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{{Short description|Indian Punjabi language poet (1937–1973)}}
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{{Use Indian English|date= October 2016}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox Writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox Writer/doc]] -->
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
|image = Replace this image male.svg<!-- only free-content images are allowed for depicting living people - see [[WP:NONFREE]] -->
| name = Shiv Kumar Batalvi
|imagesize = 120px |
| name = Shiv Kumar 'Batalvi'
| image = Shiv Kumar Batalvi, 1970.jpg
| caption =
| caption = Shiv Kumar Batalvi during the interview by BBC in 1970
| pseudonym =
| birth_name = Shiv Kumar
| birth_date = {{Birth date |df=yes|1936|7|23}}
| birthname= Shiv Kumar
| birth_place = [[Barapind]], [[British Punjab|Punjab]], [[British Raj|British India]] <br> (now in [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]], [[Pakistan]])
| birthdate = {{Birth date |1936|7|23|mf=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1973|5|6|1936|07|23}}
| birthplace = Bara Pind Lohtian, [[Shakargarh Tehsil]], [[Punjab]], [[British India]]
| death_place = [[Pathankot district|Kiri Mangyal]], [[Punjab, India]]
| deathdate = {{death date and age|1973|5|7|1936|7|23|mf=y}}
| occupation = Poet, singer, author, playwright, lyricist
| deathplace = Kir Mangyal, [[Pathankot]], [[India]]
| period = 1960–1973
| occupation = [[poet]], [[author]], [[playwright]]
| nationality = [[Indian]]
| genre = poetry, [[prose]], play
| subject = [[Pathos]], [[passion (emotion)|passion]],
| period = 1960-1973
| genre = [[poetry]], [[prose]], [[play]]
| movement = [[Romanticism]]
| notableworks = ''[[Loona (Punjabi epic)|Loona]]'' (1965)
| subject =
| movement = [[romanticism]]
| awards = [[Sahitya Akademi Award]]
| language = [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]
|notableworks =
| influences =
| spouse = Aruna Batalvi
| signature = Shiv_Kumar_Batalvi_signature.svg
| influenced =
| signature =
| website = http://www.batalvi.org/
}}
}}
'''Shiv Kumar 'Batalvi'''' (1936 –1973) was a noted [[Punjabi language]] poet, who was most noted for his romantic poetry <ref>''Handbook of Twentieth-century Literatures of India'', by Nalini Natarajan, Emmanuel Sampath Nelson. Greenwood Press, 1996. ISBN 0313287783. ''Page 258''.</ref>


'''Shiv Kumar Batalvi''' (23 July 1936<ref>{{Cite web|title=Shodhganga|url=https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/104123/4/04_chapter%201.pdf}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Shodhganga|hdl=10603/104123|url=http://hdl.handle.net/10603/104123}}</ref> - 6 May 1973<ref>{{Cite web|title=Shodhganga|url=https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/104123/4/04_chapter%201.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-05-07|title=Remebering Shiv Kumar Batalvi: Fan recalls time when poet was the hero|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/remebering-batalvi-fan-recalls-time-when-poet-was-the-hero-shiv-kumar-batalvi-sahitya-akademi-award-punjab-amrita-pritam/story-osTPqIJedSso5AMHQcQmBP.html|access-date=2021-05-08|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref>) was an Indian [[poet]], writer and playwright of the [[Punjabi language]]. He was most known for his romantic poetry, noted for its heightened passion, pathos, separation and lover's agony,<ref>''[https://books.google.com/books?id=1lTnv6o-d_oC&dq=Jaswant+Singh+Neki&pg=PA258 Handbook of Twentieth-century Literatures of India]'', by Nalini Natarajan, Emmanuel Sampath Nelson. Greenwood Press, 1996. {{ISBN|0-313-28778-3}}. ''Page 258''</ref> due to that he was also called ''Birha Da Sultan''.He is also called '[[John Keats]] of punjab'.
He became the youngest recipient of the [[Sahitya Akademi Award]] in 1967, for his epic [[verse play]] based on the ancient legend of Puran Bhagat, ''Loona'' (1965), now considered a minor classic in [[Punjabi literature]], which created a new genre, of modern [[Punjabi Kisse|kissa]] <ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030504/spectrum/book6.htm Shiv Kumar] ''[[The Tribune]]'', [[May 4]], [[2003]].</ref>. Today, his poetry stands in equal footing, amongst that by stalwarts of [[Punjabi literature|Punjabi poetry]], like Mohan Singh and [[Amrita Pritam]] <ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040111/spectrum/book10.htm Pioneers of modern Punjabi love poetry] ''[[The Tribune]]'', [[January 11]], [[2004]].</ref>.

