Pher milange...Amrita Pritam’s soulmate Imroz passes away

Gurnaaz Kaur

Chandigarh, December 22

The enduring love story of Amrita and Imroz reached its final chapter today as Imroz peacefully departed at the age of 97 in his Mumbai residence, succumbing to age-related issues.

Born on January 26, 1926, in Chak number 36 in Lyallpur of undivided Punjab, Imroz, originally named Inderjeet, was an artist. Imroz met Amrita Pritam in the 1950s when she was already an established poetess in Punjabi literature. In 1966, he joined Amrita in publishing her magazine ‘Naagmani,’ for which he worked as an artist-illustrator and adopted the name Imroz.

They found love in each other and lived together for over 40 years until Amrita’s death on October 31, 2005. Her last poetic creation, ‘Main tainu pher milangi’ (I will meet you again) in 2004, was an expression of her belief in reuniting with Imroz.

The latter too began writing poetry when Amrita fell ill, and even after her demise, he continued to dedicate verses to her. His poetic journey includes four books, such as ‘Jashan Jaari Hai’, ‘Manchaaha Hi Rishta’, and ‘Rang Tere Mere’.

Imroz, who never married, lived with Alka, Amrita’s daughter-in-law and wife of late Navraj. In 2022, their remarkable love story was immortalized in the film ‘Imroz: A Walk Down the Memory Lane.’