21.3.07
Poetic Journey of A Bohemian
Poetic Journey of A Bohemian
Shiv Kumar was a born poet who migrated from the poetic region of Sialkot to Batala at the most miserable moment of human history. "It was the Independence of the sub-continent in 1947 - the dreadful, painful, horrible, miserable, devastating, slaughtering and marauding phenomenon, which bisected the trouble stricken North India." The pangs of separation are recurrent themes of this great lyricist of the land. He has been hailed as one of the greatest poets of all times.
Shiv Batalavi was a poet and a singer. He presented his poetry by reciting it himself. As a singer, he was discovered by and then introduced to the poetic stage by Dalip Singh, Deputy Director, Languages Department, Punjab, Patiala, at one of the Kavi Darbars the department would organize in different parts of Punjab, in early 1960s while Shiv was a student in F.Sc. He would accompany Dalip Singh, whom he addressed as "Bhaji", to these Kavi Darbars and earned popularity in short span of time. His book "Dard Mandaan Dian Aanhin" published in 1964 by Darbar Publishing House, Amritsar is dedicated to "Dalip Singh di dosti de Naa", collection of 27 poems. During eulogy at his funeral ceremony, Shiv was compared with 'Waris Shah' by Dalip Singh and Bishan Singh Samundari, then Vice Chancellor of Guru Nanak University, Amritsar.
Shiv was not just a poet of a few dozen popular poems nor was his poetry limited to a couple of topics. He was a very versatile poet of many different styles and a wide range of subjects. Throughout his brief poetic career, his poetry shows a continuous progression from the early pangs of birha ( pain of separation from ones lover) to increasingly complex emotions and different reactions to his inner sufferings and towards society at large. His sense of his own identity also went through many changes. He travelled a great distance from his first collection of poems Peeran Da Paraga [A Handful of Pains], published 1960, to his last major work Mein Te Mein [Me and Myself], published 1970.Following is a brief survey of his published poetry:
1. Peeran Da Paraga (A Handful of Pains) (1960). Shiv’s first published collection of poetry, consisting of 25 poems. It includes poems that he had written between 1957 and 1960 expressing pain and sorrow of separation and his desire for death. It includes some of his early popular poems.
2. Lajwanti (The Shy Maid) (1961). Within a single year after the publication of his first collection of poetry, Shiv appeared to have arrived at a level of maturity that was not as prominent in his earlier poetry. This collection has some remarkable poems on many different subjects. In all of his poetry, there are certain subjects that he has touched upon once, writing a memorable poem on it, and then never coming back to the same subject. In this collection, Sheesho, an exceptionally beautiful and comparatively long poem, falls in that category. Shiv’s description of the exploitation of a poor village girl by the rich landowner is remarkable both for its poetic qualities and for Shiv’s heart wrenching pity and compassion about the poor girl’s plight.
3. Aatte Deean Chirian (The Sparrows of Kneaded Flour) (1962). This collection is quite different from the previous two collections, both in matter as well as in its various themes. Shiv experimented with different themes under a dominant mood of sensuous feelings. He also returned to the topic of birha in Shikra (A Falcon) and couple of other poems. Once again, there are poems in this collection that display his wide versatility of subjects, including various themes that are limited to single poems, i.e., Hijra (Eunuch) and Zakham (A Wound). Shiv also further experimented in some poems by writing them in the prevalent style of expressing post-modern consciousness. Shiv was awarded the first prize from the Language Department of Punjab for this collection.
4. Mainu Vida Karo (Bid Me farewell) (1963). This is another collection of songs full of symbols of death and pain of separation that he expressed in different forms, including the bemoaning of a love-torn girl addressed to her father in Dharmee Babula. Once again demonstrating his exceptional talent of interweaving Punjab’s culture in this poems.
5. Dard Mandaan Dian Hanian (1964). This is a small book of 27 poems and songs Shiv compiled and dedicated to his friend, whom he considered his elder brother, Dalip Singh. It was published by Darbar Publishing House, Amritsar.
6. Birha Toon Sultan (1964). Shiv compiled most of his work into a book with 111 of his best known poems and dedicated this book to "Amrita Pritam te Mohan Singh de Naa". It was published by Lok Sahit Parkashan, Amritsar.
7. Luna (1965). Shiv was awarded the Sahitya Academy award for this book in 1967, and this epic-like verse play is considered by many of Shiv’s critics as his most significant literary achievement. Luna not only added a new dimension to the versatility of Shiv’s poetry; it also recast, to some degree, Shiv’s entire corpus in a new light. In particular, the profound and perceptive empathy of women’s emotions and feelings as victims of social inequity and injustice that Shiv portrayed in Luna, allows a deeper understanding of Shiv’s concept of love and gender-relations in his poetry than the stereotype of women as the poet’s self-centred object of desire. Similarly, the masterful use of imagery that set the tone and atmosphere of each of the eight acts of the verse play, helps to highlight Shiv’s superb poetic techniques of equally expert use of imagery in his other poems. In Luna, Shiv reworked the theme of Puran Bhagat, a mythical folklore of Punjab about the implications of marrying a young girl with an old man. In the traditional story the young wife is depicted as an evil villain in her relationship with the grown-up son of her husband from his first marriage. Shiv wrote his poem from the perspective of injustice to the young wife. He altogether changed Luna's character: rather than repeating the traditional portrayal of a wicked, lustful and cruel woman, he challenged the male-dominated society to reconsider their norms and moral values by making Luna a sympathetic character. Shiv presented a remarkably incisive and insightful appreciation of women’s sufferings in a patriarchy and exposed its moral values as the tools that force women to sacrifice their individuality to fit in various roles assigned to them. Reading the deliberate politics of the monarchical discourse in the legend, Shiv presented it from women’s point of view. More importantly, Shiv rejected the glorification of patriarchal assignment of women’s roles and instead forcefully brought out Luna's individuality. "Shiv Kumar … views her sexual subjugation and deprivation as a basic injustice to her and cause of her suffering. He vindicates the veracity of her Being by asserting her right to choose and by condemning her deprivation in marriage - through her own voice. In Luna body is not merely a site of sexual desire but her humanity asserted through valuing and articulating the needs of her body and condemning their deprivation in marriage. The play is a strong assertion of woman’s sexuality which has been ignored, abused, repressed or mythologized (as passive) in patriarchy." [source?] Shiv used strong sensual imagery to highlight Luna’s individual feelings. She repeatedly refers to herself as “fire,” “fire maiden” or "women-fire".
8. Main Te Main (Me and Myself) (1970). Main Te Main - the last major work of Shiv - is a long poem of seventy-five pages with a unique style of conception as well as execution, in modern Punjabi poetry. Psychological background is the operative here, as Shiv himself mentions "The legend in this poem is not mine, nor is its truth my truth...whatever is mine in the truth of this legend is the truth of my being not of my person. Its psychological background is only a phenomenon of the intellectual and moral scepticism of the present generation. The truth of the hero of this poem is a protest against the false and hollow moral values of today. It is the revolt of modern man's disintegrated personality against the death of his true being". The poet describes his birth as the result of his mother's sexual hunger even when she is an unmarried woman. This hunger is sunk deep in the being of every woman. The poet questions the very fine nuances of morality as understood in very gross terms by a common man of today. Main te Main makes one realize as why this is the last major work of Shiv - he has given his blood to its words and didn't care to save even one drop for his own physical life.
