Gurdial Singh

For the schoolmaster and mountaineer, see Gurdial Singh (mountaineer).
Gurdial Singh Rahi
Born (1933-01-10) 10 January 1933
Bhaini Fateh (near Jaitu), British Punjab
Occupation Writer, novelist
Known for Marhi Da Deeva (1964)

Gurdial Singh (Punjabi: ਗੁਰਦਿਆਲ ਸਿੰਘ) is a Punjabi writer, novelist[1] and story-writer from Punjab, India. He started his literary career in 1957 with a short-story, Bhaganwale.[1] He became known as a novelist when he published the novel Marhi Da Deeva[2] in 1964. Two of his novels have been made into films including Marhi Da Deeva directed by Surinder Singh and Anhe Ghore Da lavad directed by Gurvinder Singh. After Amrita Pritam he is the second Punjabi writer to receive the Jnanpith Award.

Early life and career

Gurdial Singh was born on 10 January 1933 to father Jagat Singh and mother Nihal Kaur,[1] in the village of Bhaini Fateh (near Jaitu)[2] in British Punjab. He began working as a carpenter at the age of 12, a fact he revealed to the media in an interview after he received the Jnanpith Award in 2000.[3]

He started his literary career in 1957 with a short story, Bhaganwale,[1] which was published in Panj Darya, a magazine edited by Mohan Singh. His later stories were published in Preetlari, edited by Gurbaksh Singh. In 1964, his major work, Marhi Da Deeva, established him as a novelist. He has written ten novels, including Anhoe (1966), Addh Chanani Raat (1972), Anhe Ghore Da Daan (1976) and Parsa (1991); 12 collections of short stories, including Saggi Phull (1962), Kutta Te Aadmi (1971), Begana Pind (1985) and Kareer Di Dhingri (1991); and translated more than 30 books. His novels Marhi Da Deeva and Addh Chanani Raat have been translated into English as The Last Flicker (by Sahitya Akademi) and Night of the Half Moon (by Macmillan) respectively. The National Book Trust has also published an English translation of his novel Parsa. Apart from novels and short stories he has also written three plays, two prose works and nine books for children.

Singh is a former college professor.

Awards and honours

He has received approximately 17 awards including the Jnanpith Award (in 1999),[1] the Padma Shri (1998),[4] the Shiromani Sahitkar Award, the Punjab Sahitya Akademi Award (1979), the Soviet Land Nehru Award (1986), the Bhai Veer Singh Fiction Award (1992),[1] and others.

  1. Best Fiction Book Award (Four times, in 1966, 1967, 1968, 1972)
  2. Nanak Singh Novelist Award, 1975
  3. Sahitya Akademi Award, 1975
  4. Punjab Sahitya Akademy Award, 1979
  5. Soviet Land Nehru Award, 1986
  6. Punjabi Sahitya Akademy Award, 1989
  7. Shiromani Sahitkar Award, 1992
  8. Bhai Veer Singh Galap Puraskar, 1992
  9. Pash Award, 1995
  10. Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sahitya Samellan Samman, 1997
  11. Padam Shri, 1998
  12. Jnanpith Literary Award 2000

Novels

Short story collections

Plays

Prose

Books for children

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Life's own voice". Chandigarh. The Tribune. 18 March 2000. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  2. 1 2 Singh, Gurdial (2005). Marhi Da Deeva. Unistar books Pvt. Ltd.
  3. ↑ Bajinder Pal Singh (2000). "From a carpenter to a writer, Singh has come a long way". The Indian Express.
  4. ↑ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
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