Punjab's Preet Nagar: Forgotten cradle of creativity

In the world of art and literature, Preet Nagar village stands apart as a unique haven, not only as an abode to writers and artists, but also as a vibrant ground for the creation of numerous artworks. Once celebrated as a flourishing artistic community, today it struggles to preserve its historic essence and cultural heritage for the posterity.

At the height of its glory before the Partition, this planned settlement was home to around 20 writers. Today, only two — Mukhtar Gill and Hriday Paul Singh — remain, continuing the tradition.

While Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s Shantiniketan is revered for its unique blend of educational philosophy, artistic heritage and cultural ethos, Preet Nagar, envisioned by Punjabi poet and visionary Gurbaksh Singh Preetlari, offered a space where leading artists and litterateurs could live in close proximity, exchange ideas and vent out their creativity.

However, the houses where yesteryear Bollywood star Balraj Sahni and celebrated novelist Nanak Singh once lived are now undergoing architectural changes that are gradually erasing their historical significance.

The founder

The visionary behind this thematic residential enclave was Gurbaksh Singh, born to Pashora Singh and Malini in 1895 in Sialkot, now in Pakistan. After completing his matriculation in 1910, he married Jagjit Kaur the following year. In 1917, he joined Thomson Engineering College, Roorkee, and in 1918, went on to study engineering in the United States.

It was during his time in the US that he began writing. Recognising his talent, a scholar advised him to return to India and write for his own people, according to his 91-year-old son, Hriday Paul Singh.

After returning to India, Gurbaksh Singh began farming in Naushehra (now in Pakistan) and, in 1933, started publishing the literary magazine Preetlari. During this period, he met the famous Punjabi writer Dhani Ram Chatrik, whose Nanke (maternal family) lived in Lopoke, a small town just 2 km from Preet Nagar.

In 1938, Gurbaksh Singh purchased a chunk of 400 bighas for Rs 40,000 to establish Preet Nagar, literally meaning a “place of love”. It was envisioned as an experiment in planned community living for progressive minds: artists, writers, film stars, directors, poets, in fact anyone with an inclination to creativity.

Mukhtar Gill, who has authored around 15 Punjabi books for children, recalls that ace novelist Nanak Singh breathed his last here in 1971. A park has since been built in his memory. Mukhtar’s story Alana was adapted into a feature film, while his story Akhri Churiyan Wala became a telefilm.

Prominent residents of this creative township included Nanak Singh, Piara Singh Sahrai, Giani Bhajan Singh, Inder Singh Chakarvarti, Kartar Sachdev and Narang Singh. Balwant Gargi wrote his famous book Loha Kutt here. Renowned painter Sobha Singh and artist Naurang Richards also stayed in Preet Nagar. Hindi writer Upendra Nath Ashq and iconic Urdu poet Sahir Ludhianvi once called it home. Other distinguished visitors included Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Amrita Pritam and Shiv Kumar Batalvi. Even Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited the village in 1942.

The blow of violence

However, the Partition of India in 1947 dealt a devastating blow to Preet Nagar’s spirit of love and harmony. As a Muslim-majority area, it was initially considered part of Pakistan for the first three days after independence. Hriday Paul Singh recalls the harrowing days of massacre and unrest before the border was finally established just a few kilometres away from the village. The Ichhogil Canal now lies about nine kilometers from Preet Nagar.

Unable to bear the communal violence, Gurbaksh Singh and his family moved to Delhi. However, after some years, Hriday Paul Singh returned to Preet Nagar to revive the creative sanctuary he had once built. Unfortunately, Years later, India and Pakistan fought the 1965 and 1971 wars, devastating the daily course of creative production. Over a decade-long militant period got worse of it.

Eventually, only Gurbaksh Singh’s immediate family remained. The rest sold their homes and fled. Hriday Paul, who survived a militant attack in 1989, tragically lost his nephew Sumeet Singh and cousin Paramjit Singh, a squadron leader, in separate militant attacks.