Amrita Pritam- A Voice of Resistance and Resilience

Amrita Pritam was one of the most influential and celebrated writers of the 20th century. She wrote in Punjabi and Hindi languages. She was a pioneer of women’s writing in India. She broke the barriers of patriarchy, tradition, and religion with her bold and honest expression. She observed the tumultuous events of Indian history. She participated in events like the partition of India, the independence movement, the emergency, and the rise of feminism. This blog post will explore some aspects of her life. We will examine the work that made her a legend.

Amrita Pritam was born as Amrit Kaur on August 31, 1919, in Gujranwala, Punjab, which is now in Pakistan. She was the only child of Raj Bibi, a school teacher, and Kartar Singh Hitkari, a poet, scholar, and editor. She lost her mother when she was 11 years old, which had a profound impact on her personality and worldview. She started writing at a young age. She published her first collection of poems, Amrit Lehran (Immortal Waves), when she was 17 years old. She married Pritam Singh, an editor, in 1936, but later divorced him in 1960. She had two children, Navraj Kwatra and Kandala. She also had a long-term relationship with Imroz, a painter and writer, who was her companion till her death.

Amrita and Imroz’s relationship was unconventional, but it was also beautiful and enduring. They faced many hardships and criticisms, but they never gave up on each other. They were not bound by any legal or religious ties, but by a deeper bond of love and friendship. They were not husband and wife, but partners in life. They were not just lovers, but also co-creators of art and literature. They were not just two individuals. They were one soul in two bodies.

Amrita Pritam’s writing career spanned over six decades and produced over 100 books of poetry, fiction, biographies, essays, and autobiography. She wrote in both Punjabi and Hindi languages and also translated many works from other languages into Punjabi and Hindi. She was one of the first writers to join the Progressive Writers Movement in India. This movement aimed to promote social justice. It also sought anti-imperialism through literature. She also founded her own literary magazine, Nagmani, in 1966.

Amrita Pritam’s writing reflects her personal experiences as well as the social and political realities of her time. She wrote about the themes of love, loss, identity, gender, violence, partition, war, peace, spirituality, and humanism.

Some of her most famous works are:

– Pinjar (The Skeleton). It is a novel about a Hindu girl. She is kidnapped by a Muslim man during the partition riots. She is forced to marry him. The novel explores the trauma and resilience of women in the face of communal violence and patriarchal oppression.
– Ajj aakhaan Waris Shah nu (Today I Invoke Waris Shah) is a poem. It expresses her grief and anger over the massacres during the partition of India. The poem calls upon Waris Shah. He is a 18th century Punjabi poet who wrote the epic Heer Ranjha. The poem asks him to witness the bloodshed and speak out against it.
– Sunehade (Messages), a collection of poems that won her the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1956. The poems explore various aspects of life. They deal with love, death, nature, freedom, and faith.
– Kagaz Te Canvas (The Paper and The Canvas) is a collection of poems. It won her the Jnanpith Award in 1982. The pieces show her mature and philosophical outlook on life and art.
– Raseedi Ticket (The Revenue Stamp) is an autobiography. It reveals her personal and professional journey as a writer and a woman. The autobiography is candid and courageous in its portrayal of her relationships, struggles, achievements, and opinions.

Amrita Pritam was honored with many awards and recognitions for her contribution to literature and society. She received several prestigious awards. These include the Sahitya Akademi Award (1956), Padma Shri (1969), and Bharatiya Jnanpith Award (1982). She also received the Shatabdi Samman (2000), Padma Vibhushan (2004), and Sahitya Akademi Fellowship (2004).

Amrita Pritam passed away on October 31, 2005, in Delhi at the age of 86. She left behind a legacy of resistance and resilience that continues to inspire generations of readers and writers. She was not only a writer. She was a voice of conscience that spoke for the oppressed and marginalized sections of society. She was not only a woman but also a humanist who transcended the boundaries of religion, caste, class, and nation. She was not only an artist but also a visionary who imagined a world of peace, harmony, and justice.