Once artists’ abode, Preet Nagar wears desolate look

Divya Sharma

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 29

Preet Nagar, which once housed actors and writers in the pre-Partition India, wears a desolate look. It was founded in 1938 by Gurbaksh Singh. The settlers of the colony included Bollywood actors Balraj Sahni, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Kartar Singh Duggal and others.

Many known faces such as Sobha Singh, Sahir Ludhianvi, Amrita Pritam, Achla Sachdeva and Noor Jahan have been associated with this iconic place.

The place was meant to be developed into an epicentre for writers and actors to sit and develop the Punjabi art, literature and cinema.

One of the biggest features of the place was the idea of having a community kitchen where residents of the area ate together, discussing ways of promoting the language. Gurbax Singh had also initiated a Punjabi magazine, “Preeti Preetlari”, to propagate the love for the motherland. Renowned writers, including Amrita Pritam, had contributed to the magazine, which was a cult magazine in the pre-Partition times.

The place still has houses where many great artistes, including famous Bollywood actor Balraj Sahni once lived. The unique feature of the township was that houses were made of same design and architecture to create the feeling of oneness.

Apart from this, a writer’s room was developed to help them develop their skills. The open air theatre at the place has been transformed into a pond by the locals. The place suffered during the Partition and the terror-hit Punjab. Stressing the need to revamp the place to preserve its unique identity, Kewal Dhaliwal, founder of the Manch Rangmach, said, “It was a beautiful place. It gives a lot of encouragement to young artistes. It has lost its sheen and there is a need to revive it. ”

Kewal, who currently organises a play every third Wednesday at Preet Bhawan, being managed by the Gurbaksh Singh and Nanak Singh Foundation, said, “ There is a need to develop it as a tourist place where people and students of drama could visit and earn.”

Recently, Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu had visited the place and a number of literary people had talked about the relevance of the place.