More than a writer!
Last Saturday, my friend Amit, told me that it was Amrita Pritam’s birthday that day. Just hearing the name, the first thing which came to my mind was a poem written by her way back in 1947 during independence post-partition:
“Ajj Aakhan Warish Shah Nu, Kite Kabran Wichon Bol”
(Today, I call Waris Shah, “Speak from your grave)”.
Amrita Pritam — It is not merely a name, it is an institution of scholarly, thoughts, expressions and Punjabi literature. Last week, on 31st August, it was her 100th Birthday. Google through its doodle honored her on her 100th birth anniversary. First Woman Punjabi Poet — Writer of more than 75 books — First Woman recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award — A Padma Vibhushan which is India’s second-highest civilian award — innumerable achievements bagged in her kitty, defines the aura of a legend.
She is also best known for her powerful creation and an immortal poem “Ajj Aakhan Warish Shah Nu” that expresses the melancholy of million women, who not just lost their land, homes or people but their dreams, their love, their desire and their soul during the tough phase of migration, mass abductions, rapes and killings at the time of India’s partition.
I don’t think there will be a single person living on either side of Punjab, who hasn’t heard of this poem. Today, on the 100th Birth Anniversary, I would like to seize this opportunity to share some moments of her life which she weaved in the form of her autobiography, “Raseedi Ticket” (Revenue Stamp).
Taking criticism on the chin
A renowned Indian writer Mr. Khushwant Singh, once mockingly told her that what would be there in her biography, an incident or two! It could be written on the back of a revenue stamp even [which meagerly has a size of 2X2.5 cm]. When she finally penned down her autobiography where she shared her hundreds of thoughts and experiences, named her book “Revenue Stamp”.
Setback in her early age
Her parents, especially her father, remained immersed in the influence of God and religion throughout their life. They also tried filling in the same rituals in the routines, in the thoughts, in the blood of Amrita Pritam. When she was just eleven years old, her mother fell ill and her condition became very critical. All her relatives asked her to stand near her mother’s bed and pray to God. She following what elders said, closed her eyes, folded her hands and kept on pleading to God, “Please Don’t kill my mother, Please Don’t kill my mother”. She had heard and also firmly believed that God doesn’t overrule, ignore the requests of a child. When her mother’s groaning turned into silence, she thought her mother was healing, her pain was vanishing, his God had listened to her voice. But when she found her mother breathless, she left no faith in God and never prayed to God thereafter, even after piles of insistence from her father.
“You who catch shadows!
The fire that burns in the heart
Has no shadow…
-Amrita Pritam
Rebellion by birth
In her childhood, once she noticed a strange habit of her grandmother. Her grandmother used to keep three glasses separately in one corner of her kitchen. These glasses were used for serving beverages, water, tea to one class of guests, i.e. Muslim. She stood against that practice and stubbornly demanded her tea and water only in those glasses. Later on, the practice of keeping separate glass was abandoned in her home. By this, Amrita, a rebellion, could manage to win her first mutiny.
Maybe because of her rebellion tendency, she could write some of her creations which are told to be ahead of that time. Amrita Pritam was known for her courageous, bold and rebellion writings throughout her life. Some of her writings were opposed by some communities, newspapers and contemporary writers of her time. She even had to go through the judicial system once. She faced all the criticism with a big heart and never let her ‘pen’ and her writings frightened and stumbled from the several challenges that kept on hitting her.
A search of Truth and Thirst of Love
Amrita Pritam got married at the age of 16. But the marriage could not be successful and divorce happened in 1960. She always chased a man that was in her imagination only. From childhood, she had a dream of loving a man whose sketch she had drew in her heart, in her thoughts, and in her poems. Although she did not have any problems in her wedlock. But her search for love and dream man always kept nudging her. Later on, she fell deeply in love with Indian poet and Film Lyricist, Sahir Ludhianvi. The passion of her Love for Sahir can be understood from two incidents.
One, once she was at an event of her book launch. A photographer wanted a photograph of hers to be posted in the newspaper. He requested Amrita to be in a pose as if she was engrossed in writing something. For capturing the moment, she kept on scribbling on a piece of paper, until the photographer was done with taking that pose. Later when she saw the paper where only one thing was written, “Sahir, Sahir, Sahir, Sahir, Sahir……..”.
Second, Sahir Ludhianvi used to pay a visit to her home in those days where they used to talk for long. After his departure, Amrita would lit the cigarette butts left behind by him and smoke, to feel the presence of him for some more time.
