LUDHIANA: Two city residents are on a mission to salvage the image of famous poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi and inspire people by his works. As popular as Batalvi is for his writing, he is also known to be a drunkard and a womanizer. But the researchers beg to differ and are out to set the record straight.
Additional director of communication at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Jagtar Singh Dhiman and Manu Sharma Sohal, a retired employee of Punjab Culture Study Circle International (PCSCI), have researched on Batalvi's life for 10 years.
In course of their research Dhiman and Sohal have collected several things related to Batalvi's life including some handwritten letters, signed documents and pictures. The two have preserved an ashtray that the poet used, a flower pot from the place he used to live in and have even taken some soil from his compound and grown plants in it. The researchers have also got CDs of Batalvi's songs that are only available in USA. Dhiman said through all this they want to change people's popular image of the writer as a womanizer and drunkard.
Talking to TOI, Dhiman said when they started researching on the life and poetry of Batalvi, who died in 1973, he had visited the poet's house and Shiv Kumar Auditorium in Batala. ''I was shocked to see the state of the legend's house and of the auditorium that was named after him. The structures have been totally neglected and are falling apart,'' he said.
Dhiman added that he has pictures of Hansli bridge where Batalvi used to write his poems.
Sohal said because their research was extensive, it took them 10 years to collect things related to Batalvi's life. ''I took some soil from outside his home and planted two 'dopharkheri' plants in them,'' she said.
Sohal said the place where the poet, playwright and author used to live in Batala now has a hospital. ''We found that when Batalvi stayed at a rented accommodation in Chandigarh there was a particular pole near Sector 22 that he used to meet his friends under. They had even named it as 'writers' corner','' she said. Based on their research Dhiman and Manu have conducted various programmes in memory of Batalvi's life and have held many functions in schools and colleges in the poet life.
