Nanak Singh
Encyclopedia
Nanak Singh born Hans Raj, was a poet, songwriter and novelist in the Punjabi language
. His writing in support of India's independence movement led the British to arrest him. He published several novels which won him literary acclaim.
(now in Pakistan
) and changed his name to Nanak Singh after adopting Sikhism
. Due to poverty, he did not receive a formal education. He started his writing career at an early age, writing verses on historical events. Later, Nanak Singh started to write devotional songs, encouraging Sikhs to join the Gurdwara Reform Movement. In 1918, he published his first book Satguru Mehma containing hymns in praise of the Sikh Gurus
, which is considered his first commercial success.
on Baisakhi
(Punjabi New Year) day in Amritsar
. Nanak Singh was present at the rally in which two of his friends were killed. This incident impelled Nanak Singh to write Khooni Visakhi – Bloody Baisakhi (Punjabi New Year
), an epic poem that mocked and targeted colonial rule. The British Government became extremely concerned about his provocative writing and banned the book.
Nanak Singh also participated in India’s independence struggle by joining the Akali
movement. He began editing Akali papers. This also was noticed by the British Government. Singh was charged with participation in unlawful political activities and was sent to Borstal Jail, Lahore. He described the savagery and oppression of the British on peaceful Sikhs during the Guru ka Bagh Morcha demonstration in his second book of poetry, Zakhmi Dil. It was published in January 1923 and was banned within two weeks.
Nanak Singh wrote novels while in jail. He wrote over 40,000 pages in long hand Gurmukhi (Punjabi) script. He was recognized with many awards, including Punjab's highest literary award in 1960. His great historical novel, Ik Mian Do Talwaran (One Sheath and Two Swords, 1959) won him India’s highest literary honour, the Sahitya Akademi Award
in 1962.
and several other Indian languages and was adapted into a successful motion picture (Pavitra Paapi
) in 1968 by his ardent admirer, Balraj Sahani. Currently, the novel is in its 28th reprint in Punjabi. His grandson, Navdeep Singh Suri, translated the book into English (Saintly Sinner).
Quoting the Tribune
, “Nanak Singh was the best selling novelist in India for thirty to forty years. He wrote over 50 books including novels and collection of short stories. He made significant contributions to various literary genres. For him character was the determination of incident and incident the illustration of character. His greatest contribution to Punjabi fiction is its secularisation. He depicted excerpts from contemporary life, cloaked with a veil of romantic idealism.”
In his novel Chitta Lahu (White Blood), Nanak Singh writes, "It seems to imply that in the lifeblood of our society, red corpuscles have disappeared." In 2011, Nanak Singh's grandson, Dilraj Singh Suri, translated Chitta Lahu into English (titled White Blood). Natasha Tolstoy, granddaughter of novelist Leo Tolstoy
, translated Nanak Singh's novel Chitta Lahu into Russian
. She visited Nanak Singh in Amritsar
to present the first copy of the translated novel to him.
from a museum in England
.
His centenary was celebrated in 1997. In Singh's honour, India’s Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral
released a postal stamp in 1998.
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
. His writing in support of India's independence movement led the British to arrest him. He published several novels which won him literary acclaim.
Early life
He was born as Hans Raj to a poor Punjabi Hindu family in the Jhelum districtJhelum District
Jhelum District is in the Punjab province of Pakistan. According the 1998 census the district had a population of 936,957, of which 31.48% were urban. Jhelum is known for providing a large number of soldiers to the British and later to the Pakistan armed forces due to which it is also known as...
(now in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
) and changed his name to Nanak Singh after adopting Sikhism
Sikhism
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing...
. Due to poverty, he did not receive a formal education. He started his writing career at an early age, writing verses on historical events. Later, Nanak Singh started to write devotional songs, encouraging Sikhs to join the Gurdwara Reform Movement. In 1918, he published his first book Satguru Mehma containing hymns in praise of the Sikh Gurus
Sikh Gurus
The Sikh Gurus established Sikhism from over the centuries beginning in the year 1469. Sikhism was founded by the first guru, Guru Nanak, and subsequently, all in order were referred to as "Nanak", and as "Lights", making their teachings in the holy scriptures, equivalent...
, which is considered his first commercial success.
