Shiv Kumar Batalvi

Shiv Kumar Batalvi

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Category: Literature

Shiv Kumar Batalvi Profile

  • Name:
  • Shiv Kumar Batalvi
  • Born:
  • October 23, 1937
  • Died:
  • May 6, 1973
  • Father:
  • Pandit Krishan Gopal
  • Mother:
  • Shanti Devi
  • Spouse:
  • Aruna

Shiv Kumar Batalvi Biography

Shiv Kumar Batalvi was a famous Punjabi poet known for his romantic poems. He became the youngest recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1967 for his work, Loona published in 1965. It was his epic verse play based on the ancient legend of Puran Bhagat. He shares equal position with great Punjabi poets, Amrita Pritam and Mohan Singh. These three poets were equally loved by Indians as well as Pakistanis. His masterpiece work Loona is regarded as the initiation of a new genre, of modern Punjabi kissa.

 

Shiv Kumar was born on 23 July 1936 in village Bara Pind Lohtian of Punjab Provinces (now in Pakistan). His father Pandit Krishan Gopal was a village tehsildar in the revenue department, while his mother Shanti Devi, a housewife. After partition, his family moved to Batala Gurdaspur district. Shiv Kumar was only 11 then. His father continued his work as a patwari. Shiv Kumar received early education from Batala. He was a day dreamer and was attracted towards the Hindu mythological figures and its fantasy. He was attracted to temples, religious saints, wandering singers as well as snake charmers. He completed his matriculation in 1953 from Punjab University. He enrolled in the F. Sc. program at Baring Union Christian College, Batala, but didn’t complete it. He joined Arts at S.N. College, Qadian. He tried to do a diploma course in civil engineering too, though didn’t complete.

 

He fell in love with the daughter of the noted Punjabi writer Gurbaksh Singh Preetladi. But due to caste problems, the marriage didn’t take place. With a broken heart, he got attracted to alcohol. In early 1967, he got married, to a Brahmin girl, Aruna chosen by his family. He found a striking resemblance to his youthful love and hence agreed the match. He shifted to Chandigarh and joined the State Bank of India, as a PRO. He continued writing though bad health affected him. He died at a younger age of 36 due to liver cirrhosis and his last work Alvida (Farewell) was published posthumously in 1974.

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Updated: March 28, 2014

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