WOMEN WRITERS OF INDIA

DALIP KAUR TIWANA-I

Dr. Dalip Kaur Tiwana

Dr. Dalip Kaur Tiwana is universally regarded as one of the leading Punjabi novelists of today and has published twenty seven novels, seven collections of short stories, the first part of her autobiography and a literary biography She has won awards, both regional and national, and is widely translated author.
Born on May 4, 1935 in Village Rabbon of Ludhiana district in a well-to-do land-owing family, she was educated at Patiala where her uncle, Sardar Sahib Sardar Tara Singh Sidhu was Inspector General of Prisons. She had a distinguished academic career, getting a first class first M.A., and the first woman in the region to get the Ph.D. degree from Punjab University in 1963, Dr. Dalip Kaur Tiwana joined the Punjabi University at Patiala, as a Lecturer and then went on to become Professor and Head of the Department of Punjabi and Dean, Faculty of Languages. She was a brilliant teacher and researcher and made a significant contributions to literary and critical studies in Punjabi. She was also a UGC National Lecturer for a year.
Dr. Dalip Kaur's literary career as a creative writer commenced with the publication of her first book of short stories Sadhna in 1961, which was declared the best book in its genre by the Department of Languages, Government of Punjab. She produced seven collections of short stories before switching over to novel-writing, in which art-form she was destined to achieve great eminence. Her second novel Eho Hamara ZeeUna won her the Sahitya Akademy Award in 1972. Thereafter, virtually every one of her works won her an award. The Ministry of Education and Social Welfare honoured her book of stories for children called pa11jan IJiCh Parmeshwar in 1975, while the Department of Languages, Government of Punjab, conferred the "Nanak Singh Puruskar" on her novel Peele Patian di Dastan in 1980 and "Gurmukh Singh Mu safir Puruskar" on her autobiography Nange pa rion da Safa r in 1 982. Awards and honours have flowed from outside the Punjab as well. In 1985, the International Association of Punjabi Artists and Authors (IAAPA) based in Canada honoured her with an award in 1985. "Nanjanagudu Thirumalamba" award for her novel Katha Kuknoos Di came from Shashwathi, Karnataka and "Vagdevi" award for Duni Suhava Bagh was given by Bhartiya Bhasha Parishad, Calcutta, in 1998.
For her outstanding contribution to Punjabi literature, Dr. Dalip Kaur received the "Shiromani Sahityakar" award from the Punajb Government in 1987, the "Best Novelist of the Decade" award from Punjabi Academy, Delhi, in 1994 and the "Kartar Singh Dhaliwal" award from Punjabi Sahit Academy, Ludhiana. She was among the distinguished Sikh personalities who were honoured on the occasion of the Tricentenary Celebrations of the Birth of the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib in 1999.

A List of Literary Awards:

• Govt. of Punjab award for Sadhana, as the book of short stories. 1961-62.
• Sahitya Akademi award for the novel Ehu Hamara Jeewana, 1972.
• Ministry of Education and Social Welfare award for panchoan vich parmesar - book of short stories for children, 1975.
• Nanak Singh Puruskar (Languages Department, Govt of Punjab) for the novel Peele Patian di Daastan, 1980.
• Gurmukh Singh Musafir award for the autibiography Nange Pairan da Safar, 1982
• Canadian International Association of Punjabi authors and artists Award, 1985.
• Shriromani Sahitkar award, Languages Department of Punjab, 1987
• Praman Pattar award from Punjab Govt., 1989
• Dhaliwal Award, Punjabi Sahit Academy, Ludhiana, 1991.
• Best Novelist of the Decade (1980-90), Punjabi Academy, Delhi 1994
• Nanjanagudu Thirumalamba Award for the novel Katha Kuknus di
• Wagdev Award for the novel Duni Suhava Bagh from Bhartiya Bhasha Parishad, Calcutta, 1998.
• Honoured during Tercentenary celebrations of the Birth of Khalsa for outstanding contribution in the field of language, art and literature at Anandpur Sahib on April 11, 1999.
• Saraswati Samman for the Year 2001 by the KK Birla Foundation.
• Entries in "Famous Women of India," "Who's who of India","Reference Asia","Internatinal Biographia","International Who's who, 1995"
• Works have been translated in English, French, Russian, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati and other Indian languages.
• Three novels have been telecast from doordarshan and many more are on the waiting list.