He became the youngest recipient of the [[Sahitya Akademi Award]] in 1967, given by the [[Sahitya Akademi]] (India's National Academy of Letters), for his epic [[verse play]] based on the ancient legend of [[Puran Bhagat]], ''[[Loona (Punjabi epic)|Loona]]'' (1965),<ref>[http://www.sahitya-akademi.gov.in/old_version/awa10316.htm#punjabi List of Punjabi language awardees] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090331234058/http://www.sahitya-akademi.gov.in/old_version/awa10316.htm |date=31 March 2009 }} [[Sahitya Akademi Award]] Official listings.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Wo Shayar Badnaam: The tragic life and love story of Shiv Kumar Batalvi |url=https://theasianmirror.com/editorspick/51162/wo-shayar-badnaam-the-tragic-life-and-love-story-of-shiv-kumar-batalvi/ |access-date=6 May 2024 |website=The Asian Mirror}}</ref> now considered a masterpiece in modern [[Punjabi literature]],<ref>[http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/print.asp?page=2006%5C11%5C16%5Cstory_16-11-2006_pg13_4 World Performing Arts Festival: Art students awed by foreign artists] ''[[Daily Times (Pakistan)|Daily Times]]'', 16 November 2006.</ref> and which also created a new genre, of modern [[Punjabi Kisse|Punjabi kissa]].<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030504/spectrum/book6.htm Shiv Kumar] ''[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]'', 4 May 2003.</ref> Today, his poetry stands in equal footing, amongst that by stalwarts of modern [[Punjabi literature|Punjabi poetry]], like [[Mohan Singh (poet)]] and [[Amrita Pritam]],<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040111/spectrum/book10.htm Pioneers of modern Punjabi love poetry] ''[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]'', 11 January 2004.</ref> all of whom are popular on both sides of [[Indo-Pakistan border]].<ref>[http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_19-5-2004_pg3_5 The Batala phenomenon] ''[[Daily Times (Pakistan)|Daily Times]]'', 19 May 2004.</ref>


==Biography==
==Biography==
Shiv Kumar Batalvi was born on 23 July 1936 (though a few documents related to him state 8 October 1937) in the village [[Barapind|Bara Pind Lohtian]] in the [[Shakargarh Tehsil]] of [[Gurdaspur]] District (now in [[Narowal District]] of [[Punjab, Pakistan]]) into a [[Punjabi Hindu]] [[Brahmin]] family to father, Pandit Krishan Gopal Sharma, the village [[tehsildar]] in the revenue department, and mother, Shanti Devi, a housewife.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}
Shiv Kumar was born on [[July 23]], [[1936]], village Bara Pind Lohtian, [[Shakargarh Tehsil]], (now in [[Punjab (Pakistan)|Punjab]] province, [[Pakistan]]), to Pandit Krishan Gopal, village [[tehsildar]] in the in the revenue department, and Savita Devi, a housewife. His family moved to [[Batala]] [[Gurdaspur district]] after [[partition of India]], where his father continued his work as a [[patwari]] and young Shiv received his primary education <ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20000430/spectrum/main2.htm#3 Shiv Kumar Batalvi] ''[[The Tribune]]'', [[April 30]], [[2000]].</ref>.


In 1947, when he was aged 11, his family moved to [[Batala, Gurdaspur district]] after [[partition of India]], where his father continued his work as a [[patwari]] and young Shiv received his primary education.<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20000430/spectrum/main2.htm#3 Shiv Kumar Batalvi] ''[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]'', 30 April 2000.</ref> Allegedly, he was a dreamy child, often vanishing for the duration of the day, to be found lying under trees by the riverbank close to the [[Mandir]] or Hindu temple outside the village, lost in a brown reverie. He appears to have been fascinated by local renditions of the Hindu epic ''[[Ramayana]]'', as well as wandering [[minstrel]] singers, [[snake charmers]] and the like&nbsp;– which feature as metaphors in his poetry, giving it a uniquely rural flavour.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}
He completed his matriculation in 1953, from [[Punjab University]], and enrolled in the F.Sc. program at Baring Union Christian College, [[Batala]], though before completing his degree he moved to S.N. College, Qadian and joined their Arts program more suited to his persona, though he left that too in the second year, thereafter he joined a school at [[Baijnath, Himachal Pradesh]] to do a diploma in Civil Engineering, here again he left it in the middle <ref name=sikh>[http://www.sikh-heritage.co.uk/arts/shiv%20batalvi/Shiv%20batalvi.htm Shiv Kumar Batalvi] ''sikh-heritage.co.uk''.</ref>. Next he studied for sometime at Govt. Ripudaman College, [[Nabha]]. He remained unlucky in love, and bereavement for love loss reflected intensely in his poetry.


=== Personal life ===
Later in life, his father got a job as patwari at Qadian, it was during this period, that he produced some of his best work. His first [[anthology]] of poems was published in 1960, titled ''Piran da Paraga'' (The Scarf of Sorrows), which became an instant success. In 1965, he became the youngest recipient of the [[Sahitya Akademi Award]] in 1967, for his [[magnum opus]], a [[verse play]] ''Loona'' (1965)<ref>[http://www.sahitya-akademi.gov.in/old_version/awa10316.htm#punjabi Sahitya Akademi Award – Punjabi 1957-2007] ''[[Sahitya Akademi Award]] Official listings.''</ref>. His poetry recitations, and singing his own verse, made him and his work even more popular amongst the masses.
He met a girl named Maina at a fair in [[Baijnath, Himachal Pradesh|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|Gurbaksh Singh Preetlari]]'s daughter who left for Venezuela and married someone else. When he heard of the birth of her first child, Shiv wrote 'Main ik 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?"


The poem 'Main ek shikra yaar banaya' is in the Punjabi Language, the English translation of this poem is also equally beautiful.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sarkarinaukri.ws/maye-ni-maiye-shiv-kumar-batalvi-songs-english/|title=Maye Ni Maiye - Shiv Kumar Batalvi Songs - English Translation - Sarkari Naukri|date=27 June 2020}}</ref> Shiv Kumar Batalvi's poems have been sung by famous singers such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Ghulam Ali, Jagjit Singh, Hans Raj Hans, and many others.
In early 1967, he got married, and in 1968, he shifted to [[Chandigarh]], where he joined the State Bank of India, as a PRO. In the following years, bad health plagued him, though he continued to write prolifically. Shiv Kumar died on May 7, 1973, at his father-in-law's home, at Kir Mangyal, [[Pathankot]], all of 36 years.