Shiv Kumar was a born poet who migrated from the poetic region of Sialkot to Batala at the most miserable moment of human history. "It was the Independence of the sub-continent in 1947 - the dreadful, painful, horrible, miserable, devastating, slaughtering and marauding phenomenon, which bisected the trouble stricken North India." The pangs of separation are recurrent themes of this great lyricist of the land. He has been hailed as one of the greatest poets of all times.
Shiv Batalavi was a poet and a singer. He presented his poetry by reciting it himself. As a singer, he was discovered by and then introduced to the poetic stage by Dalip Singh, Deputy Director, Languages Department, Punjab, Patiala, at one of the Kavi Darbars the department would organize in different parts of Punjab, in early 1960s while Shiv was a student in F.Sc. He would accompany Dalip Singh, whom he addressed as "Bhaji", to these Kavi Darbars and earned popularity in short span of time. His book "Dard Mandaan Dian Aanhin" published in 1964 by Darbar Publishing House, Amritsar is dedicated to "Dalip Singh di dosti de Naa", collection of 27 poems. During eulogy at his funeral ceremony, Shiv was compared with 'Waris Shah' by Dalip Singh and Bishan Singh Samundari, then Vice Chancellor of Guru Nanak University, Amritsar.
Shiv was not just a poet of a few dozen popular poems nor was his poetry limited to a couple of topics. He was a very versatile poet of many different styles and a wide range of subjects. Throughout his brief poetic career, his poetry shows a continuous progression from the early pangs of birha ( pain of separation from ones lover) to increasingly complex emotions and different reactions to his inner sufferings and towards society at large. His sense of his own identity also went through many changes. He travelled a great distance from his first collection of poems Peeran Da Paraga [A Handful of Pains], published 1960, to his last major work Mein Te Mein [Me and Myself], published 1970.Following is a brief survey of his published poetry:
1. Peeran Da Paraga (A Handful of Pains) (1960). Shiv’s first published collection of poetry, consisting of 25 poems. It includes poems that he had written between 1957 and 1960 expressing pain and sorrow of separation and his desire for death. It includes some of his early popular poems.
2. Lajwanti (The Shy Maid) (1961). Within a single year after the publication of his first collection of poetry, Shiv appeared to have arrived at a level of maturity that was not as prominent in his earlier poetry. This collection has some remarkable poems on many different subjects. In all of his poetry, there are certain subjects that he has touched upon once, writing a memorable poem on it, and then never coming back to the same subject. In this collection, Sheesho, an exceptionally beautiful and comparatively long poem, falls in that category. Shiv’s description of the exploitation of a poor village girl by the rich landowner is remarkable both for its poetic qualities and for Shiv’s heart wrenching pity and compassion about the poor girl’s plight.
3. Aatte Deean Chirian (The Sparrows of Kneaded Flour) (1962). This collection is quite different from the previous two collections, both in matter as well as in its various themes. Shiv experimented with different themes under a dominant mood of sensuous feelings. He also returned to the topic of birha in Shikra (A Falcon) and couple of other poems. Once again, there are poems in this collection that display his wide versatility of subjects, including various themes that are limited to single poems, i.e., Hijra (Eunuch) and Zakham (A Wound). Shiv also further experimented in some poems by writing them in the prevalent style of expressing post-modern consciousness. Shiv was awarded the first prize from the Language Department of Punjab for this collection.
4. Mainu Vida Karo (Bid Me farewell) (1963). This is another collection of songs full of symbols of death and pain of separation that he expressed in different forms, including the bemoaning of a love-torn girl addressed to her father in Dharmee Babula. Once again demonstrating his exceptional talent of interweaving Punjab’s culture in this poems.
5. Dard Mandaan Dian Hanian (1964). This is a small book of 27 poems and songs Shiv compiled and dedicated to his friend, whom he considered his elder brother, Dalip Singh. It was published by Darbar Publishing House, Amritsar.
6. Birha Toon Sultan (1964). Shiv compiled most of his work into a book with 111 of his best known poems and dedicated this book to "Amrita Pritam te Mohan Singh de Naa". It was published by Lok Sahit Parkashan, Amritsar.
7. Luna (1965). Shiv was awarded the Sahitya Academy award for this book in 1967, and this epic-like verse play is considered by many of Shiv’s critics as his most significant literary achievement. Luna not only added a new dimension to the versatility of Shiv’s poetry; it also recast, to some degree, Shiv’s entire corpus in a new light. In particular, the profound and perceptive empathy of women’s emotions and feelings as victims of social inequity and injustice that Shiv portrayed in Luna, allows a deeper understanding of Shiv’s concept of love and gender-relations in his poetry than the stereotype of women as the poet’s self-centred object of desire. Similarly, the masterful use of imagery that set the tone and atmosphere of each of the eight acts of the verse play, helps to highlight Shiv’s superb poetic techniques of equally expert use of imagery in his other poems. In Luna, Shiv reworked the theme of Puran Bhagat, a mythical folklore of Punjab about the implications of marrying a young girl with an old man. In the traditional story the young wife is depicted as an evil villain in her relationship with the grown-up son of her husband from his first marriage. Shiv wrote his poem from the perspective of injustice to the young wife. He altogether changed Luna's character: rather than repeating the traditional portrayal of a wicked, lustful and cruel woman, he challenged the male-dominated society to reconsider their norms and moral values by making Luna a sympathetic character. Shiv presented a remarkably incisive and insightful appreciation of women’s sufferings in a patriarchy and exposed its moral values as the tools that force women to sacrifice their individuality to fit in various roles assigned to them. Reading the deliberate politics of the monarchical discourse in the legend, Shiv presented it from women’s point of view. More importantly, Shiv rejected the glorification of patriarchal assignment of women’s roles and instead forcefully brought out Luna's individuality. "Shiv Kumar … views her sexual subjugation and deprivation as a basic injustice to her and cause of her suffering. He vindicates the veracity of her Being by asserting her right to choose and by condemning her deprivation in marriage - through her own voice. In Luna body is not merely a site of sexual desire but her humanity asserted through valuing and articulating the needs of her body and condemning their deprivation in marriage. The play is a strong assertion of woman’s sexuality which has been ignored, abused, repressed or mythologized (as passive) in patriarchy." [source?] Shiv used strong sensual imagery to highlight Luna’s individual feelings. She repeatedly refers to herself as “fire,” “fire maiden” or "women-fire".
8. Main Te Main (Me and Myself) (1970). Main Te Main - the last major work of Shiv - is a long poem of seventy-five pages with a unique style of conception as well as execution, in modern Punjabi poetry. Psychological background is the operative here, as Shiv himself mentions "The legend in this poem is not mine, nor is its truth my truth...whatever is mine in the truth of this legend is the truth of my being not of my person. Its psychological background is only a phenomenon of the intellectual and moral scepticism of the present generation. The truth of the hero of this poem is a protest against the false and hollow moral values of today. It is the revolt of modern man's disintegrated personality against the death of his true being". The poet describes his birth as the result of his mother's sexual hunger even when she is an unmarried woman. This hunger is sunk deep in the being of every woman. The poet questions the very fine nuances of morality as understood in very gross terms by a common man of today. Main te Main makes one realize as why this is the last major work of Shiv - he has given his blood to its words and didn't care to save even one drop for his own physical life.
