Tribute to Amrita Pritam

Amrita Pritam: born as Amrit Kaur in 1918 near Gujranwala and lived in Lahore before partition in 1947 and got her ’takhalas’ as Pritam to be popularily known as Amrita Pritam. She is most famous for her "ajj aakhaN Waris Shah nooN" and "Tawareekh" poems about the parition of India and Pakistan. She was a young woman at the time and had just gave birth to her son Navraj in July of 1947, when she had to leave her beloved town Lahore and move to first Shimla and then to New Delhi where she have lived for rest of her life.

Amrita Pritam was a poetess whose words grew on the fertile soil of composite Punjabi culture and her poems were drenched in her love for her land of five rivers. She have used the metaphors of Heer, Ranjha, Waris, KaidoN, Five Waters etc. frequently in her poems. She was really hurt by what she saw with her own eyes during the time of partition and cried:

ve dardmanda de dardiya! uth takk apna Punjab,
ajj bailey laashaN vichhiyaN te lahoo di bhari Chanaab,
kisey ne punja paaniya vich ditti zehar ralla,
te ohnaN punja paaniya dhart nooN ditta paani laa.

jithey vajjdi si phook piyar di ve ohh vanjhli gaye gwach,
Ranjhey de sabh veer ajj bhull gai ohdi jaach,
ajj sabhey KaidoN bann gai hussan ishaq de chor,
ajj kithoN liyayeea labh ke Waris shah ikk hor.

In her long poem "Tawareekh" she says:

rahia rah rah jandeya! ki ki diyaN suna,
oye kahani desh Punjab di pathar daiye rua.
mein tatti dhee Punjab di, mere phuttey vekh naseeb,
keekan dassaN bol ke tukki gaye meri jeeb.
nooRhey hoye mere hath ve, jooRhey hoye mere pair,
kiha ko digga zulam ve kiha ko dhatha kehair.
mathey utte lekh ve shookan kaley naag,
mein Sohni punj dariya di vekh tatti de bhaag.


putter ais zameen de, bhukhey bholey vagg,
jidher laye madariyaN gai odhery lagg.
kisey madari hath da, paani jad oh peen,
kade siraN nooN paaRhdey, paRhan kade zameen.
kade Rabb de naaN te, daindey zeeb chaRha,
kae mahzab de naaN te daindey siraN nooN laah.
kade shukar de naaN te, birkan(bolan) ikk na bole,
kade sabbar de naaN te ummeraN daindey ghol.

She gave Punjabi literature more than half dozen books of poetry and many more novels and short stories. She started with writing poems but slowly progressed into writing novels. Many of her novels are very touching romantic stories.

Amrita once a symbol of Punjabi feelings around and after the partiton, lived most part in New Delhi and never got along with most of his contemporary writers in Punjab. She also served as nominated Member of Parliment (MP) in New Delhi and published a magzine of Punjabi literature "Naagmani" for decades which brought poems and short stories of Punjabi writers around the world to the readers. She was inspiration to hundreds of young Punjabi writers.

Here are some of her poems:

Ajj

charan (feet) tere suchey(paak), hoth mere joothey, ajj chhohn ge.
jaN charan tere joothey, jaN hoth mere suchey ajj honn ge.......

ajj kujh hoveyga-
ikk sach piya palda gunahaN di jholi
kaavaN de aahlney pal pal ke koiyal
bhulli na haalaN azlaN di boli...

chaanan de hath hanereyaN da rung ajj dhon ge.
charan tere suchey, hoth mere joothey, ajj honn ge.....

Chann tareyaN di raat

channa tareyaN di raat saanu mili jana ho!

sanjhi dharti de geet, sanjhey paaniaN di preet,
Heer Ranjhey di sahouN(swear), laaj rakhani je Oh!

ayee mahzabaN di kaang, kachey gaRheyaN de vaang,
toota Sohni da desh, ukhaN paiyeaN ne ro!

tootan deshaN de taar, tootan quamaN de haar,
paatey dharti di leer, uddan kanakaN de toh!

channa tareyaN di raat saanu mili jaana ho!


kalam da bhed

jad kade vi geet mera koi kidhrey gayeega,
zikker tera ayeega......tooN nahi ayea.....zikker tere ayee ga...

chhad ke chhaavaN nooN jo raahvaN nooN chummega koi,
ouhs nooN har kadam mera nazar aunda jayeega....

maan suchey ishaq da hai husan da dahwa nahi,
kalam de iss bhed nooN koi ilm wala payeega....

ishaq di dehleez te sijjda karega jad koi,
yaad phir dehleez nooN mera zamaana ayeega....

zikker tera ayeega........

chaanan di phulkari

chaanan di phulkari topa kaun bharey!

amber da ikk ahla suraj baal diyaN,
mann di uchi mumti deewa kaun dharey!

amber, ganga(a river) hundi gaager bhar laindi,
dardaN da dariyaO kehRa ghut bharey!

aapney valloN saari baat mukka baithey,
haaley vi ikk hauka teri gall karey!

chaanan di phulkari topa kaun bharey!

Athroo(tears)

do athroo vagg paye ve........

do athroo teriyaN ukhiaN vich, do athroo meriyaN ukhiaN vich,
gai suhba(swer) gai, gai shaam gai hunn, deewey jagg paye ve...........

tere athrouaN di sahouN tainoN, mere athrouaN di saouN mainu,
tooN yaad kareiN, mein yaad karaN, ungaarey magg paye ve.......

lakh athroo tooN vi rokey ve, lakh athroo mein vi rokey ve,
tere munh utte, mere munh utte, hunn dissan lagg paye ve........

do athroo vagg paye ve.........