On 5 February 1967, he married, Aruna,<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030508/cth1.htm#7 Batalvi’s better half comes calling] ''[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]'', 8 May 2003.</ref> a Brahmin girl from his own caste. She is from [[Kiri Mangyal]], [[Gurdaspur district]], and later the couple had two children, Meharban (1968) and Puja (1969).
==Personal life==
On Feb 5, 1967 he married, Arun <ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030508/cth1.htm#7 Batalvi’s better half comes calling] ''[[The Tribune]]'', [[May 8]], [[2003]].</ref> , a Brahmin girl, from Kir Mangyal, [[Gurdaspur district]], and later the couple had two children, Meharbaan (1968) and Puja (1969).


==Works==
===Education===
He completed his matriculation in 1953 at [[Panjab University, Chandigarh|Panjab University]], and enrolled in the F.Sc. program at Baring Union Christian College, Batala, though before completing his degree he moved to S.N. College, [[Qadian]], where he joined the Arts program more suited to his persona, though he left that too in the second year. Thereafter he joined a school at [[Baijnath, Himachal Pradesh]] to do a diploma in Civil Engineering. Here again, he left it in the middle.<ref name="Sikh">[http://www.sikh-heritage.co.uk/arts/shiv%20batalvi/Shiv%20batalvi.htm Shiv Kumar Batalvi] ''sikh-heritage.co.uk''.</ref> Next he studied for some time at Govt. Ripudaman College, [[Nabha]].

===Youngest recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award===
Later in life, his father got a job as [[patwari]] at Qadian, it was during this period, that he produced some of his best work. His first anthology of poems was published in 1960, titled ''Piran da Paraga'' (A handful of pain), which became an instant success. Some senior writers of Batlaviji, including [[Jaswant Singh Rahi]], Kartar Singh Balgan and Barkat Ram Yumman, as the saying goes, took him under their wings. In 1965, he became the youngest recipient of the [[Sahitya Akademi Award]] in 1967, for his [[Masterpiece|magnum opus]], a [[verse play]] ''Loona'' (1965).<ref>[http://www.sahitya-akademi.gov.in/old_version/awa10316.htm#punjabi Sahitya Akademi Award Punjabi 1957–2007] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090331234058/http://www.sahitya-akademi.gov.in/old_version/awa10316.htm|date=31 March 2009}} ''[[Sahitya Akademi Award]] Official listings.''</ref> His poetry recitations, and singing his own verse, made him and his work even more popular amongst the masses.

Soon after his marriage, in 1968, he shifted to [[Chandigarh]], where he joined the [[State Bank of India]], as a professional. In the following years, bad health plagued him, though he continued to write prolifically.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}

===Trip to England===
In May 1972, Shiv visited England at the invitation of Dr. Gupal Puri and Mrs. Kailash Puri. He had been looking forward to his first trip abroad as a welcome relief from the drudgery of his life in [[Chandigarh]]. When he arrived in England, his popularity and fame had already reached a high point among the Punjabi community. His arrival was announced in the local Indian papers with headlines and pictures. [Takhar. Int. 2002]. He spent a busy time in England. A number of public functions and private parties were arranged in his honour where he recited his poetry. Dr. Gupal Puri arranged the first large function in Coventry, near London, to welcome Shiv. A large number of his fans and Punjabi poets, including Santokh Singh Dhir, Kuldip Takhar and Tarsem Purewal and many others attended this function. Another large gathering was organised at Rochester (Kent) in his honour. The famous artist S. Sobha Singh was also present who had travelled at his own expense to see Shiv. His engagements in England were regularly reported in the local Indian media and the BBC Television once interviewed him. While the Punjabi community got the opportunity to listen to Shiv on various occasions, his stay in London proved to be the last straw for his failing health. He would stay late and continue to drink until 2:00 or 2:30 in the morning at parties or at home engaged in discussions with his hosts and other people who would come to visit him. He would wake up after a short sleep around 4:00 A.M. and begin his day by again taking a couple of sips of Scotch.

===Final days===
When Shiv returned from England in September 1972, his health had declined visibly. He was now bitterly complaining about the undue criticism of his poetry by progressive and leftist writers. He openly started talking about his disappointment at the unjustified condemnation of his poetry. [Gargi 2000 'Surme Walee Akhah' ]. Within a couple of months after his return from England, his health started sinking, never to recover again. He was in a dire financial predicament during those days and felt that most of his friends had deserted him in his time of need. His wife Arun, somehow managed to get him admitted to a hospital in Sector 16 of Chandigarh where he received treatment for a few days. A couple of months later, he was admitted to a hospital in Amritsar but left it on his own against the advice of his doctors. He didn't want to die in a hospital and simply walked out of the hospital and went to his family home in Batala. He was later shifted to the village of his in-laws, Kiri Mangial, a small village near the border with Pakistan. Shiv Kumar Batalvi died in Kiri Mangial during the early morning hours of 6 May 1973.

