Sant Singh Sekhon
Encyclopedia
Sant Singh Sekhon was a Punjabi
playwright and fiction writer. He is part of the generation of Indian authors
who mark the transition of India into an independent nation, scarred by the tragedies of partition
.
, Punjab
(present-day Pakistan), and grew up in his father's village near Ludhiana.
His father was an idealist but introverted while his mother was more practical and religious, practicing Sikh
Singh Sabha. There was considerable marital discord in the family which colours many of his stories. Sekhon eventually graduated with Masters' degrees in Economics and also in English. In the 1930s, he started writing in English, and after some initial publications including some in shared publications with W.H. Auden and Stephen Spender
.
But given the greater audience in Punjabi, he shifted to Punjabi, and initially made a mark as a playwright.
Along with many South-Asian literateurs of his generation (Faiz Ahmed Faiz
, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Buddhadev Bose), he taught English but wrote in an Indian language.
Like his contemporary Mulk Raj Anand
, Sekhon was influenced by the Progressive Writers' Movement
. He was a strong believer in Marxism
, and also joined the Communist party of India
, though he let his membership lapse. He contested elections four times, thrice for the Punjab legislature and once for Parliament, but never won.
Much of his writing has a strong social activism message, but the questions and dilemmas facing the characters are subtly philosophical, and his plays did not see much success on stage. Subsequently, he also wrote a good bit of poetry, and also several full-length plays, mostly featuring modern themes, particularly man-woman relationships. The historical play Waris is both a love-story with the poet Waris Shah, set against the rise of Sikh power. The more contemporary Mittarpiara (beloved friend), develops on the notion of a group of Sikhs and other Indians developing a friendship with Lenin to liberate India from the British. In total, his drama corpus runs into ten
full-length plays and four one-act play collections.
He also wrote five short story collections, of which Tija Pahar was very well received.
Many of his stories have been translated into several languages.
In addition, he also
wrote two novels and five books of literary criticism, as well as several
histories and translations.
His scholarly works include
Sahityarth, a theory of literature, and the pioneering work, Punjabi boli da itihas (History of the Punjabi language).
In 1972, he won the Sahitya Akademi Award
for Mittarpiara.
He was also awarded the Padma Shri
, one of India's highest civilian awards, in 1987.
He was a Professor of Eminence at the Punjabi University in Patiala; after
his death, a chair was set up at the university in his name.
Full-length plays:
Historical plays (theme of Sikh history):
Novels
Punjabi people
The Punjabi people , ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ), also Panjabi people, are an Indo-Aryan group from South Asia. They are the second largest of the many ethnic groups in South Asia. They originate in the Punjab region, which has been been the location of some of the oldest civilizations in the world including, the...
playwright and fiction writer. He is part of the generation of Indian authors
Indian literature
Indian literature refers to the literature produced on the Indian subcontinent until 1947 and in the Republic of India thereafter. The Republic of India has 22 officially recognized languages....
who mark the transition of India into an independent nation, scarred by the tragedies of partition
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...
.
Life
Sekhon was born in LyallpurLyallpur
Lyallpur may refer to* the former name of Faisalabad city, Pakistan* Lyallpur Town, a municipal area of Faisalabad city, Pakistan...
, Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
(present-day Pakistan), and grew up in his father's village near Ludhiana.
His father was an idealist but introverted while his mother was more practical and religious, practicing Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
Singh Sabha. There was considerable marital discord in the family which colours many of his stories. Sekhon eventually graduated with Masters' degrees in Economics and also in English. In the 1930s, he started writing in English, and after some initial publications including some in shared publications with W.H. Auden and Stephen Spender
Stephen Spender
Sir Stephen Harold Spender CBE was an English poet, novelist and essayist who concentrated on themes of social injustice and the class struggle in his work...
.
But given the greater audience in Punjabi, he shifted to Punjabi, and initially made a mark as a playwright.
Along with many South-Asian literateurs of his generation (Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Faiz Ahmad Faiz was a Pakistani intellectual, poet, and one of the most famous poets of the Urdu language. He was a member of the Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind and an avowed Marxist. In 1962, he was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union...
, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Buddhadev Bose), he taught English but wrote in an Indian language.
Literary career
His first collection of one-act plays, Chhe Ghar (Six homes, 1941) was a critical success, particularly the play Bhavi, which unfolds a tragic cross-relationship between a king and his son with a daughter-mother.Like his contemporary Mulk Raj Anand
Mulk Raj Anand
Mulk Raj Anand was an Indian writer in English, notable for his depiction of the lives of the poorer castes in traditional Indian society. One of the pioneers of Indo-Anglian fiction, he, together with R.K...
, Sekhon was influenced by the Progressive Writers' Movement
Progressive Writers' Movement
The Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind or Progressive Writers' Movement was a progressive literary movement in the pre-partition British India, consisting of a few different writers groups around the world....
. He was a strong believer in Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
, and also joined the Communist party of India
Communist Party of India
The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925...
, though he let his membership lapse. He contested elections four times, thrice for the Punjab legislature and once for Parliament, but never won.
Much of his writing has a strong social activism message, but the questions and dilemmas facing the characters are subtly philosophical, and his plays did not see much success on stage. Subsequently, he also wrote a good bit of poetry, and also several full-length plays, mostly featuring modern themes, particularly man-woman relationships. The historical play Waris is both a love-story with the poet Waris Shah, set against the rise of Sikh power. The more contemporary Mittarpiara (beloved friend), develops on the notion of a group of Sikhs and other Indians developing a friendship with Lenin to liberate India from the British. In total, his drama corpus runs into ten
full-length plays and four one-act play collections.
He also wrote five short story collections, of which Tija Pahar was very well received.
Many of his stories have been translated into several languages.
In addition, he also
wrote two novels and five books of literary criticism, as well as several
histories and translations.
His scholarly works include
Sahityarth, a theory of literature, and the pioneering work, Punjabi boli da itihas (History of the Punjabi language).
In 1972, he won 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,...
for Mittarpiara.
He was also awarded the Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
, one of India's highest civilian awards, in 1987.
He was a Professor of Eminence at the Punjabi University in Patiala; after
his death, a chair was set up at the university in his name.
Works
One-act plays:- Chhe Ghar (Six Homes, 1941): one-act plays - popular in Punjabi theatre.
- Tapia Kyon Khapia (Why the Ascetic Got Confused, 1950),
- Natsunehe (Dramatic Messages, 1954)
- Sundrepad (Beautiful Feet, 1956)
- Wiaholi (Bride) : verse play
- Baba bohar (Old Oak) : verse play
Full-length plays:
- Kalakar (Artist, 1945)
- Nal-Damayanti (Nala and Damayanti myth, 1960)
- Narki (Denizens of Hell, 1953) [originally written as _Eve at Bay_ in English]
Historical plays (theme of Sikh history):
- Moian Sar Na Kai (The Dead Knew It Not, 1954)
- Bera Bandh Na Sakio (Fleet They Could Not Harness, 1954)
- Waris (Inheritors, 1955)
- Banda Bahadur (1985)
- Vada Ghalughara (Holocaust 1986)
- Mittarpiara (Beloved Friend, 1971)
Novels
- Lahu Mitti (Blood and Earth).