Zinda Kaul

Zinda Kaul Biography

Pandit Zinda Kaul was a noted writer and poet from Kashmir. In 1956 he won Sahitya Academy Award for Kashmiri literature for his work, Sumran. It was a poetry compilation and he was the first poet from Kashmiri language to win a Sahitya academy Award. Kaul also wrote in Persian, Hindi, and Urdu languages. His first poem was Unity and Sympathy, written in 1896. He was influenced by the works of Lalleshwari and Parmanand, mostly in Bhakti tradition. For critics, his poetry in Kashmiri was far superior to his works in Hindi and Urdu. He was fondly called MasterJi by his students and friends. He passed away in 1965 in the winter season in Jammu.

Zinda Kaul was born into a Kashmiri Pandit family. His father’s name is Lakshman Pandit. After his formal education he took the job of a teacher and later worked as a clerk. He retired as a translator from the Publicity office of Kashmir in the year 1939. He had to face a lot of difficulties during his life time and spent his majority of life as a teacher. Zinda wrote his first poem in the year 1896. The poem was titled Unity and Sympathy, and he recited the poem at Sanatan Dharm Sabha meeting in Srinagar. Kaul wrote in Persian, Hindi, and Urdu languages during his initial days and started writing in Kashmiri Language only in 1942, which earned him critics’ appreciation most.

Influenced by bhakti tradition, most of his Kashmiri works were dedicated to philosophy and devotion. He wrote poems for his happiness than admiration and popularity. He gained popularity as a writer through his Kashmiri works though has been associated with four languages. Samran – is his most popular work.

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Updated: March 06, 2016