==Death==
After Shiv Kumar Batalvi returned from his England tour in 1972, he developed liver cirrhosis. His health issues put the family in a financial crisis. This was possibly the reason Shiv Kumar Batalvi along with his wife Aruna Batalvi moved to Aruna's maternal village, where he breathed his last.<ref>[https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/life-style/a-wife-remembers/584735.html A wife remembers] ''[[The Tribune]]'', 6 May 2018.</ref>


* ''Piran da Paraga'' (The Scarf of Sorrows) (1960)
* ''Mainu Vida Karo'' (Bid Me Farewell) (1961)
* ''Gazlan Te Geet''
* ''Aarti'' (Prayer) (1971)
* ''Lajwanti'' (Touch Me Not)(1961)
* ''Atte Dian Chirian'' (The Sparrows of Flour) (1962).
* ''Loona'' (1965)
* ''Main Te Main'' (I and Me) (1970)
* ''Dardmandan Dian Aahin''
* ''Sog''
* ''Alvida'' (Farewell) (1974)
* ''Shiv Kumar: Sampuran Kav Sangreh'' (Complete Works); Lahore Book Shop, Ludhiana.
* ''Birha da Sultan'', (A selection from Shiv Kumar Betalvi's poems), Selected by [[Amrita Pritam]], [[Sahitya Akademi]], 1993. ISBN 81-7201-417-1.
* ''Luna'' (English), tr. by B.M. Bhatta, [[Sahitya Akademi]], 2005, ISBN 81-260-1873-9.
==Legacy==
==Legacy==
One of his anthology, ''Alvida'' (Farewell) was published posthumously in 1974, by the [[Guru Nanak Dev University]], [[Amritsar]]. 'Shiv Kumar Batalvi Award' is given each year, to notable poets in Punjabi language <ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020416/region.htm Shiv Kumar Batalvi Award] ''[[Tribune]]'', [[April 16]], [[2002]].</ref>.
One of his anthologies, ''Alvida'' (Farewell) was published posthumously in 1974, by the [[Guru Nanak Dev University]], [[Amritsar]]. 'Shiv Kumar Batalvi Award' for Best Writer, is given each year.<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20031021/ldh2.htm 7 Punjabi writers, folk singers honoured] ''[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]'', 21 October 2003.</ref><ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020416/region.htm Shiv Kumar Batalvi Award] ''[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]'', 16 April 2002.</ref>


Shiv Kumar Batalvi Auditorium is constructed to commemorate 75th Birth anniversary of the eminent poet of Punjab in Batala. It is situated in Jalandhar Road, Batala. A world-class auditorium to inspire generations to come in Punjab.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|date=2020-06-28|title=Shiv Kumar Batalvi|url=https://sarkarinaukri.ws/shiv-kumar-batalvi-biography-4-phase-love-life/,%20https://sarkarinaukri.ws/shiv-kumar-batalvi-biography-4-phase-love-life/|access-date=2021-05-08|website=sarkarinaukri.ws|language=en-US}}</ref>
==In Media==
Singer, [[Jagjit Singh]] and Chitra Singh, have sung many of his poems <ref>[http://readerswords.wordpress.com/2006/05/07/shiv-kumar-batalvi/ Shiv Kumar Batalvi]</ref>, the recent album, [[Rabbi (album)|Rabbi]] (2004), by [[Rabbi Shergill]] features, his poem, "Ishtihar". [[Punjabi]] folk singer, [[Hans Raj Hans]] also did a popular album, ‘Gham’, on the poetry of Shiv Kumar. In 2005, a compliation album was released, titled, ''Ek Kudi Jida Naa Mohabbat... 'Shiv Kumar Batalvi'', with numbers sung by [[Mahender Kapoor]], [[Jagjit Singh]] and Asa Singh Mastana <ref>[http://www.amazon.com/Kudi-Jida-Mohabbat-Kumar-Batalvi/dp/B000VEOV6O ''Ek Kudi Jida Naa Mohabbat...''] ''[[Amazon.com]]''.</ref>.


==Excerpts==
==Publications==
[[File:Aloona Tola (Shiv Kumar Batalvi Sahb).jpg|thumb|Aloona Tola]]
* ''Piran da Paraga'' (The Scarful of Sorrows) (1960)
*''Lajwanti'' (1961)
*''Aate Diyan Chiriyaan'' (1962)
* ''Mainu Vida Karo'' (Bid Me Farewell) (1963)
*''Dardmandan Diyan Aahin'' (1964)
*''Birha Tu Sultan'' (1964)
*''[[Loona (Punjabi epic)|Loona]]'' (1965)
*''Main Te Main'' (I and Me) (1970)
* ''Aarti'' (Prayer) (1971)
*Samuchi Kavita<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Shiv Kumar Batalvi, His life, Works and Place in Panjabi Literature|url=https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/104123/6/06_chapter%203.pdf}}</ref>


