AMRITA IN THE EYES OF PROMINENT PUNJABI WRITERS
UNPARALLELED TALENT
Even the most bitter of her critics have not been able to fault her for her gift to language and literature. They found other things to pull her down like her short hair, her cigarette, her romances and I would tell them that these will perish with her body but her spirit will live in her work. And so she lives on into the 100th year and will continue to do so. only paved the way for women writers but also inspired and encouraged them to write. I recall when as a young man in my 20s I took up a job and was living with a friend in Delhi’s Model Town, she visited my place with
Imroz. This dates back to 1958-59. I had also just about started penning stories and she knew me but the visit was a surprise. We spent the evening together and my friend’s mother announced to the neighbours the next day that Amrita had visited our home to meet me. I cannot describe how my reputation went up in the colony. Such was the Amrita charisma that it spread its sheen on anyone she knew. Those days
Model Town boasted of quite a few writers and artistes. Hindi writer Kamleshwar lived there, so did singer Surinder Kaur and Urdu writer Krishan Chander. too. It so happened that they had come to meet Krishan but he was not at home so they decided to come and see me. She had brought her latest book of poems, Kasturi for Krishan but I was the lucky one who got it duly autographed! of Punjab, we have just two models of female defiance: Medieval heroine Heer and Amrita of the 20th century, who became an inspiration for generations to come. What pains one is that a writer like Amrita was thwarted at all steps by male guardians of society. Yet she was brave and strong enough to follow her dreams and never say die. The media would and still thrives in highlighting her personal life than her writing. All know her but very few have read her poetry. But joy comes to my heart when I see the younger generation, including my students studying or teaching Punjabi literature in college, in college responding with warm emotion to her writings. Amritaji, you have won and so have we.