Why I Supported the Emergency by Khushwant Singh

Author:Khushwant Singh [Singh, Khushwant]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9788184752410
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2013-03-04T00:00:00+00:00

Amrita Pritam: An Unstamped Ticket

Amrita was a very beautiful girl, the daughter of a widower who was a pracharak from Gujranwala, now in Pakistan. She was brought up as an orthodox Sikh and moved with her father to Lahore where, at the age of fifteen or sixteen, she started writing poetry. It was syrupy stuff about Sikh gurus and Sikhism. It earned her instant acclaim from the orthodox. She also became the toast of the Punjabi literary circles, largely because of her stunning good looks. I was one of the many who bought her first collection. Among her many admirers was the then upcoming poet Mohan Singh Mahir, who claimed to be closer to her than anyone else. Most of it was fantasy and unknown to her.

Because of her acclaim in literary circles and, of course, her good looks, a leading hosiery merchant of Lahore’s Anarkali Bazaar arranged a marriage between his son, Pritam Singh, and her. Amrita became Amrita Pritam. They had a son. After the Partition, they came to Delhi where Pritam Singh tried his hand at business, but failed. Amrita got a job with All India Radio. In Delhi, she made a decision to wipe out her past. She divorced her husband, but got custody of her son. She cut her hair and became a heavy smoker. She composed a dirge addressed to Waris Shah, the author of the tragic Punjabi love saga Heer Ranjha. Those few lines she composed made her immortal, both in India and Pakistan.

Aj aakhan Waris Shah noon,

Kithon kabraan vichon bol,

Te aj kitab-e-Ishq da koi agla varka phol!

Ik roi si dhee Punjab di,

Toon likh likh maare vaen

Aj lakkhan dheeyan rondiyan,

Tainu Waris Shah noon kehan

Utth dardmandan dia dardeya,

Utth tak apna Punjab

Aj bele laashaan bichhiyaan,

Te lahu di bhari Chenab

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