Shiv In Bombay
Shiv In Bombay
In the early 1970s Shiv came to Bombay for a literary conference. In keeping with Shiv's outrageous behaviour there is a story about his trip to Bombay. Part of the conference involved readings at Shanmukhananda hall. After a few people had read their work (one of whom was Meena Kumari), Shiv got on the stage and began "Almost everyone today has begun to consider themselves a poet, each and every person off the streets is writing ghazals". By the time he had finished with his diatribe, there was not a sound in the hall. This is when he began to read Ek kuri jeeda naam mohabbat. gum hai, gum hai....(This song has been sung recently by Rabbi Shergill in his Album Bulla Ki Jana.) There wasn't a sound when he finished either.
Encouraged by his friends, Shiv went to Bombay and try out in film-industry. He was not born for that, he found that out real fast. He could not write poetry to suit the scenes in the movies, he was born to write from his heart, from his inner voices, and he returned to Punjab.
In the early 1970s Shiv came to Bombay for a literary conference. In keeping with Shiv's outrageous behaviour there is a story about his trip to Bombay. Part of the conference involved readings at Shanmukhananda hall. After a few people had read their work (one of whom was Meena Kumari), Shiv got on the stage and began "Almost everyone today has begun to consider themselves a poet, each and every person off the streets is writing ghazals". By the time he had finished with his diatribe, there was not a sound in the hall. This is when he began to read Ek kuri jeeda naam mohabbat. gum hai, gum hai....(This song has been sung recently by Rabbi Shergill in his Album Bulla Ki Jana.) There wasn't a sound when he finished either.
Encouraged by his friends, Shiv went to Bombay and try out in film-industry. He was not born for that, he found that out real fast. He could not write poetry to suit the scenes in the movies, he was born to write from his heart, from his inner voices, and he returned to Punjab.
Personal life
Personal life
He met a girl named Maina at a fair in Baijnath. When he went back to look for her in her hometown, he heard the news of her death and wrote his elegy Maina. This episode was to prefigure numerous other partings that would serve as material to distil into poems. Perhaps the most celebrated such episode is his fascination for Gurbaksh Singh's daughter who left for the US and married someone else. When he heard of the birth of her first child, Shiv wrote 'Main ek shikra yaar banaya', perhaps his most famous love poem. It's said that when she had her second child, someone asked Shiv whether he would write another poem. Shiv replied 'Have I become responsible for her? Am I to write a poem on her every time she gives birth to a child?' Sounds much better in Punjabi (main oda theka leya hoyaa? Oho bacche banayi jave te main ode te kavita banayi javan?).
Shiv's wife Aruna was a Brahmin from Kir Mangyal in district Gurdaspur. By all accounts they had a happy marriage: they had two children, Meharbaan (b. Apr. 12, 1968) and Puja (b. Sep. 23, 1969) whom Shiv loved immensely.
By 1968 he had moved to Chandigarh, but both Batala and Chandigarh became soulless in his eyes. Chandigarh brought him fame, but scathing criticism as well. Shiv replied with an article titled 'My hostile critics'. Meanwhile his epilepsy worsened and he had a serious attack while at a store in Chandigarh's sector 22....
Education
Education
Shiv passed his matriculate exams in 1953, from Punjab University. He went on to enrol in the F.Sc. programme at Baring Union Christian College in Batala. Before completing his degree he moved to S.N. College, Qadian into their Arts program. It is here that he began to sing ghazals and songs for his classmates. Shiv never gave the final exams he needed to pass to receive his degree.
Shiv passed his matriculate exams in 1953, from Punjab University. He went on to enrol in the F.Sc. programme at Baring Union Christian College in Batala. Before completing his degree he moved to S.N. College, Qadian into their Arts program. It is here that he began to sing ghazals and songs for his classmates. Shiv never gave the final exams he needed to pass to receive his degree.
Early Childhood
Early Childhood
Shiv's father was a Patwari by the name of Pandit Krishan Gopal. After the partition his family moved to Batala. As a child Shiv is said to have been fascinated by birds and rugged, thorny plants on the Punjabi landscape. Shiv was exposed to the 'ramlila' at an early age, and it is to be expected that he received what was later to become his instinctive understanding of drama from these early performances. Shiv belonged to a middle-class family that had lived in that area for many generations.By all accounts, Shiv had a happy and carefree childhood. He was known for his peculiar habit of wandering around in the village and its surroundings alone. Many times, his father would have to search for him, finding him lying down under the trees at the banks of Bassantar nala or near a mandir on the south side of the village. At other times he would be found watching with fascination the tricks of snake charmers or absorbed in listening to the singings of raas-daharis (a folk verse-play based on religious songs). Even today, the old folks in the village remember that ‘patwari's son’ was known as a sheedai (obsessed) and a malang (wandering faqir).
Shiv's father was a Patwari by the name of Pandit Krishan Gopal. After the partition his family moved to Batala. As a child Shiv is said to have been fascinated by birds and rugged, thorny plants on the Punjabi landscape. Shiv was exposed to the 'ramlila' at an early age, and it is to be expected that he received what was later to become his instinctive understanding of drama from these early performances. Shiv belonged to a middle-class family that had lived in that area for many generations.By all accounts, Shiv had a happy and carefree childhood. He was known for his peculiar habit of wandering around in the village and its surroundings alone. Many times, his father would have to search for him, finding him lying down under the trees at the banks of Bassantar nala or near a mandir on the south side of the village. At other times he would be found watching with fascination the tricks of snake charmers or absorbed in listening to the singings of raas-daharis (a folk verse-play based on religious songs). Even today, the old folks in the village remember that ‘patwari's son’ was known as a sheedai (obsessed) and a malang (wandering faqir).
Notes about Shiv Batalvi
Notes:
[1]Shiv’s date of birth as recorded on his horoscope is July 23, 1936, while a latter birth date, October 23, 1937 is recorded on his matriculation certificate that was the only official birth record at that time. The earlier date is generally accepted to be more accurate. It was a common practice by some parents in India to intentionally advance the birth date of their children in the school records to later provide them extra time to apply for government services that had age-limits for hiring in different cadres. Shiv’s father, himself a government employee in the Revenue Department, was probably well aware of the advantage of advancing Shiv’s birth date in the school records. [Bir 2000].
[2]Shiv’s grandfather’s name was Mehnga Lal (Mehnga means precious). He married twice. He had three sons. The eldest son was Buwa Dita who was from his first wife and became a schoolteacher. Mehnga Lal’s first wife died early and he married again. He had two sons from his second wife, Krishan Gupal, Shiv’s father, and Ram Lal. [Rammah unpublished].
[3]Shiv also had two younger brothers and two younger sisters. His elder brother Davarka had passed away. Mrs. Davarka lives in the family house in Prem Nagar, Batala. His younger brother, Subhash Batalvi lives in Panchkula (a town in the suburbs of Chandigarh) and Suresh Batalvi in Delhi. His younger sister Surinder, whose husband Varinder passed away in 2002, lives in Chandigarh. His youngest sister, Saroj and her husband Baldev Mehta are settled in Toronto, Canada. [Mahal. Int. 2002] and [Dass. Int. 2002].
[4]The whole section ‘The Village’ and first two paragraphs of the next section ‘The Childhood’ are solely based on a detailed research report prepared by Aziz-ul-Haque Rammah. He conducted this research on the request of the authors during October 2002 by visiting Bara Pind Lohtian and interviewing a number of old people who have lived in that village since pre-partition times and have known Shiv and his family. People living in Bara Pind Lohtian, even the young ones, are quite familiar with Shiv as a great Punjabi poet. [Rammah, unpublished].