Many of Dr. Dalip Kaur Tiwana's short stories and novels have been translated into Hindi and other Indian languages, and English. Such is her Fate (Punjabi University), Journey on bare feet (Orient Longman), Gone are the Rivers (Macmillan) are some of the English translations, which are readily available. The Tale of the Phoenix (Ajanta) translated by Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh and Bhupinder Singh and Elizabeth Siler of the USA will soon be out. Urvaslu is being rendered into English by Prof Jasbir Jain. Khushwant Singh, Jai Rattan and Danielle Gill from Paris are some the other translators of Dr. Tiwana's works. Doordarshan has also telecast a few serials based on her writings.
Dr. Daiip Kaur has played important roles in distinguished bodies, both academic and literary. Currently, she is associated with the Sahitya Academy (Delhi), Punjab Arts Council (Chandigarh), Punjab Sahit Academy (Chandigarh), Punjabi Sahit Academy (Ludhiana), National Book Trust of India, Bhartiya Janapith, K K. Birla Folmdation, Kendn Punjabi Lekhak Sabha in various capacities. She is President of the Punjabi Sahit Academy, Chandigarh and Life-Fellow auld nominated Senator of the Punjabi University.
During the course of her career as writer and academician, she visited several countries to preside over or participate in important international conferences. For example, she chaired sessions at the International Punjabi Conference held in U.K. in 1980, participated in International Writing Together anal Women in the 20th Century held in Scotland in 1990 and presided over an international literary meet organised by California Sahit Sabha in the U.S.A. in 2000.
By common or general consent, Dr. Dalip Kaur Tiwana is the leading, most productive and most popular Punjabi novelist of our Ages. For the last forty years or more, she has been engaged in creative writing without any major interruption. There is thematic and formal variety in her writings. Her language in particular is spontaneous, lyrical and compressed to the point of being a marvel of economy and elegance.
Over the years, she has moved from a preoccupation with gender issues to intellectual contemplation of fundamental human problem, and from there to spiritual transcendence. While negotiating the problems of life and death, tradition and modernity, men and women, towns and villages in her works, she remains committed to the Indian spiritual and ethical vision. One could say of her that she combines European energy with Asiatic calm in her life and thought.

PIONEER PUNJABI WRITERS-1

GURBUX SINGH PREETLARI

Gurbax Singh Preetlari

Preet Nagar dream dies a painful death
Varinder Walia

Noor Jehan’s Aramgah which later housed the printing press A modern house has replaced Balraj Sahni’s kothi

Preet Nagar, the “locality of love and friendship”, which used to be the hub of renowned Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu writers, artistes during the pre-Partition days has fallen on bad days. The place, a visit to which was pilgrimage for many, now wears a desolate look.
The story of Preet Nagar is the tale of how the progressive ethos and culture of the Punjabi literary sensibility was shaped and nurtured during the cultural renaissance, before the Partition. The township was a showcase of the composite Indian culture, which encouraged community living and established its own brand of philosophy that produced many writers, poets and artistes. These culture pioneers set a new trend among the contemporary Indian intellectuals and this trend was bereft of the British influence.
Most of the majestic buildings have fallen apart. The majestic residence of the great film actor and Punjabi writer Balraj Sahni has been replaced with a modern house. There is no trace of the Langar Hall (community kitchen), where residents of Preet Nagar would partake of the common food. During the good old days, no separate kitchen was run in any of the house in this unique township. Womenfolk of Preet Nagar would perform kitchen duties by turn.
The common dairy building has also disappeared. The residence of great artiste Sobha Singh, which was one of the first eight houses, is in shambles. The building of Aramgah (resting place) of Noor Jahan, which later housed printing press, is in a dilapidated condition. The house Diwan Singh, father of Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Arora (of Bangladesh war fame), too, has disappeared. The major portion of the Activity School, a world famous residential school where students from different countries used to study, has been pulled down. However, a few houses, which have been preserved in original shape, include the residences of the novelist Nanak Singh and two big houses owned by the family of Preetlari.
It was the USA-returned civil engineer, Mr Gurbax Singh, who had established the township that was at equidistance between Amritsar and Lahore. Gurbax Singh Preetlari, through his personal charisma, brought people like Bhisham Sahni, Balraj Sahni, Nanak Singh, celebrity artiste Sobha Singh and father of Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Arora of Bangladesh war fame, apart from associating Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Sahir Ludhianvi Upendra Nath Ashq and Kartar Singh Duggal, playwright Balwant Gargi, poets Mohan Singh, Sahir Ludhianvi and Amrita Pritam — the best talent of the time — with Preet Nagar. The cultural activities in Preet Nagar, revolutionary in nature, shook the British Government and many actors, including the daughters of Gurbax Singh, were picked up by the police and put behind the bars for staging revolutionary plays.
Gurbax Singh could visualise the shattering of his dream during his own life. The first blow to this model village, which Gurbax Singh wanted to develop into another Shantiniketan, came when the country was partitioned in 1947. Another setback came when the border township witnessed the ugly days of terrorism. Sumeet, grandson of Gurbax Singh, and young editor of Preetlari was gunned down in February 1984 when he was only 30. His widow Poonam took over the responsibility of editing the magazine. Two more attacks were engineered on the Preetlari family, including that on Hirdaypal Singh, the then-Editor of Bal Sandesh and younger son of Gurbax Singh by militants.


