Celebrating the Life and Legacy of the Poet, Novelist, and Feminist Icon.
Amrita Pritam was more than just a writer; she was a voice that millions of people in India and elsewhere in the world heard. Her six-decade-long writing career reflected the shifting times in which she lived as well as the struggles of the characters she wrote about.
In this article, we will explore Amrita Pritam’s life and times, as well as how she came to be one of India’s most recognisable female authors.
Amrita’s first poem was written when she was only 11 years old, and by the time she was in her twenties, she had already established herself as a well-known author in the Punjabi literary scene.
Her post-Partition book, "Ajj Aakhaan Waris Shah Nu" (Today I Invoke Waris Shah), is one of the most significant pieces of Punjabi literature. In it, Amrita pays homage to Waris Shah, a poet who wrote the poem "Heer" about the horrors of the partition.
Amrita is best known for her novels "Pinjar" (The Skeleton), "Akal Takht," a collection of short stories that examines Sikh identity and the effects of the Partition, and "Raseedi Ticket," a collection of poems that details the life of a woman in post-Partition India.
For her contributions to literature, she was given the Padma Shri in 1965, one of India’s highest civilian honours. In 2004, she was also put forward for India’s second-highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan.
Her literary contributions have been acknowledged not just in India but also internationally, and her writings have been translated into several languages.
Amrita Pritam was a trailblazing author whose voice can still be heard in the pages of her books. She was also a woman ahead of her time. Her work and life serve as an example of the impact that literature can have on readers’ lives.
