Nand Lal Noorpuri (June 1906 – 13 May 1966) was an Indian poet, writer and lyricist who wrote in

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

. He wrote lyrics for many films, including the 1942 romantic drama film ''

Mangti ''Mangti'' is a 1942 Indian Punjabi-language film starring Masood Pervez in the titular role with Mumtaz Shanti and others. It ran for more than one year in Lahore and became the first Golden Jubilee Punjabi film in British India. Music The ...

''. He died by suicide on 13 May 1966.

Early life

Nand Lal Noorpuri was born in June 1906, to father Bishan Singh and mother Hukman Devi, in the Noor Pur 122 JB Faisalabad village of

Lyallpur Faisalabad, formerly known as Lyallpur, is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, second-largest city and primary List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, industrial center of the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan ...

district in

British Punjab The Punjab Province, officially the Province of the Punjab, was a province of British India, with its capital in Lahore and summer capitals in Murree and Simla. At its greatest extent, it stretched from the Khyber Pass to Delhi; and from th ...

. He studied at Khalsa High School and at the old Khalsa College in Lyallpur (renamed as

Faisalabad Faisalabad, formerly known as Lyallpur, is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, second-largest city and primary List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, industrial center of the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan ...

in Pakistan after partition in 1947). He quit college and joined first as a teacher and then as an assistant sub-inspector in

Bikaner Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the States and territories of India, state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. It is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division. Fo ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

where he received a bravery award. He married Sumittra Devi and the couple had four daughters and two sons. After partition in 1947, he settled in

Jalandhar Jalandhar () is a city in the state of Punjab, India, Punjab in India. With a considerable population, it ranks as the List of cities in Punjab and Chandigarh by population, third most-populous city in the state and is the largest city in the ...

, India.

Career

In 1940, he left police force and came back to

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

and wrote lyrics for

film

. that made him known to everyone in Punjab. But the partition in 1947 changed everything for him. The source of income dried up. He lost his home and livelihood and came to

. Later, he found work in radio and started participating in kavi darbars (English: poetic concerts). But this was in dribs and drabs and did not earn him enough for his family's living expenses. His songs were sung by many notable singers of Punjab including

Mohammad Rafi Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and range of voice ...

, Surinder Kaur, Narinder Biba, Asa Singh Mastana, Parkash Kaur.

Selected popular songs

Death

Disillusioned with his own poverty and lack of support and recognition from the government, he committed suicide on 13 May 1966, by jumping into the well near his house in Model House Block-A colony,

, India. This well was filled up later and a sapling planted over it, as a memorial to him.

Nand Lal Noorpuri Society

Some years back, some poets and journalists formed the Nand Lal Noorpuri Society with the aim of spreading the poet's work. It gives an annual award to singers and poets.

Sarbjit Cheema Sarbjit Singh Cheema is an Indian-Canadian singer and actor who associated with Punjabi language music and films. He made his singing debut with the album ''Yaar Nachde'' and He started his film career with '' Pind Di Kurhi''. Early life Sarb ...

was a recipient of the award for his song on girl foeticide.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Noorpuri, Nand Lal Punjabi-language poets Punjabi-language lyricists Punjabi-language writers 1906 births 1966 deaths 20th-century Indian poets Indian male poets 20th-century Indian male writers People from Faisalabad Poets from Punjab, India Writers from Jalandhar 1966 suicides Suicides by jumping in India People from Punjab Province (British India)