generic term used to refer to various militant Communist groups operating in different parts of India under different organizational envelopes...
poetry (Paash, Amarjit Chandan) - Lyrical poetry (Rajvinder Singh)
- Punjabi haiku (Amarjit Chandan)
- Yatharthvaad (Realism)
- Pachmi Paryatharvaad (surreal, fantasy, imaginative) Roop Dhillon
- Parvasi (émigré) Sadhu Binning
- Viang (satire) Jagjit Singh Komal
Punjabi literature digitized
Millions of rare pages from Punjabi literature including centuries old manuscripts are available for further studies at Panjab Digital LibraryPanjab Digital Library
The Panjab Digital Library is a NGO that is digitizing and preserving cultural heritage of Panjab since 2003. There are many historically significant documents stored and made available online. Its scope covers Sikh and Punjabi culture. The library funded by The Nanakshahi Trust was finally...
See also
- List of Punjabi authors
- List of Punjabi language poets
- The Legacy of The Punjab by R. M. Chopra, 1997.
External links
- Punjabi Poetry Website
- Punjabi literature - History
- Academy of the Punjab in North America (APNA)
- Old Punjabi Folk songs with explanations in English
- http://www.lisindia.net/punjabi/Punjabi_lite.html
- Khwaja Ghulam Farid,Baba Bullhe Shah,Prof Puran Singh,Lala Dhani Ram Chatrik,Dr Diwan Singh Kalepani,Prof Mohan Singh at punjabi-kavita.com