[5]The poem Dudh Da Qatal is part of the last collection of Shiv’s poetry Birha Tun Sultan, published posthumously in 1975. It has poems from different periods of Shiv’s life that were not included in his previous books. In its form and diction, Dudh Da Qatal appears to belong to the same period when Shiv composed his last book Mein Te Mein.
[6]Suman Kashyap, who is working on a book project of English translations of Shiv’s poetry, has kindly provided some of her unpublished translations for this paper.
[7]Prem Nagar is now also known as Shiv Batalvi Nagar. A billboard at the entrance of the Prem Nagar has the name of the muhalla as ‘Shiv Batalvi Nagar. [Dass. Int. 2002].
[8]Before partition Qadian was the headquarter of Ahmadiyya community. After partition, Ahmadis migrated to Pakistan and established their headquarter in Rabwah, dist. Jhang. A small contingent of about 300 Ahmadis was left in Qadian to look after their holy places. S.N College was established after partition in the same building that Ahmadi’s had built for their high school for boys.
[9]Shiv never attended any training to pass the examination for becoming a patwari. At that time, Punjab’s patwari’s were on a strike that lasted a long time. Shiv’s father probably used his influence to get Shiv hired without going through the training and other pre-requisites for joining the service. [Kahlon 1974].
[10]Prior to that, he had written some poetry in Urdu and had tried his hand at a couple of short stories. Shiv was well versed in Urdu and Persian script since Urdu was the medium of instructions in Punjab’s schools before partition. Shiv learned to write Punjabi in Gurmukhi script sometime around 1957. [Hasrat 1980].
[11]Among the Punjabi Sufi poets, Shiv was particularly fond of the poetry of Shah Hussain and Waris Shah. He had also thoroughly studied the Kalam of Baba Nanak and other Sikh Gurus. Some of the expressions he used in his poetry, e.g., mere ram jeeyo, were taken directly from Adi Garanth. [Hasrat 1980].
[12]A few recordings of Shiv’s recitation of his poetry in his own voice, made during his trip to England, are posted on the Web at : http://www.apnaorg.org/audio/shiv/
[13]Shiv was around 5 feet 9 inches tall, of fair complexion, slim and smart and very handsome. He had large beautiful eyes and thick black hair. He was generally very well dressed. [Gill Int. 2002].
[14]His earlier books were published by Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana that was owned by Jeevan Singh. The only royalty that Shiv would receive from him was mostly in kind in the form of a suite or a bottle of whisky and sometimes return fare whenever Shiv visited him in Ludhiana. [Gill Int. 2002].
[15]Prior to around 1970, Shiv was not a regular drinker. His drinking habits were not different from an average drinker in his circle of friends and writers. They can be characterized as occasional light drinking and once in a while hard drinking at gatherings of friends or parties. The stories depicting Shiv as a life-long alcoholic could not be verified by the authors and are apparently based on his infrequent bouts of heavy drinking at certain occasions. Even when he became a regular drinker, he seldom got drunk. Kuldip Takhar, at whose house Shiv stayed for a couple of months during his trip to England, stated in a recent interview with the author (Rammah) that Shiv would start drinking in the morning by taking a few sips of Scotch and would continue that, a couple of sips at a time with long intervals, throughout the day. He would almost never get drunk. [Takhar. Int. 2002].
[16]He refused to get admitted in the hospital for medical check up. Kuldip Takhar, at whose place Shiv stayed for a while in London, states that he once insisted to take Shiv to the doctor for check-up, saying that ‘Shiv, you will die if you won’t get proper medical treatment.’ Shiv’s reply was ‘Tell me something that I don’t already know!’ [Takhar, Int. 2002].
[17]Most of the harsh criticism of Shiv’s poetry came from two main schools of thoughts in the contemporary Punjabi Poetry. From the major poets and writers of Nexalite movement, led by Avatar Singh Pash, Dr. Jagtar and a few others. The other group of poets who condemned Shiv’s poetry belonged to the experimental school of poetry led by Jasbir Auhluwalia and Ravinder Ravi. [Gill. Int. 2002].
[18]After Shiv’s death, Dr. Harcharan Singh, head of Punjabi Department, offered his wife Aruna a job in Punjabi University Patiala as library assistant. Aruna still works there and lives in a house in the University campus. Meharban completed his M. Phil in Punjabi from Punjabi University, Patiala. He is married and lives with her mother. Puja completed M.A. and M. Phil in economics from Punjabi University, Patiala. She is now working on her doctorate thesis. She is married and settled in Cincinnati, USA, with her husband Jay Dev Sharma. They have a daughter, Shivana. [Mahal. Int. 2002].
[19]Shiv took poetry writing as a very serious work. He would normally wake up during early morning hours to compose poetry in a totally peaceful environment. He would sit crossed-legged on the floor in a corner of his room. He would finalize a poem only when he was completely satisfied with it in all respects, editing it many times and sometimes discarding some otherwise exceptionally beautiful lines. Sometimes the idea of a poem would stay with him for a long period of time and Shiv would compose it by jotting down couple of lines at a time. He had a great command on the proper techniques and conventions of writing poetry in many different forms and could readily pinpoint the errors and weaknesses in other poets’ compositions. [Kahlon. Int. 2002].
[20]Dr. Darshan Gill, a famous Punjabi poet and critic, who had personally known Shiv Kumar Batalvi and Harbhajan Singh (1920-2002) and have followed their poetic careers, disagrees with the statement that Shiv Kumar Batalvi copied Harbhajan Singh’s style. On the contrary, according to Dr. Gill, in early sixties Harbhajan Singh got impressed with Shiv’s lyricism and started writing poetry in his style and diction. Harbhajan Singh, who mostly wrote his poetry in free verse, published his first book of lyrical poetry, Adh Vainy (Midnight), after Shiv was already established as a popular poet. [Gill. Int. 2002].
[21]Punjabi singers, on a much smaller scale as compared to Shiv’s poetry, have also made commercial recordings of the poetry of a number of other established Modern Punjabi poets. Among them, Prof. Mohan Singh, Nand Lal Nurpuri and Manzur Jhalla have so far been the other favorites of Punjabi singers. Nand Lal Nurpuri and Manzur Jhalla mostly wrote popular folk songs. Ahmad Rahi was the most popular Punjabi film songwriter.
[1]Shiv’s date of birth as recorded on his horoscope is July 23, 1936, while a latter birth date, October 23, 1937 is recorded on his matriculation certificate that was the only official birth record at that time. The earlier date is generally accepted to be more accurate. It was a common practice by some parents in India to intentionally advance the birth date of their children in the school records to later provide them extra time to apply for government services that had age-limits for hiring in different cadres. Shiv’s father, himself a government employee in the Revenue Department, was probably well aware of the advantage of advancing Shiv’s birth date in the school records. [Bir 2000].
[2]Shiv’s grandfather’s name was Mehnga Lal (Mehnga means precious). He married twice. He had three sons. The eldest son was Buwa Dita who was from his first wife and became a schoolteacher. Mehnga Lal’s first wife died early and he married again. He had two sons from his second wife, Krishan Gupal, Shiv’s father, and Ram Lal. [Rammah unpublished].
