Harcharan Chawla
Encyclopedia
Harcharan Dass Chawla (Urdu:
ہرچرن داس چاولہ Hindi: हरचरण दास चावला) was an Urdu writer.
Born in Mianwali
(now Pakistan), he moved to Delhi, India as a refugee as a result of the 1947 partition of India
. The event served as the backdrop for his first novel Darinday, and would leave a lasting impression throughout his career, with migration and cultural identity dominant themes of his work.
In 1971 Chawla moved to Frankfurt, Germany then Oslo, Norway in 1974 where he would he would eventually settle. His shift to Europe would bring new dimension to his writing, addressing issues of loss of culture and identity faced by South Asians migrating to different parts of the world.
In Oslo, Chawla would help in creating a literary bridge between the Indian subcontinent and Norway by translating Norwegian stories into Urdu and Hindi and South Asian work into Norwegian. He translated Norwegian Knut Hamsun
's novel Victoria. En kjærlighedshistorie
into Hindi and Urdu and Indian Foreteller, a compilation of stories by Indian writers into Norwegian.
ہرچرن داس چاولہ Hindi: हरचरण दास चावला) was an Urdu writer.
Born in Mianwali
Mianwali
Mianwali is the capital city of Mianwali District and situated in the north-west of Punjab province, Pakistan. The city is located on the eastern bank of the Indus River...
(now Pakistan), he moved to Delhi, India as a refugee as a result of the 1947 partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
. The event served as the backdrop for his first novel Darinday, and would leave a lasting impression throughout his career, with migration and cultural identity dominant themes of his work.
In 1971 Chawla moved to Frankfurt, Germany then Oslo, Norway in 1974 where he would he would eventually settle. His shift to Europe would bring new dimension to his writing, addressing issues of loss of culture and identity faced by South Asians migrating to different parts of the world.
In Oslo, Chawla would help in creating a literary bridge between the Indian subcontinent and Norway by translating Norwegian stories into Urdu and Hindi and South Asian work into Norwegian. He translated Norwegian Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun was a Norwegian author, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. He was praised by King Haakon VII of Norway as Norway's soul....
's novel Victoria. En kjærlighedshistorie
Victoria (novel)
Victoria is a novel by Knut Hamsun.A miller's son, Johannes, falls in love with the daughter of a wealthy landowner, Victoria.The novel follows them through adolescence, as Johannes struggles with the social hierarchy and becomes a successful author, and Victoria is forced into marrying Otto, a...
into Hindi and Urdu and Indian Foreteller, a compilation of stories by Indian writers into Norwegian.
Works
- Darinday (Urdu)
- Norway Ke Behtreen Afsaney, 1989 (Urdu)
- Anguish of a Horse, 1990 (English)
- Dil, Dimagh aur Duniya, 1992 (Urdu)
- India Foreteller, 1992 (Norwegian)
- Bhatke Hue Log, 1993 (Urdu)
- Dhoop Ek Chadar, 1993 (Hindi)
- Dhoop Ek Chadar, 1993 (Urdu)
- Victoria, 1996 (Hindi)
- Aks Aaine Ke (Urdu)
- Chiragh Ke Zakhm (Urdu)
- Aate Jaate Mausmon Ka Sach (Urdu)
- Album Yadon Ki, 2001(Urdu)
- Album Yadon Ki, 2001 (Hindi)
- Bhatke Hue Log, 2003 (Hindi)
- Fan or Shakhsiyat, 2003 (Urdu)
- Adrift, 2003 (English)
Honours and Awards
- Rajinder Singh Bedi Award
- Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy Award
- Zalaten Klas Bulgaria International Short Story Competition
External links
General- An article about the Chawlas. Count the blessings of old age, Khushwant Singh, Tribune India