Gurbax Singh started Preetlari in 1933. The motto of Preetlari which reads Kise dil sanjhe di dharkan, kise preet-geet di lay ,pate Preetlari de dassan, jis vich proti sabho shai(A common heartbeat of so many, the symphony of a love-lyric, with everything in it).
Deeply shocked to see most buildings in ruins, Ms Urmila Anand, daughter of the founder of Preet Nagar writes, “Many unfamiliar people have come over to Preet Nagar. When we used visit Preet Nagar earlier, we had to think whom to go and meet first. Now people pass us by on the roads. Neither they recognise us nor do we recognise them. We have become strangers for them.”
Dhani Ram Chatrak, a famous Punjabi poet, was instrumental in getting Gurbax Singh a large tract of land at a reasonable price near Amritsar. According to Mr Hirdaypal Singh, the land was bought at one paisa per acre. Sadly, Preet Nagar now belongs to the haze of history.
However, the South Asian Foundation (SAF), and Mr Madanjit Singh, a goodwill ambassador to UNESCO and contemporary of Gurbax Singh Preetlari, the founder of Preet Nagar, have endeavored to revive the intellectual spirit of Preet Nagar. While recalling his association with Preet Nagar, he said that Preet Nagar was in focus for being the melting pot of Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu writers and poets.
They lived together here as a homogeneous group. They discussed the influence of Sufi saints, the teachings of the Sikh gurus and others in the peaceful environment.
He said the selection of Preet Nagar came naturally to him.
Recently, the daughter of the famous Urdu poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Prof Salima Hashmi, and her husband, Shoaib Hashmi, besides a renowned theatre promoter, Madiha Gohar from Lahore, and a Pakistani group of Sufi singers, Niazi brothers participated in the nightlong celebrations to celebrate Madanjit Singh’s 80th birthday.
Professor Hashmi said though she had never been to Preet Nagar, her father had often talked about his experiences of this place.
Articulating her views on the present state of Indo-Pak relations, she said the time had come for these man-made boundaries to disappear, so that people from the two countries could once again interact at an intellectual level. She said it was like a homecoming for her. Madiha Gohar said she would soon produce a play on the lives of people closely associated with Preet Nagar.
“The play would depict the depth of our composite culture, which has withstood the trauma of the Partition and the hatred between the two nations,” she added.

— Photos by Rajiv Sharma

Nehru’s visit

Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, who later became the first Prime Minister of India, visited Preet Nagar on May 23, 1942. Impressed by the “dream township”, he scribbled on the Visitors’ Book “All good wishes to this enterprise which is full of promise and so full of ideals in this world today of conflict and disharmony. It is good to see good men and women labouring in this brave effort”

‘Oasis in desert’

On her visit to Preet Nagar on November 22, 1941, Nora Richard, a British lady and veteran of Punjabi theatre, described the model school in Preet Nagar as the most fascinating destination for education. She wrote, “Activity School is an oasis in a desert in more ways than one.”
Guru Dayal Malik of Shantiniketan was specially deputed by Rabindranath Tagore to visit Preet Nagar on June 30, 1941. He wrote in the Visitors’ Book, “I am on pilgrimage to Preet Nagar, believing as I do that it is miniature map of India in the making. It is the ideal of community building on the basis of mutual service and sacrifice….To me, Preet Nagar is sister of Shantiniketan.”

                                          -Courtesy: The Tribune, Chandigarh

PUNJABI STORY WRITERS-1

KARTAR SINGH DUGGAL