[3]Shiv also had two younger brothers and two younger sisters. His elder brother Davarka had passed away. Mrs. Davarka lives in the family house in Prem Nagar, Batala. His younger brother, Subhash Batalvi lives in Panchkula (a town in the suburbs of Chandigarh) and Suresh Batalvi in Delhi. His younger sister Surinder, whose husband Varinder passed away in 2002, lives in Chandigarh. His youngest sister, Saroj and her husband Baldev Mehta are settled in Toronto, Canada. [Mahal. Int. 2002] and [Dass. Int. 2002].
[4]The whole section ‘The Village’ and first two paragraphs of the next section ‘The Childhood’ are solely based on a detailed research report prepared by Aziz-ul-Haque Rammah. He conducted this research on the request of the authors during October 2002 by visiting Bara Pind Lohtian and interviewing a number of old people who have lived in that village since pre-partition times and have known Shiv and his family. People living in Bara Pind Lohtian, even the young ones, are quite familiar with Shiv as a great Punjabi poet. [Rammah, unpublished].
[5]The poem Dudh Da Qatal is part of the last collection of Shiv’s poetry Birha Tun Sultan, published posthumously in 1975. It has poems from different periods of Shiv’s life that were not included in his previous books. In its form and diction, Dudh Da Qatal appears to belong to the same period when Shiv composed his last book Mein Te Mein.
[6]Suman Kashyap, who is working on a book project of English translations of Shiv’s poetry, has kindly provided some of her unpublished translations for this paper.
[7]Prem Nagar is now also known as Shiv Batalvi Nagar. A billboard at the entrance of the Prem Nagar has the name of the muhalla as ‘Shiv Batalvi Nagar. [Dass. Int. 2002].
[8]Before partition Qadian was the headquarter of Ahmadiyya community. After partition, Ahmadis migrated to Pakistan and established their headquarter in Rabwah, dist. Jhang. A small contingent of about 300 Ahmadis was left in Qadian to look after their holy places. S.N College was established after partition in the same building that Ahmadi’s had built for their high school for boys.
[9]Shiv never attended any training to pass the examination for becoming a patwari. At that time, Punjab’s patwari’s were on a strike that lasted a long time. Shiv’s father probably used his influence to get Shiv hired without going through the training and other pre-requisites for joining the service. [Kahlon 1974].
[10]Prior to that, he had written some poetry in Urdu and had tried his hand at a couple of short stories. Shiv was well versed in Urdu and Persian script since Urdu was the medium of instructions in Punjab’s schools before partition. Shiv learned to write Punjabi in Gurmukhi script sometime around 1957. [Hasrat 1980].
[11]Among the Punjabi Sufi poets, Shiv was particularly fond of the poetry of Shah Hussain and Waris Shah. He had also thoroughly studied the Kalam of Baba Nanak and other Sikh Gurus. Some of the expressions he used in his poetry, e.g., mere ram jeeyo, were taken directly from Adi Garanth. [Hasrat 1980].
[12]A few recordings of Shiv’s recitation of his poetry in his own voice, made during his trip to England, are posted on the Web at : http://www.apnaorg.org/audio/shiv/
[13]Shiv was around 5 feet 9 inches tall, of fair complexion, slim and smart and very handsome. He had large beautiful eyes and thick black hair. He was generally very well dressed. [Gill Int. 2002].
[14]His earlier books were published by Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana that was owned by Jeevan Singh. The only royalty that Shiv would receive from him was mostly in kind in the form of a suite or a bottle of whisky and sometimes return fare whenever Shiv visited him in Ludhiana. [Gill Int. 2002].
[15]Prior to around 1970, Shiv was not a regular drinker. His drinking habits were not different from an average drinker in his circle of friends and writers. They can be characterized as occasional light drinking and once in a while hard drinking at gatherings of friends or parties. The stories depicting Shiv as a life-long alcoholic could not be verified by the authors and are apparently based on his infrequent bouts of heavy drinking at certain occasions. Even when he became a regular drinker, he seldom got drunk. Kuldip Takhar, at whose house Shiv stayed for a couple of months during his trip to England, stated in a recent interview with the author (Rammah) that Shiv would start drinking in the morning by taking a few sips of Scotch and would continue that, a couple of sips at a time with long intervals, throughout the day. He would almost never get drunk. [Takhar. Int. 2002].
[16]He refused to get admitted in the hospital for medical check up. Kuldip Takhar, at whose place Shiv stayed for a while in London, states that he once insisted to take Shiv to the doctor for check-up, saying that ‘Shiv, you will die if you won’t get proper medical treatment.’ Shiv’s reply was ‘Tell me something that I don’t already know!’ [Takhar, Int. 2002].
[17]Most of the harsh criticism of Shiv’s poetry came from two main schools of thoughts in the contemporary Punjabi Poetry. From the major poets and writers of Nexalite movement, led by Avatar Singh Pash, Dr. Jagtar and a few others. The other group of poets who condemned Shiv’s poetry belonged to the experimental school of poetry led by Jasbir Auhluwalia and Ravinder Ravi. [Gill. Int. 2002].
[18]After Shiv’s death, Dr. Harcharan Singh, head of Punjabi Department, offered his wife Aruna a job in Punjabi University Patiala as library assistant. Aruna still works there and lives in a house in the University campus. Meharban completed his M. Phil in Punjabi from Punjabi University, Patiala. He is married and lives with her mother. Puja completed M.A. and M. Phil in economics from Punjabi University, Patiala. She is now working on her doctorate thesis. She is married and settled in Cincinnati, USA, with her husband Jay Dev Sharma. They have a daughter, Shivana. [Mahal. Int. 2002].
[19]Shiv took poetry writing as a very serious work. He would normally wake up during early morning hours to compose poetry in a totally peaceful environment. He would sit crossed-legged on the floor in a corner of his room. He would finalize a poem only when he was completely satisfied with it in all respects, editing it many times and sometimes discarding some otherwise exceptionally beautiful lines. Sometimes the idea of a poem would stay with him for a long period of time and Shiv would compose it by jotting down couple of lines at a time. He had a great command on the proper techniques and conventions of writing poetry in many different forms and could readily pinpoint the errors and weaknesses in other poets’ compositions. [Kahlon. Int. 2002].
[20]Dr. Darshan Gill, a famous Punjabi poet and critic, who had personally known Shiv Kumar Batalvi and Harbhajan Singh (1920-2002) and have followed their poetic careers, disagrees with the statement that Shiv Kumar Batalvi copied Harbhajan Singh’s style. On the contrary, according to Dr. Gill, in early sixties Harbhajan Singh got impressed with Shiv’s lyricism and started writing poetry in his style and diction. Harbhajan Singh, who mostly wrote his poetry in free verse, published his first book of lyrical poetry, Adh Vainy (Midnight), after Shiv was already established as a popular poet. [Gill. Int. 2002].
[21]Punjabi singers, on a much smaller scale as compared to Shiv’s poetry, have also made commercial recordings of the poetry of a number of other established Modern Punjabi poets. Among them, Prof. Mohan Singh, Nand Lal Nurpuri and Manzur Jhalla have so far been the other favorites of Punjabi singers. Nand Lal Nurpuri and Manzur Jhalla mostly wrote popular folk songs. Ahmad Rahi was the most popular Punjabi film songwriter.
Shiv Kumar’s Collections of Poetry
1. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (1960) ‘Peeran Da Paraga’ Lok Sahit Prakashan, Amritsar.
2. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (1961) ‘Lajwanti’ Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
3. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (1962) ‘Atte Dian Chirian’ Lok Sahit Prakashan, Amritsar.
4. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (1963) ‘Mainoo Vida Karo’ Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
5. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (1964) ‘Dardmandan Deean Aheen’ Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
6. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (1965) ‘Loonan’ Lok Sahit Prakashan, Amritsar.
7. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (1970) ‘Mein Te Mein’ Navyug Publishers, Delhi.
8. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (1971) ‘Aarti’ Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
9. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (1975) ‘Birha Toon Sultan’ Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
Books edited by Shiv Kumar Batalavi
1. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (Editor) (1966) ‘Je Main Mar Jaawan’ New Book Co., Jalandhar.
2. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (Editor) (1968) ‘Gazlan Wali Daccni’ Language Department, Punjab.
___________________________________________________________________________
2. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (1961) ‘Lajwanti’ Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
3. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (1962) ‘Atte Dian Chirian’ Lok Sahit Prakashan, Amritsar.
4. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (1963) ‘Mainoo Vida Karo’ Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
5. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (1964) ‘Dardmandan Deean Aheen’ Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
6. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (1965) ‘Loonan’ Lok Sahit Prakashan, Amritsar.
7. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (1970) ‘Mein Te Mein’ Navyug Publishers, Delhi.
8. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (1971) ‘Aarti’ Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
9. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (1975) ‘Birha Toon Sultan’ Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
Books edited by Shiv Kumar Batalavi
1. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (Editor) (1966) ‘Je Main Mar Jaawan’ New Book Co., Jalandhar.
2. Batalvi, Shiv Kumar (Editor) (1968) ‘Gazlan Wali Daccni’ Language Department, Punjab.
___________________________________________________________________________
Interviews
nterviews
1. Bhandari, Mohan [2002]. (Contemporary and friend of Shiv Kumar Batalavi). Interviewed by the author (Sharma).
2. Chandan, Amarjit [2002]. (Punjabi poet and writer). Interviewed by the author (Rammah).
3. Batalvi, Kailash. [2002]. (Wife of Davaraka Dass Batalvi, the elder brother of Shiv Kumar Batalvi). Interviewed by the author (Sharma).
4. Gill, Darshan Singh Dr. [Punjabi writer, poet, critic and a close friend of Shiv Kumar Batalvi). Interviewed by the author (Rammah).
5. Kahlon, Mohan [2002]. (Punjabi writer and close friend of Shiv Kumar Batalavi). Interviewed by the author (Sharma) and Dr Jagtar Dhiman.
6. Mahal, Iqbal [2002]. (Writer, TV Producer and Shiv’s family friend). Interviewed by the author (Rammah).
7. Manhas, Rajinder [2002]. (Shiv’s acquaintance and resident of Chandigarh). Interviewed by the author (Rammah).
8. Takhar, Kuldip [2002]. (Punjabi writer and Shiv’s host in England). Interviewed by the author (Rammah).
9. Talwar, Preetam [2002]. (A close friend and neighbour of Mrs. Davaraka Dass). Interviewed by the author (Sharma).
1. Bhandari, Mohan [2002]. (Contemporary and friend of Shiv Kumar Batalavi). Interviewed by the author (Sharma).
2. Chandan, Amarjit [2002]. (Punjabi poet and writer). Interviewed by the author (Rammah).
3. Batalvi, Kailash. [2002]. (Wife of Davaraka Dass Batalvi, the elder brother of Shiv Kumar Batalvi). Interviewed by the author (Sharma).
4. Gill, Darshan Singh Dr. [Punjabi writer, poet, critic and a close friend of Shiv Kumar Batalvi). Interviewed by the author (Rammah).
5. Kahlon, Mohan [2002]. (Punjabi writer and close friend of Shiv Kumar Batalavi). Interviewed by the author (Sharma) and Dr Jagtar Dhiman.
6. Mahal, Iqbal [2002]. (Writer, TV Producer and Shiv’s family friend). Interviewed by the author (Rammah).
7. Manhas, Rajinder [2002]. (Shiv’s acquaintance and resident of Chandigarh). Interviewed by the author (Rammah).
8. Takhar, Kuldip [2002]. (Punjabi writer and Shiv’s host in England). Interviewed by the author (Rammah).
9. Talwar, Preetam [2002]. (A close friend and neighbour of Mrs. Davaraka Dass). Interviewed by the author (Sharma).
Bibliography
1. Bhandari, Mohan (1973) ‘Ek Raat’ Arsee (July 1973).
2. Bir, Surinder (2000) ‘Shiv Kumar – Jeevan Ate Kavita’ Waris Shah Foundation, Amritsar.
3 Duggal, Kartar Singh & Sekhon, Sant Singh (1992) ‘A History of Punjabi Literature’ Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, India.
4. Elliot, T. S. (1997) ‘The Sacred Wood and Major Early Essays’ (Essay: The Perfect Critic) Dover Publication, Incorporated.
5. Gargi, Balwant (ed. 2000) ‘Kaudian Wala Sapp’ Navyug Publishers, New Delhi.
6. Gargi, Balwant (ed. 2000) ‘Surme Walee Akh’ Navyug Publishers, New Delhi.
7. Gargi, Balwant (ed. 2000) ‘Haseen Chehre’ Navyug Publishers, New Delhi
8. Hasrat, Sukhpalvir Singh (1980) ‘Shiv Kumar – Ek Thathan Marda Samundar’ Maseeha, Ropar (2).
9. Kahlon, Mohan (1972) ‘Pardesi Rukh’ New Book Co., Mai Hiran Gate, Jalandhar.
10. Kahlon, Mohan (1973) ‘ Machhali Ik Dariya Ditt’ Hind Pocket Book Pvt. Ltd., G.T.Road, Shahdra, Delhi-32.
11. Kahlon, Mohan (1974) ‘Geetan Da Maseeha’ Des Pardes, London (April 28).
12. Kahlon, Mohan (1975) ‘Gori Nadi Da Geet’ Bhai Chattar Singh, Jiwan Singh, Amritsar.
13. Kahlon, Mohan (1990) ‘ Kali Mitti’ Nanak Singh Pustak Mala, Locket Printers, Chowk Bhai Bhauriwala, Amritsar.
14. Kanwal, Surjit Singh (1995) ‘Loona Da Dukhant - Shiv Kumar’ Literature House, Putlighar, Amritsar.
15. Kanwal, Surjit Singh (1996) ‘Shiv Kumar Kav Vich Birha’ Central Publishers, Ludhiana.
16. Kasail, Navtej Kaur (2001) ‘Shiv Kumar Di Prageetak Kavita’ Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
17. Kaur, Balwinder (1998) ‘Qoulan Da Kacha – Shiv Kumar Batalvi’ Aar Paar, Mississauga, Canada (October).
18. Komal, Amar (1979) ‘Shiv Kumar’s Loona Da Kav-lok ‘ Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
19. Pal, Amrit Lal (1998) ‘ Shiv Kumar Batalavi – Jeevan Te Rachna’ Rahul Publication, Punjabi University, Patiala.
20. Pash, Avtar Singh (Editor: Chandan, Amarjit) (1993) ‘Apne Naal Gallan-Pash Di Diary’ Lok Katha, 22, Malri, Nakodar, Punjab.