==In the media==
<poem>
Many of his poems were sung by Deedar Singh Pardesi. [[Jagjit Singh]]-[[Chitra Singh]], and Surinder Kaur, have also sung many of his poems.<ref>[http://readerswords.wordpress.com/2006/05/07/shiv-kumar-batalvi/ Shiv Kumar Batalvi]</ref> [[Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan]]'s rendition of one of his poems "Maye Ni Maye" is known for its soulfulness and imagery. Punjabi singer Babbu Maan perform his poem 'Shabab' in his album 'Ohi chan Ohi ratan (2004). [[Rabbi Shergill]]'s debut album [[Rabbi (album)|Rabbi]] (2004) features his poem "Ishtihar". [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] folk singer, [[Hans Raj Hans]] also did a popular album, 'Gham', on the poetry of Shiv Kumar. In 2005, a compilation album was released, titled, ''Ek Kudi Jida Naa Mohabbat... 'Shiv Kumar Batalvi'', with numbers sung by [[Mahendra Kapoor]], [[Jagjit Singh]] and [[Asa Singh Mastana]].<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VEOV6O ''Ek Kudi Jida Naa Mohabbat...''] ''[[Amazon.com]]''.</ref>
''Mainu Vida Karo'' (Bid Me Farewell)


In 2004, a Punjabi play titled ''Dardaan Da Darya'' based on the life of Shiv Kumar was performed at 'Punjab Kala Bhavan', [[Chandigarh]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20040625232140/http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=86249 In the deep sea of power, and poetry of pain, pathos] ''[[Indian Express]]'', 1 June 2004.</ref>
I am going to die in the season of youth,
I am going to depart without emptying my contents,
After completing a cycle of separation from you. <ref name=sikh/>


Several of his poems have been adapted for movies, e.g. "Ajj Din Chhadeya Tere Rang Varga," was adapted in 2009 [[Hindi]] movie [[Love Aaj Kal (2009 film)|Love Aaj Kal]] which became an instant hit.
</poem>


In 2012, Album titled "Panchee Ho javan" based on a same-titled poem written by Shiv Kumar Batalvi was sung by [[Jasleen Royal]] and the album also contains another song "Maye Ni" based on the poem "Maye Ni Maye".
==Further reading==


In 2014, the rap duo "Swet Shop Boys", consisting of Indo-American Himanshu Suri, and British Pakistani Riz Ahmed, released a song entitled "Batalvi" which sampled Shiv Kumar Batalvi's own recitation of "Ikk Kudi Jihda Naam Mohabbat Ghum Hai" from an interview done with Aikam TV in the early 1970s. The song's lyrics explore issues regarding cultural identity faced by many second-generation South Asians living in the West.
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=bmFYZANvqRoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Shiv+Kumar+Batalvi&lr=&sig=ACfU3U01iY5-5ji7WbHry4NRZ0hknOCs9A Makers of Indian Literature: ''Shiv Kumar Batalvi''], by Sa Soze, Published by Sahitya Akademi, 2001. ISBN 8126009233.

* Shiv Kumar Batalvi : Jeevan Ate Rachna
Also in 2014, Pakistani pop singer Sarmad Qadeer scored a hit single on the official Asian Download chart in the UK with his interpretation of "Maiye Ni Maiye".<ref>[http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/asian-download-chart/ Asian Download Chart]. officialcharts.com</ref>
* ''Shiv Batalvi: A Solitary and Passionate singer'', by Om Prakash Sharma, 1979, Sterling Publishers, New Delhi LCCN: 79-905007.

* ''Shiv Kumar Batalvi, Jiwan Te Rachna'', by Jeet Singh Sitola. LCCN: 83-900413
His poem "Ikk Kudi Jihda Naam Mohabbat Ghum Hai" was made into a song featured in [[Udta Punjab]]. Featuring [[Alia Bhatt]], it was sung by [[Shahid Mallya]] and later reprised by [[Diljit Dosanjh]].
* ''Shiv Kumar da Kavi Jagat'', by Dharam Pal Singola. LCCN: 79-900386

* ''Shiv Kumar, Rachna Samsar'', by Amarik Singh Punni. LCCN: 90-902390
In 2016, Punjabi rapper Kay Kap's album "Kaagaz" featured a song entitled ''Pind Bewafaayiyaan'', which was inspired & conceptualized from Shiv Kumar Batalvi's poem "Ikk Kudi Jihda Naam Mohabbat Ghum Hai". The song's lyrics concluded from the lost girl named 'Mohabbat (Love)' belonging to the village named 'Bewafaayiyaan (Betrayal)' thus, giving birth to a new theory based on Shiv Kumar's poem that forms a different set of consequences.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genius.com/Kay-kap-pind-bewafaaiyaan-lyrics|title=Kay Kap – Pind Bewafaaiyaan}}</ref>
* ''Shiv Kumar, Kavi vich Birah''; by Surjit Singh Kanwal. LCCN: 88-901976

==References==
In 2022, his poem "Thabba Ku Zulfa Waleya" was made into a song, sung by [[Arjan Dhillon]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=bmFYZANvqRoC&q=Shiv+Kumar+Batalvi Makers of Indian Literature: ''Shiv Kumar Batalvi''], by Prof. S.Soze, Published by Sahitya Akademi, 2001. {{ISBN|81-260-0923-3}}.
* Shiv Kumar Batalvi: Jeevan Ate Rachna
* ''Shiv Batalvi: A Solitary and Passionate singer'', by Om Prakash Sharma, 1979, Sterling Publishers, New Delhi LCCN: 79–905007.
* ''Shiv Kumar Batalvi, Jiwan Te Rachna'', by Dr. Jit Singh Sital. LCCN: 83-900413
* ''Shiv Kumar da Kavi Jagat'', by Dharam Pal Singola. LCCN: 79-900386
* ''Shiv Kumar, Rachna Samsar'', by Amarik Singh Punni. LCCN: 90-902390
* ''Shiv Kumar, Kavi vich Birah''; by Surjit Singh Kanwal. LCCN: 88-901976

