HASRAT, SUKHPAL VIR SINGH

Hasrat, Sukhpal Vir Singh was born in 1938 at Khanewal (now in Pakistan), in a Sikh family of Bajwas. His father, Harcharn Singh, migrated to India at the time Partition of Punjab in 1947 and settled in village Vasarke (Batala), district Gurdaspur. Hasrat did his M.A. in Punjabi from Punjab University, Chandigarh and joined The Public Relation Department of the Public Government where he is still continuing. For some years he edited the Punjab Government monthly journal, Jagriti, beginning with l971. The first collection of Hasrat\’s poems entitled Sarsabaz patjharhan, was publishdl in 1966.

He has so far published nearly dozen collections of his poems, prominent among them being Hussan kinare, Hayati De somme, Van kambia, Moh maya, Shakti naad, Suraj da kafla, Noor da sagar, Hasrat kavya, Shakti da darya. He has also published a few books on applied criticism, viz., Ajohi Punjabi kavita, Punjabi kahani samalochana, Kavya darshan, Punjabi sahit: adhyan te alankar, a biography: Shahid Major Shivdev Singh, and a novel Kosi rut, but he is known gs a poet and was awarded by the Sahitya Akademi in the year 1980 for his book, Suraj te kahkashan.At one time he was a prominent practitioner of experimental poetry in Punjabi.

His speciality as a poet lies in his expression of modern sensibility in the form of mythological symbols. Two of his books Shakti naad and Suraj da kafla were awarded prizes by the Punjab Government also as best collections for the years 1967-68 and 1971-72 respectively. Dissatisfied with the old poetic tradition, he has tried to evolve new modes of rendering experience. He believes in progressive humanism.

The significant attributes of his poetry are subtlety of imagination and mystic vision. Curfew Ton Pehlan (Before Curfew Time) is a fine specimen of his experimental style.

References :

1. Kohli, S.S., Punjabi Sahit da Itihas, Ludhiana, 1955.
2. Mohan Singh, A History of Punjabi Literature, Amritsar, 1956.
3. Sekhon, S.S. and K.S. Duggal, A History of Punjabi Literature, Delhi, 1992.