21. Pooni, Amrik Singh (1989 ) ‘Shiv Kumar : Rachna Sansar’ Punjab Academy, Pahar Ganj, New Delhi.
22. Preetam, Amrita, (1997) ‘Prashan Lila’ Shilalekh Publications, Delhi.
23. Rammah, Aziz-ul-Haque (Unpublished) ‘Research Report on Shiv Kumar Batalvi’s Place of Birth.’
24. Saini, Pritam (1979 ) ‘Shiv Kumar Batalavi - Chintan Te Kala, “Peeran Da Paraga” De Vishesh Adhiyann Sahit’ Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
25. Saini, Pritam (1983) ‘Shiv Kumar – Ik Punarmulankan Loona De Adhaar Te’ Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
26. Sekhon, Sant Singh (1985) ‘Luna,’ Bharati Journal of Comparative Literature, (1, No. 1, pp 55-158).
27. Sharma, O.P. (1979) ‘Shiv Batalvi – A Solitary and Passionate Singer’ Sterling Publishers, New Delhi.
28. Singh, Deepak Manmohan (2001) ‘Kaam, Kamna Ate Shiv Kav’ Chetna Prakashan, Punjabi
Bhavan, Ludhiana.
29. Singh, Pankaj K. (2000) ‘Re-Presenting Women: Tradition, Legend and Panjabi Drama’ Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Rashtrapati Nivas, Shimla.
30. Singhal, Dharam Pal and Jaura, Avtar ( 1979) ‘Shiv Kumar Da Kaav Jagat’ New Book Co., Jalandhar.
31. Singh, Gurdial (1979) ‘Shiv Kumar Ik Adhhyaen’ Nanak Singh Pustak Mala, Amritsar.
32. Singh, Manjit Dr. (1994) ‘Glimpses of Modern Punjabi Literature’ Arun Publishing House Pvt. Ltd., Chandigarh, India.
33. Singh, Manmohan (1983) ‘Shiv Kumar Batalvi: Jevan Te Kavita’ Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
34. Singh, Shinderpal (2000) ‘Shiv Kavita Ate Myth’ Lokgeet Prakashan, Chandigarh.
35. Sital, Jeet Singh (1982) ‘Shiv Kumar Batalavi – Jeevan Te Rachna’ Publication Bureau, Punjabi University, Patiala.
Special Issue of Magazines
1. Naagmani (1973) Special Issue on Shiv Kumar Batalvi, edited by Amrita Preetam, New Delhi (32).
2. Punjabi Duniyan, (February 1983) Special Issue on Shiv Kumar Batalvi,1-2, Languages Department Punjab, Patiala.
3. Maseeha (1980), Special Issue on Shiv Kumar Batalvi, edited by Ajit Kaur/S.Kuldip, Ropar (2)
4. Arsee, (July 1973) Special Issue on Shiv Kumar Batalvi.
2. Bir, Surinder (2000) ‘Shiv Kumar – Jeevan Ate Kavita’ Waris Shah Foundation, Amritsar.
3 Duggal, Kartar Singh & Sekhon, Sant Singh (1992) ‘A History of Punjabi Literature’ Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, India.
4. Elliot, T. S. (1997) ‘The Sacred Wood and Major Early Essays’ (Essay: The Perfect Critic) Dover Publication, Incorporated.
5. Gargi, Balwant (ed. 2000) ‘Kaudian Wala Sapp’ Navyug Publishers, New Delhi.
6. Gargi, Balwant (ed. 2000) ‘Surme Walee Akh’ Navyug Publishers, New Delhi.
7. Gargi, Balwant (ed. 2000) ‘Haseen Chehre’ Navyug Publishers, New Delhi
8. Hasrat, Sukhpalvir Singh (1980) ‘Shiv Kumar – Ek Thathan Marda Samundar’ Maseeha, Ropar (2).
9. Kahlon, Mohan (1972) ‘Pardesi Rukh’ New Book Co., Mai Hiran Gate, Jalandhar.
10. Kahlon, Mohan (1973) ‘ Machhali Ik Dariya Ditt’ Hind Pocket Book Pvt. Ltd., G.T.Road, Shahdra, Delhi-32.
11. Kahlon, Mohan (1974) ‘Geetan Da Maseeha’ Des Pardes, London (April 28).
12. Kahlon, Mohan (1975) ‘Gori Nadi Da Geet’ Bhai Chattar Singh, Jiwan Singh, Amritsar.
13. Kahlon, Mohan (1990) ‘ Kali Mitti’ Nanak Singh Pustak Mala, Locket Printers, Chowk Bhai Bhauriwala, Amritsar.
14. Kanwal, Surjit Singh (1995) ‘Loona Da Dukhant - Shiv Kumar’ Literature House, Putlighar, Amritsar.
15. Kanwal, Surjit Singh (1996) ‘Shiv Kumar Kav Vich Birha’ Central Publishers, Ludhiana.
16. Kasail, Navtej Kaur (2001) ‘Shiv Kumar Di Prageetak Kavita’ Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
17. Kaur, Balwinder (1998) ‘Qoulan Da Kacha – Shiv Kumar Batalvi’ Aar Paar, Mississauga, Canada (October).
18. Komal, Amar (1979) ‘Shiv Kumar’s Loona Da Kav-lok ‘ Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
19. Pal, Amrit Lal (1998) ‘ Shiv Kumar Batalavi – Jeevan Te Rachna’ Rahul Publication, Punjabi University, Patiala.
20. Pash, Avtar Singh (Editor: Chandan, Amarjit) (1993) ‘Apne Naal Gallan-Pash Di Diary’ Lok Katha, 22, Malri, Nakodar, Punjab.
21. Pooni, Amrik Singh (1989 ) ‘Shiv Kumar : Rachna Sansar’ Punjab Academy, Pahar Ganj, New Delhi.
22. Preetam, Amrita, (1997) ‘Prashan Lila’ Shilalekh Publications, Delhi.
23. Rammah, Aziz-ul-Haque (Unpublished) ‘Research Report on Shiv Kumar Batalvi’s Place of Birth.’
24. Saini, Pritam (1979 ) ‘Shiv Kumar Batalavi - Chintan Te Kala, “Peeran Da Paraga” De Vishesh Adhiyann Sahit’ Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
25. Saini, Pritam (1983) ‘Shiv Kumar – Ik Punarmulankan Loona De Adhaar Te’ Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
26. Sekhon, Sant Singh (1985) ‘Luna,’ Bharati Journal of Comparative Literature, (1, No. 1, pp 55-158).
27. Sharma, O.P. (1979) ‘Shiv Batalvi – A Solitary and Passionate Singer’ Sterling Publishers, New Delhi.
28. Singh, Deepak Manmohan (2001) ‘Kaam, Kamna Ate Shiv Kav’ Chetna Prakashan, Punjabi
Bhavan, Ludhiana.
29. Singh, Pankaj K. (2000) ‘Re-Presenting Women: Tradition, Legend and Panjabi Drama’ Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Rashtrapati Nivas, Shimla.