==External links==
==External links==
* [http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=Shiv+Kumar+Batalvi&hl=en&emb=0&aq=f&aq=-1&oq=# Shiv Kumar Batalvi reciting his works]
* [http://poshampa.org/writers/shiv-kumar-batalvi/ Poems of Shiv Kumar Batalvi]
* [http://www.shivbatalvi.com/ Shiv Batalvi www.Shivbatalvi.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810035856/http://www.shivbatalvi.com/ |date=10 August 2018 }}
* [http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/punjabi-poets/26380-shiv-kumar-batalvi-1936-1973-a.html A biography on Shiv Kumar Batalvi]
* [http://folkpunjab.com/literature/shiv-kumar-batalvi A great collection of Shiv Kumar Batalvi's Poems] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017031220/http://folkpunjab.com/literature/shiv-kumar-batalvi/ |date=17 October 2013 }}
* [http://hook2book.com/index.php?rt=product/search&keyword=Shiv%20Kumar%20Batalvi All Poetry Books of Shiv Kumar Batalvi]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWYCoZXM8wI Shiv Kumar Batalvi’s interview by BBC]


{{Authority control}}


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[[Category:Punjabi poets]]
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[[Category:Punjabi-language singers]]

[[Category:Punjabi-language poets]]
[[Category:Punjabi-language poets]]
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[[Category:Sahitya Akademi Award recipients]]
[[Category:Indian male dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Punjabi]]

[[Category:People from Barapind]]
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[[Category:Deaths from cirrhosis]]
[[Category:Romantic poets]]
[[Category:Alcohol-related deaths in India]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian singers]]
[[Category:Indian male poets]]
[[Category:Poets from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Dramatists and playwrights from Punjab, India]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male writers]]
[[Category:People from Punjab Province (British India)]]

Latest revision as of 04:31, 11 May 2024

Shiv Kumar Batalvi
Shiv Kumar Batalvi during the interview by BBC in 1970
Shiv Kumar Batalvi during the interview by BBC in 1970
BornShiv Kumar
(1936-07-23)23 July 1936
Barapind, Punjab, British India
(now in Punjab, Pakistan)
Died6 May 1973(1973-05-06) (aged 36)
Kiri Mangyal, Punjab, India
OccupationPoet, singer, author, playwright, lyricist
LanguagePunjabi
Period1960–1973
Genrepoetry, prose, play
SubjectPathos, passion,
Literary movementRomanticism
Notable worksLoona (1965)
Notable awardsSahitya Akademi Award
SpouseAruna Batalvi
Signature

Shiv Kumar Batalvi (23 July 1936[1][2] - 6 May 1973[3][4]) was an Indian poet, writer and playwright of the Punjabi language. He was most known for his romantic poetry, noted for its heightened passion, pathos, separation and lover's agony,[5] due to that he was also called Birha Da Sultan.He is also called 'John Keats of punjab'.

He became the youngest recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1967, given by the Sahitya Akademi (India's National Academy of Letters), for his epic verse play based on the ancient legend of Puran Bhagat, Loona (1965),[6][7] now considered a masterpiece in modern Punjabi literature,[8] and which also created a new genre, of modern Punjabi kissa.[9] Today, his poetry stands in equal footing, amongst that by stalwarts of modern Punjabi poetry, like Mohan Singh (poet) and Amrita Pritam,[10] all of whom are popular on both sides of Indo-Pakistan border.[11]

Biography[edit]

Shiv Kumar Batalvi was born on 23 July 1936 (though a few documents related to him state 8 October 1937) in the village Bara Pind Lohtian in the Shakargarh Tehsil of Gurdaspur District (now in Narowal District of Punjab, Pakistan) into a Punjabi Hindu Brahmin family to father, Pandit Krishan Gopal Sharma, the village tehsildar in the revenue department, and mother, Shanti Devi, a housewife.[citation needed]

In 1947, when he was aged 11, his family moved to Batala, Gurdaspur district after partition of India, where his father continued his work as a patwari and young Shiv received his primary education.[12] Allegedly, he was a dreamy child, often vanishing for the duration of the day, to be found lying under trees by the riverbank close to the Mandir or Hindu temple outside the village, lost in a brown reverie. He appears to have been fascinated by local renditions of the Hindu epic Ramayana, as well as wandering minstrel singers, snake charmers and the like – which feature as metaphors in his poetry, giving it a uniquely rural flavour.[citation needed]

Personal life[edit]

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 Preetlari's daughter who left for Venezuela and married someone else. When he heard of the birth of her first child, Shiv wrote 'Main ik 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?"

The poem 'Main ek shikra yaar banaya' is in the Punjabi Language, the English translation of this poem is also equally beautiful.[13] Shiv Kumar Batalvi's poems have been sung by famous singers such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Ghulam Ali, Jagjit Singh, Hans Raj Hans, and many others.

On 5 February 1967, he married, Aruna,[14] a Brahmin girl from his own caste. She is from Kiri Mangyal, Gurdaspur district, and later the couple had two children, Meharban (1968) and Puja (1969).

Education[edit]

He completed his matriculation in 1953 at Panjab University, and enrolled in the F.Sc. program at Baring Union Christian College, Batala, though before completing his degree he moved to S.N. College, Qadian, where he joined the Arts program more suited to his persona, though he left that too in the second year. Thereafter he joined a school at Baijnath, Himachal Pradesh to do a diploma in Civil Engineering. Here again, he left it in the middle.[15] Next he studied for some time at Govt. Ripudaman College, Nabha.

