Nanak Singh

Nanak Singh Biography

Nanak Singh, hailed as ‘The Father of Modern Punjabi novel' was a poet, songwriter and novelist of Punjabi language. From an ordinary boy to a living legend, Nanak had seen a lot of transitions during his life time. Yet his contribution to freedom struggle remains unrecognized. He gained popularity through the novels, which earned him critical acclaim as well. He wrote, which made him a popular writer in a short period. A postal stamp was released in 1998 following his centenary celebrations in 1997. Noted Indian diplomat Navdeep Singh Suri is his grandson.

His real name is Hans Raj, born into a poor Hindu family of Punjab in the Jhelum district of present day Pakistan. He accepted Sikhism and changed his name to Nanak Singh. Survived through the extreme severe conditions of poverty, he started writing at a young age though was not able to receive formal education. He started off writing verses on historical events. Later he wrote devotional Sikh poems. Satguru Mehma published in 1918 was his first book and it contained hymns in praise of the Sikh Gurus. He gained attention through his first published work itself.

He was present in the rally which led to the infamous Jallianwala Bagh Massacre on New Year day in Amritsar and he lost two friends in the incident. He wrote the epic poem Khooni Visakhi – mocking British over the massacre and the book was banned. He very soon joined Akali movement, a part of India’s freedom struggle movement. He also served as the editor of Akali papers which made British angry. He was imprisoned at Borstal Jail, Lahore, where he continued with his literary works. He wrote 40,000 pages in long hand Gurmukhi script. His second book - Zakhmi Dil (1923) was banned by the British.

His first novel Pavitar Paapi was published in 1942. It received critical acclaim and the popular novel got translated to several languages. The novel was adapted to popular Bollywood film - Pavitra Paapi in 1968. He contributed in the form of Punjabi novels, plays and stories.

Published: N/A

Updated: January 28, 2016