Born in a village of Amritsar in 1876, Dhani Ram Chatrik continues to be one of the most popular poets who wrote about the life of Punjabi community. He worked all his life in Bhai Vir Singh's printing press and called himself his disciple but he does not continue in his tradition of poetry. Deeply rooted in the soil with painful awareness of the social conditions of the Indian people under the British rule, the spirit of patriotism and nationalism that was rising like a tide dominates his poetry. In direct opposition to the elite tradition nurtured by the British colonial rule in India, Dhani Ram Chatrik goes to the folk traditions of the Kissa poetry, explores narratives like Damyanti a legend from the Mahabharata and the tradition of romance between Radha and Krishna to emphasize the richness of national traditions. Written in folk form, with images and symbols drawn from the real life in a village and a town, Dhani Ram Chatrik's poetry is a beautiful expression of the well-knit, integrated life of the vibrant Punjabi community, the land and the people, in all its colors and hues, loves and joys, pains and sufferings, fairs and festivals and song and dance.
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