Youngest recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award[edit]

Later in life, his father got a job as patwari at Qadian, it was during this period, that he produced some of his best work. His first anthology of poems was published in 1960, titled Piran da Paraga (A handful of pain), which became an instant success. Some senior writers of Batlaviji, including Jaswant Singh Rahi, Kartar Singh Balgan and Barkat Ram Yumman, as the saying goes, took him under their wings. In 1965, he became the youngest recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1967, for his magnum opus, a verse play Loona (1965).[16] His poetry recitations, and singing his own verse, made him and his work even more popular amongst the masses.

Soon after his marriage, in 1968, he shifted to Chandigarh, where he joined the State Bank of India, as a professional. In the following years, bad health plagued him, though he continued to write prolifically.[citation needed]

Trip to England[edit]

In May 1972, Shiv visited England at the invitation of Dr. Gupal Puri and Mrs. Kailash Puri. He had been looking forward to his first trip abroad as a welcome relief from the drudgery of his life in Chandigarh. When he arrived in England, his popularity and fame had already reached a high point among the Punjabi community. His arrival was announced in the local Indian papers with headlines and pictures. [Takhar. Int. 2002]. He spent a busy time in England. A number of public functions and private parties were arranged in his honour where he recited his poetry. Dr. Gupal Puri arranged the first large function in Coventry, near London, to welcome Shiv. A large number of his fans and Punjabi poets, including Santokh Singh Dhir, Kuldip Takhar and Tarsem Purewal and many others attended this function. Another large gathering was organised at Rochester (Kent) in his honour. The famous artist S. Sobha Singh was also present who had travelled at his own expense to see Shiv. His engagements in England were regularly reported in the local Indian media and the BBC Television once interviewed him. While the Punjabi community got the opportunity to listen to Shiv on various occasions, his stay in London proved to be the last straw for his failing health. He would stay late and continue to drink until 2:00 or 2:30 in the morning at parties or at home engaged in discussions with his hosts and other people who would come to visit him. He would wake up after a short sleep around 4:00 A.M. and begin his day by again taking a couple of sips of Scotch.

Final days[edit]

When Shiv returned from England in September 1972, his health had declined visibly. He was now bitterly complaining about the undue criticism of his poetry by progressive and leftist writers. He openly started talking about his disappointment at the unjustified condemnation of his poetry. [Gargi 2000 'Surme Walee Akhah' ]. Within a couple of months after his return from England, his health started sinking, never to recover again. He was in a dire financial predicament during those days and felt that most of his friends had deserted him in his time of need. His wife Arun, somehow managed to get him admitted to a hospital in Sector 16 of Chandigarh where he received treatment for a few days. A couple of months later, he was admitted to a hospital in Amritsar but left it on his own against the advice of his doctors. He didn't want to die in a hospital and simply walked out of the hospital and went to his family home in Batala. He was later shifted to the village of his in-laws, Kiri Mangial, a small village near the border with Pakistan. Shiv Kumar Batalvi died in Kiri Mangial during the early morning hours of 6 May 1973.

Death[edit]

After Shiv Kumar Batalvi returned from his England tour in 1972, he developed liver cirrhosis. His health issues put the family in a financial crisis. This was possibly the reason Shiv Kumar Batalvi along with his wife Aruna Batalvi moved to Aruna's maternal village, where he breathed his last.[17]

Legacy[edit]

One of his anthologies, Alvida (Farewell) was published posthumously in 1974, by the Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. 'Shiv Kumar Batalvi Award' for Best Writer, is given each year.[18][19]

Shiv Kumar Batalvi Auditorium is constructed to commemorate 75th Birth anniversary of the eminent poet of Punjab in Batala. It is situated in Jalandhar Road, Batala. A world-class auditorium to inspire generations to come in Punjab.[20]

Publications[edit]

Aloona Tola
  • Piran da Paraga (The Scarful of Sorrows) (1960)
  • Lajwanti (1961)
  • Aate Diyan Chiriyaan (1962)
  • Mainu Vida Karo (Bid Me Farewell) (1963)
  • Dardmandan Diyan Aahin (1964)
  • Birha Tu Sultan (1964)
  • Loona (1965)
  • Main Te Main (I and Me) (1970)
  • Aarti (Prayer) (1971)
  • Samuchi Kavita[2][21]

In the media[edit]

Many of his poems were sung by Deedar Singh Pardesi. Jagjit Singh-Chitra Singh, and Surinder Kaur, have also sung many of his poems.[22] Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's rendition of one of his poems "Maye Ni Maye" is known for its soulfulness and imagery. Punjabi singer Babbu Maan perform his poem 'Shabab' in his album 'Ohi chan Ohi ratan (2004). Rabbi Shergill's debut album Rabbi (2004) features his poem "Ishtihar". Punjabi folk singer, Hans Raj Hans also did a popular album, 'Gham', on the poetry of Shiv Kumar. In 2005, a compilation album was released, titled, Ek Kudi Jida Naa Mohabbat... 'Shiv Kumar Batalvi, with numbers sung by Mahendra Kapoor, Jagjit Singh and Asa Singh Mastana.[23]

In 2004, a Punjabi play titled Dardaan Da Darya based on the life of Shiv Kumar was performed at 'Punjab Kala Bhavan', Chandigarh.[24]

Several of his poems have been adapted for movies, e.g. "Ajj Din Chhadeya Tere Rang Varga," was adapted in 2009 Hindi movie Love Aaj Kal which became an instant hit.

