She put Punjabi literature on the world map. No other writer is as synonymous with Punjabi literature as Amrita Pritam (1919-2005), a familiar name even for those not acquainted with Punjabi. She cocked a snook at convention and defied social norms. There was no split between life and literature for Amrita because literature was her life. Gulzar Singh Sandhu on the Grand Dame of Punjabi letters.

Gurmeet Singh was 9 when a wall of ocean wave crashed down on his life in the Nicobar Islands. He watched as his sisters, 3 and 5, were washed away by the engulfing water. He watched as his parents lost their struggle against the powerful sea.

Eulogizing and singing Punjabi poetic creations of his own and others is the obsession of California-based Pashaura Singh Dhillon, a passionate poet and an architect by profession. In city for an interaction at Randhawa Auditorium, the poet delighted the literary elite with his mellifluous rendition of verses from his latest book Deeva Baleh Samundron Paar and other prominent poets.

Mr. Singh was born in 1922 in Lahore, Pakistan. An advocate by profession, and like most patriotic young men of his generation, he fought for India’s freedom in his youth. In recognition of his services, the Government of India awarded him a Freedom Fighter status. After India’s Partition, Papaji, moved to Shimla with his young wife and baby daughter. He made Delhi his home since 1955. But as they say “change” is the only constant thing in life, Mr.