Role in Freedom Struggle
On April 13, 1919, British troops shot and killed 379 peaceful rally participants in what became known as the Jallianwala Bagh MassacreJallianwala Bagh massacre
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre , also known as the Amritsar massacre, took place in the Jallianwala Bagh public garden in the northern Indian city of Amritsar, and was ordered by Brigadier-General Reginald E.H. Dyer...
on Baisakhi
Vaisakhi
Vaisakhi is an ancient harvest festival celebrated across North Indian states, especially Punjab by all Punjabis regardless of religion. In Sikhism the Khalsa was founded on same day as the Vaisakhi festival, so Sikhs celebrate twice as much....
(Punjabi New Year) day in Amritsar
Amritsar
Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
. Nanak Singh was present at the rally in which two of his friends were killed. This incident impelled Nanak Singh to write Khooni Visakhi – Bloody Baisakhi (Punjabi New Year
Vaisakhi
Vaisakhi is an ancient harvest festival celebrated across North Indian states, especially Punjab by all Punjabis regardless of religion. In Sikhism the Khalsa was founded on same day as the Vaisakhi festival, so Sikhs celebrate twice as much....
), an epic poem that mocked and targeted colonial rule. The British Government became extremely concerned about his provocative writing and banned the book.
Nanak Singh also participated in India’s independence struggle by joining the Akali
Akali
In the context of Sikhism, Akali may refer to:*any member of the Khalsa, i.e. the collective body of baptized Sikhs*a term for Nihangs*a politician of the Akali Dal political parties...
movement. He began editing Akali papers. This also was noticed by the British Government. Singh was charged with participation in unlawful political activities and was sent to Borstal Jail, Lahore. He described the savagery and oppression of the British on peaceful Sikhs during the Guru ka Bagh Morcha demonstration in his second book of poetry, Zakhmi Dil. It was published in January 1923 and was banned within two weeks.
Nanak Singh wrote novels while in jail. He wrote over 40,000 pages in long hand Gurmukhi (Punjabi) script. He was recognized with many awards, including Punjab's highest literary award in 1960. His great historical novel, Ik Mian Do Talwaran (One Sheath and Two Swords, 1959) won him India’s highest literary honour, the Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
in 1962.
Prolific Writer
He wrote the novel Pavitar Paapi in 1942. The novel became immensely popular and won him literary acclaim. It was translated into HindiHindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and several other Indian languages and was adapted into a successful motion picture (Pavitra Paapi
Pavitra Paapi
Pavitra Paapi is a 1970 Bollywood drama film directed by Rajendra Bhatia. The film stars Parikshit Sahni and Tanuja.-Cast:*Balraj Sahni ... pannalal*Tanuja ... Veena*Parikshat Sahni ... Kedarnath...
) in 1968 by his ardent admirer, Balraj Sahani. Currently, the novel is in its 28th reprint in Punjabi. His grandson, Navdeep Singh Suri, translated the book into English (Saintly Sinner).
Quoting the Tribune
Tribune (magazine)
Tribune is a democratic socialist weekly, founded in 1937 published in London. It is independent but supports the Labour Party from the left...
, “Nanak Singh was the best selling novelist in India for thirty to forty years. He wrote over 50 books including novels and collection of short stories. He made significant contributions to various literary genres. For him character was the determination of incident and incident the illustration of character. His greatest contribution to Punjabi fiction is its secularisation. He depicted excerpts from contemporary life, cloaked with a veil of romantic idealism.”
In his novel Chitta Lahu (White Blood), Nanak Singh writes, "It seems to imply that in the lifeblood of our society, red corpuscles have disappeared." In 2011, Nanak Singh's grandson, Dilraj Singh Suri, translated Chitta Lahu into English (titled White Blood). Natasha Tolstoy, granddaughter of novelist Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
, translated Nanak Singh's novel Chitta Lahu into Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
. She visited Nanak Singh in Amritsar
Amritsar
Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
to present the first copy of the translated novel to him.
Trivia
Indian President Giani Zail Singh brought a copy of Khooni Visakhi to IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
from a museum in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
His centenary was celebrated in 1997. In Singh's honour, India’s Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral
Inder Kumar Gujral
Inder Kumar Gujral served as the 12th Prime Minister of India. Gujral was the first PM to govern exclusively from the Rajya Sabha; , only he and Manmohan Singh have done so.-Early life:...
released a postal stamp in 1998.