In 2012, Album titled "Panchee Ho javan" based on a same-titled poem written by Shiv Kumar Batalvi was sung by Jasleen Royal and the album also contains another song "Maye Ni" based on the poem "Maye Ni Maye".

In 2014, the rap duo "Swet Shop Boys", consisting of Indo-American Himanshu Suri, and British Pakistani Riz Ahmed, released a song entitled "Batalvi" which sampled Shiv Kumar Batalvi's own recitation of "Ikk Kudi Jihda Naam Mohabbat Ghum Hai" from an interview done with Aikam TV in the early 1970s. The song's lyrics explore issues regarding cultural identity faced by many second-generation South Asians living in the West.

Also in 2014, Pakistani pop singer Sarmad Qadeer scored a hit single on the official Asian Download chart in the UK with his interpretation of "Maiye Ni Maiye".[25]

His poem "Ikk Kudi Jihda Naam Mohabbat Ghum Hai" was made into a song featured in Udta Punjab. Featuring Alia Bhatt, it was sung by Shahid Mallya and later reprised by Diljit Dosanjh.

In 2016, Punjabi rapper Kay Kap's album "Kaagaz" featured a song entitled Pind Bewafaayiyaan, which was inspired & conceptualized from Shiv Kumar Batalvi's poem "Ikk Kudi Jihda Naam Mohabbat Ghum Hai". The song's lyrics concluded from the lost girl named 'Mohabbat (Love)' belonging to the village named 'Bewafaayiyaan (Betrayal)' thus, giving birth to a new theory based on Shiv Kumar's poem that forms a different set of consequences.[26]

In 2022, his poem "Thabba Ku Zulfa Waleya" was made into a song, sung by Arjan Dhillon

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Shodhganga" (PDF).
  2. ^ a b "Shodhganga". hdl:10603/104123.
  3. ^ "Shodhganga" (PDF).
  4. ^ "Remebering Shiv Kumar Batalvi: Fan recalls time when poet was the hero". Hindustan Times. 7 May 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  5. ^ Handbook of Twentieth-century Literatures of India, by Nalini Natarajan, Emmanuel Sampath Nelson. Greenwood Press, 1996. ISBN 0-313-28778-3. Page 258
  6. ^ List of Punjabi language awardees Archived 31 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine Sahitya Akademi Award Official listings.
  7. ^ "Wo Shayar Badnaam: The tragic life and love story of Shiv Kumar Batalvi". The Asian Mirror. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  8. ^ World Performing Arts Festival: Art students awed by foreign artists Daily Times, 16 November 2006.
  9. ^ Shiv Kumar The Tribune, 4 May 2003.
  10. ^ Pioneers of modern Punjabi love poetry The Tribune, 11 January 2004.
  11. ^ The Batala phenomenon Daily Times, 19 May 2004.
  12. ^ Shiv Kumar Batalvi The Tribune, 30 April 2000.
  13. ^ "Maye Ni Maiye - Shiv Kumar Batalvi Songs - English Translation - Sarkari Naukri". 27 June 2020.
  14. ^ Batalvi’s better half comes calling The Tribune, 8 May 2003.
  15. ^ Shiv Kumar Batalvi sikh-heritage.co.uk.
  16. ^ Sahitya Akademi Award Punjabi 1957–2007 Archived 31 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine Sahitya Akademi Award Official listings.
  17. ^ A wife remembers The Tribune, 6 May 2018.
  18. ^ 7 Punjabi writers, folk singers honoured The Tribune, 21 October 2003.
  19. ^ Shiv Kumar Batalvi Award The Tribune, 16 April 2002.
  20. ^ "Shiv Kumar Batalvi". sarkarinaukri.ws. 28 June 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  21. ^ "Shiv Kumar Batalvi, His life, Works and Place in Panjabi Literature" (PDF).
  22. ^ Shiv Kumar Batalvi
  23. ^ Ek Kudi Jida Naa Mohabbat... Amazon.com.
  24. ^ In the deep sea of power, and poetry of pain, pathos Indian Express, 1 June 2004.
  25. ^ Asian Download Chart. officialcharts.com
  26. ^ "Kay Kap – Pind Bewafaaiyaan".

Further reading[edit]

  • Makers of Indian Literature: Shiv Kumar Batalvi, by Prof. S.Soze, Published by Sahitya Akademi, 2001. ISBN 81-260-0923-3.
  • Shiv Kumar Batalvi: Jeevan Ate Rachna
  • Shiv Batalvi: A Solitary and Passionate singer, by Om Prakash Sharma, 1979, Sterling Publishers, New Delhi LCCN: 79–905007.
  • Shiv Kumar Batalvi, Jiwan Te Rachna, by Dr. Jit Singh Sital. LCCN: 83-900413
  • Shiv Kumar da Kavi Jagat, by Dharam Pal Singola. LCCN: 79-900386
  • Shiv Kumar, Rachna Samsar, by Amarik Singh Punni. LCCN: 90-902390
  • Shiv Kumar, Kavi vich Birah; by Surjit Singh Kanwal. LCCN: 88-901976

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shiv_Kumar_Batalvi&oldid=1223296306"