Was inspired by Misha, Pattar, says Sahitya Akademi awardee

Sarbjit Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 21

Born in the remote village of Kalalwala near Talwandi Sabo, the prestigious Sahitya Akademi award winner Punjabi poet Jaswinder Singh started writing poetry in early 1970s.

He was heavily influenced by Sant Ram Udasi, who remained associated with ultra leftist movement in the state till he died. Later, Jaswinder turned to writing ghazals. His influences were late Jagtar and SS Misha. He has authored three books so far.

“Like every youth in the 1970s, I too was influenced by Marxism. I was a sympathiser and never an activist,” he explained. “Earlier, I wrote progressive poetry that was called “Jujharu Kavita” (revolutionary poetry) at the time,” said Jaswinder, who completed his matric from Government High School, Natheha, near his native village.

“Thereafter, I did a diploma in electrical from GTB Polytechnic College, Rode village, near Kotkapura. I have also worked at a thermal plant in Ropar. I read a lot of literature, when I was unemployed,” he said.

“After reading the poetry of Jagtar, Misha and Surjit Pattar, I became inclined to write ghazals,” said Jaswinder. He said he was convinced that the ghazals of Ghalib and Bashir Badar in Urdu were of supreme quality.

“I am also influenced by legendry Hindi poet Dushayant Kumar. Moreover, Pattar’s way of writing the ghazal is unmatched,” claimed Jaswinder, who has got the award for “Aggarbati”, his third book of Punjabi poetry.

In one of his poems he says: “Sar ke mera lahu, mehka fiza which vandhi, mere andhar dukh rahi eh agarbati kaun hai”.