30. Singhal, Dharam Pal and Jaura, Avtar ( 1979) ‘Shiv Kumar Da Kaav Jagat’ New Book Co., Jalandhar.
31. Singh, Gurdial (1979) ‘Shiv Kumar Ik Adhhyaen’ Nanak Singh Pustak Mala, Amritsar.
32. Singh, Manjit Dr. (1994) ‘Glimpses of Modern Punjabi Literature’ Arun Publishing House Pvt. Ltd., Chandigarh, India.
33. Singh, Manmohan (1983) ‘Shiv Kumar Batalvi: Jevan Te Kavita’ Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
34. Singh, Shinderpal (2000) ‘Shiv Kavita Ate Myth’ Lokgeet Prakashan, Chandigarh.
35. Sital, Jeet Singh (1982) ‘Shiv Kumar Batalavi – Jeevan Te Rachna’ Publication Bureau, Punjabi University, Patiala.
Special Issue of Magazines
1. Naagmani (1973) Special Issue on Shiv Kumar Batalvi, edited by Amrita Preetam, New Delhi (32).
2. Punjabi Duniyan, (February 1983) Special Issue on Shiv Kumar Batalvi,1-2, Languages Department Punjab, Patiala.
3. Maseeha (1980), Special Issue on Shiv Kumar Batalvi, edited by Ajit Kaur/S.Kuldip, Ropar (2)
4. Arsee, (July 1973) Special Issue on Shiv Kumar Batalvi.
Arun Batalvi, wife of Shiv, with her son and daughter-in-law pose by the poet’s portrait in their Patiala home.
There are those who pass into legend after they are gone and there are those who live a legend. Punjabi poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi was definitely of the latter kind. It would not be too much to say that during his active literary career of a decade he accomplished all for which a century is too short a period. Born on July 23, 1936, at Barapind Lohtian village Tehsil Shakargarh, now in Pakistan Shiv passed away May 7, 1973. The charismatic persona of Shiv, as a person and poet had its compelling charm and he cast a lasting impression with his loving nature and malice towards none. “Anyone who came across him, be it the relatives, friends, readers audience or his detractors,” says his wife Arun Shiv Batalvi while talking to Lifestyle at her Patiala residence. She adds, “Since every poet reveres and represents the cultural ethos of the people of his region and his poetry too belonged to the Punjabis. By honouring Shiv, we also honour our mother tongue.” source-thetribune.com THEIR LEGACY: Arun Batalvi, wife of Shiv, with her son and daughter-in-law pose by the poet’s portrait in their Patiala home. — Photo by Rajesh Sachar |  |
Biography of Shiv
Shiv
Shiv Kumar was born on July 23, 1936 in Bara Pind Lohtian (Shakargarh tehsil), in Punjab (now Pakistan). His father was a Patwari by the name of Pandit Krishan Gopal. After the partition his family moved to Batala. As a child Shiv is said to have been fascinated by birds and rugged, thorny plants on the Punjabi landscape. Shiv was exposed to the ramlila at an early age, and it is to be expected that he received what was later to become his instinctive understanding of drama from these early performances.
Shiv passed his matriculate exams in 1953, from Punjab University. He went on to enroll in the F.Sc. programme at Baring Union Christian College in Batala. Before completing his degree he moved to S.N. College, Qadian into their Arts program. It is here that he began to sing ghazals and songs for his class-mates. Shiv never gave the final exams he needed to pass to receive his degree.
Around this period, he met a girl named Maina at a fair in Baijnath. When he went back to look for her in her hometown, he heard the news of her death and wrote his elegy 'Maina'. This episode was to prefigure numerous other partings that would serve as material to distill into poems. Perhaps the most celebrated such episode is his fascination for Gurbaksh Singh's daughter who left for the US and married someone else. When he heard of the birth of her first child, Shiv wrote 'Main ek shikra yaar banaya', perhaps his most famous love poem. It's said that when she had her second child, someone asked Shiv whether he would write another poem. Shiv replied 'Have I become responsible for her? Am I to write a poem on her every time she gives birth to a child?' Sounds much better in Punjabi (main oda theka leya hoyaa? Oho bacche banayi jave te main ode te kavita likhda rehma?).
Shiv's arrogance is legendary, but he had good cause to indulge himself. Frankly from the perspective I occupy, all is forgiven. To get back to his life, with some help from his father Shiv became a Patwari as well. This had been his father's vision for Shiv. The period that followed his becoming a Patwari are the most productive years of his life. A brief listing of his major published works follows, the translations into English titles are from Sharma's biography.
- A Handful of Pains (1960) Contains an introduction by Amrita Pritam. Contents:
- Cactus
- A song of seperation
- The fountain of tears
- A curse
- How long is the night still
- To Life
- On my birthday
- The threshed tears
- On my friend's grave
- A song (addressed to the parching woman)
- Butterfly
- Nooran
- Lajwanti (1961) Critical introduction by SantSingh Sekhon
- A song (Oct '60)
- Hope
- Fasts
- Expectant Woman
- Remembrance
- Lajwanti
- Invokation to mother
- Pilgrimage
- The skeleton
- The kiss
- Sheesho
- Accusation
- The sparrows of kneaded flour (1962) AN introduction by Jeet Singh Seetal, contains approximately 25 poems including:
- Streetlight
- My room
- Locust
- The tinker
- Almanac
- Statue of Venus
- The Exile
- Eunuch
- The falcon
- An evening
- Characterless
- The stranger
- Milestone
- The Masked One
- Loona
- Ash Tray
- Mother
- A locust swarm
- Loona (1961) A verse drama, considered to be Shiv's most original work and most significant literary product. Loona won Shiv the Sahitya Akademi award in 1965, he was the youngest person to ever have won the award.
- Bid me farewell (1963) 25 poems including:
- Bid me farewell
- I have to die young
- The fragrance of Chamba
- My life is passing
- This song of mine
- Bid me farewell, mother
- O mother, the fragrant one
- I will not live tomorrow
- The toys of clay
- The soul
- The vain life
- Speak with thy tongue
- The roots of life
- Invocation (1971) 39 poems mostly written between 1963 and 1965, they include:
- O lord lend me a song
- What to ask of the predicament of the mendicant
- With full moon over my head
- The old house
- A face
- Accident
- Invocation
- Mourning
- The wound (on the Chinese war)
- The Elegy (for Nehru)
- I and me
- 23 section
In 1965 Shiv won the Sahitya Akademi award for his verse-drama Loona. He married on Feb 5, 1967. His wife Aruna was a Brahmin from Kir Mangyal in district Gurdaspur. By all accounts Shiv had a happy marriage. He had two children, Meharbaan (b. Apr. 12, 1968) and Puja (b. Sep. 23, 1969) whom he loved immensely.
By 1968 he had moved to Chandigarh, but both Batala and Chandigarh became soulless in his eyes. Chandigarh brought him fame, but scathing criticism as well, Shiv replied with an article titled 'My hostile critics'. Meanwhile his epilepsy got worse and he had a serious attack while at a store in Chandigarh's section 22. In the early 70's Shiv came to Bombay for a literary conference and my father spent some time with him. In keeping with Shiv's outrageous behaviour there is a story about his trip to Bombay as well. Part of the conference involved readings at Shanmukananda hall. After a few people had read their work (one of whom was Meena Kumari), Shiv got on the stage and began "Almost everyone today has begun to consider themselves a poet, each and every person off the streets is writing ghazals". By the time he'd finished with his diatribe, there was not a sound in the hall. This is when he began to read 'Ek kuri jeeda naam mohabbat. gum hai, gum hai...'. There wasn't a sound when he finished either.
Shiv has been called a Bohemian, and from what I've read and heard of him he seems like one. I've heard complaints about his drinking and some suggestions that his 'friends' had him drink so he would exhibit his outrageous self. I'm sure Shiv had no regrets about the life he led.
Shiv Kumar died in the 36th year of his life on May 7, 1973 in his father-in-law's house at Kir Mangyal near Pathankot.
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