“There was a grief I smoked
in silence, like a cigarette
only a few poems fell
out of the ash I flicked from it.”
— Amrita Pritam
The love story of Amrita Pritam and Sahir Ludhianvi was like an open book. They both remain in a relationship for a long time but did not get married. When Sahir Ludhianvi was living in Mumbai, he fell in love with a Singer and Actress, Sudha Malhotra. Thereafter, Amrita’s grief, her pain, and her loneliness became an integral part of her writings. She also faced a nervous breakdown and took sessions from the psychiatrist. During that time, another man Imroz, a painter, came into her life. She weaved a relationship with Imroz and they remained together for the rest of their lives.
Throughout her life, a pain for not abling to search the truth of her life in the form of the love of her soul resided over her heart. The disappointment for meeting Imroz at the very late stage of her life was also find mentioned in her autobiography.
Perhaps I will become a ray
of sunshine, to be
embraced by your colours.
I will paint myself on your canvas
I know not how and where –
but I will meet you for sure.
— Amrita Pritam
Twenty-Six Men and a Girl
She was a ravishing beauty of her time and there always remained admirers of her beauty. A famous Punjabi Poet Prof. Mohan Singh used to write poems on her. Although neither of them said or exchanged even a single word on this topic throughout their life and maintained a cordial and professional relationship. But through his writings, he openly expressed his love and admiration for Amrita Pritam.
One of her friends Sajjad Haider, who after India-Pakistan partition stayed in Pakistan, and remained in touch with her by way of random visits to India or majorly through the exchange of letters. One day, he sent a letter to the love and partner of Amrita, Imroz, “My friend, I have not seen you but felt your presence from the eyes of Ammy. I, your competitor, sending you the greetings.”
In her early days, she also worked in All India Radio, where every employee was in awe of her beauty. One of them, after a few years, also wrote a story titled, “Twenty Six Men and a Girl”.
Bold and Fearless voice
In March 1986, a conference of Chief Minister of all the States was called in which four non-government members, including Amrita Pritam, were also invited. During the conference, Amrita Pritam said that “There was a time when seeing the haunting casteism tendency in Kerala, Swami Vivekanand called that place ‘Mental Asylum’. Today I want to say firmly that we are making every state an Asylum for Lunatics. This is a high time we introspect our inner self and try finding a jewel of civility.” It was a bold statement to be given in front of the chief ministers of all the states. After 10 days, she got a call from the office of the then Prime Minister, Shri Rajiv Gandhi, asking for her consent to be nominated as Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha (Upper House). Even in the parliament, she put up questions on various issues.
This post is incomplete without sharing the excerpts of the poem which became a synonym of Amrita Pritam:
ਅੱਜ ਆਖਾਂ ਵਾਰਸ ਸ਼ਾਹ ਨੂੰ ਕਿਤੋਂ ਕਬਰਾਂ ਵਿਚੋਂ ਬੋਲ।
Today, I call Waris Shah*, “Speak from your grave,”
ਤੇ ਅੱਜ ਕਿਤਾਬੇ ਇਸ਼ਕ ਦਾ ਕੋਈ ਅਗਲਾ ਵਰਕਾ ਫੋਲ।
And turn to the next page in your book of love,
ਇਕ ਰੋਈ ਸੀ ਧੀ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੀ ਤੂੰ ਲਿਖ ਲਿਖ ਮਾਰੇ ਵੈਣ।
Once, a daughter of Punjab** cried and you wrote an entire saga,
ਅਜ ਲੱਖਾਂ ਧੀਆਂ ਰੋਂਦੀਆਂ ਤੈਨੂ ਵਾਰਸ ਸ਼ਾਹ ਨੂੰ ਕਹਿਣ।
Today, a million daughters cry out to you, Waris Shah,
ਵੇ ਦਰਦਮੰਦਾਂ ਦਿਆ ਦਰਦੀਆ ਉੱਠ ਤੱਕ ਆਪਣਾ ਪੰਜਾਬ।
Rise! O’ narrator of the grieving! Look at your Punjab,
ਅਜ ਬੇਲੇ ਲਾਸ਼ਾਂ ਵਿਛੀਆਂ ਤੇ ਲਹੂ ਦੀ ਭਰੀ ਚਨਾਬ।
Today, fields are lined with corpses, and blood fills the Chenab***.
* Warish Shah — A Poet, ** Punjab — A state of India, *** Chenab — A river that flows in India and Pakistan
Thanks for reading :)
