Pash (9 September 1950 – 23 March 1988) was the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

of Avtar Singh Sandhu, one of the major poets in the Punjabi literature of the 1970s. He was killed by extremists on 23 March 1988. His strongly

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in so ...

views were reflected in his poetry.

Early life and activism

Pash was born as Avtar Singh Sandhu in 1950 in a small village called ''Talwandi Salem'' in

Jalandhar Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...

district of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

, in a middle-class farmers family. His father Sohan Singh Sandhu was a soldier in the Indian army who also composed poetry as a hobby. Pash grew up in the midst of the Naxalite movement, a

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

movement waged in Punjab against the landlords, industrialists, traders, etc. who control the means of production. This was in the midst of the

Green revolution The Green Revolution, also known as the Third Agricultural Revolution, was a period of technology transfer initiatives that saw greatly increased crop yields and agricultural production. These changes in agriculture began in developed countrie ...

which had addressed India's problem of

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accom ...

using high yield crops, but had also unconsciously led to other forms of inequities in Punjab. In 1970, he published his first book of revolutionary poems, ''Loh-Katha'' (''Iron Tale''), at the age of 18. His militant and provocative tone raised the ire of the establishment and a murder charge was brought against him. He spent nearly two years in jail, before being finally acquitted. In 1972, the 22-year-old started a On acquittal, he became involved in Punjab's

Maoist Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Ch ...

front, editing a literary magazine, ''Siarh'' (''The Plow Line''). He became a popular political figure on the left during this period and was awarded a fellowship at the Punjabi Academy of Letters in 1985. He toured the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

the following year; while in the U.S., he became involved with the Anti-47 Front, opposing Sikh extremist violence. His words had a great influence on the minds of the people.

Assassination

At the beginning of 1988 Pash was in

for the renewal of his visa from the

. A day before leaving for Delhi, however, he was gunned down by gunners along with his friend Hans Raj on the well in his village on 23 March 1988. Pash deserves all the audience that can come his way. He has paved the way for revolutionaries with his poems finding spaces in protests and marches till date. Pash was assassinated by the Khalistani terrorists for being a vocal critic of

Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale (; born Jarnail Singh Brar; 2 June 1947– 6 June 1984) was a militant leader of the Sikh organization Damdami Taksal. He was not an advocate of Khalistan. "Bhindranwale was not an outspoken supporter of Khalistan, ...

Literary works

*''Loh-katha'' (''Iron-Tale'') (1970), *''Uddian Bazan Magar'' (''Following The Flying Hawks'') (1973), *''Saadey Samiyaan Vich'' (''In Our Times'') (1978), and *''Khilre Hoye Varkey'' (''Scattered pages'') (1989) ''Khilre Hoey Varkey'' was posthumously published in 1989 after his death, followed by his journals and letters. A selection of his poems in Punjabi, ''Inkar'', was published in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest ...

in 1997. His poems have been translated in many languages including other Indian languages,

Nepali Nepali or Nepalese may refer to : Concerning Nepal * Anything of, from, or related to Nepal * Nepali people, citizens of Nepal * Nepali language, an Indo-Aryan language found in Nepal, the current official national language and a language spoken ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

. Poems written by Paarsh are popular in India, especially in Punjab and North India. Recitations of his poems are often carried out, especially on the weekends close to his death anniversary.

Sab Ton Khatarnaak

One of Pash's most popular and often cited poems is titled ਸਬ ਤੋਂ ਖ਼ਤਰਨਾਕ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ ਸਾਡੇ ਸੁਪਨਿਆਂ ਦਾ ਮਰ ਜਾਣਾ। सबसे ख़तरनाक होता है हमारे सपनों का मर जाना (Sabse Khatarnak hota hai hamare sapnon ka mar jaana - meaning: ''The most dangerous thing is the demise of our dreams''). In 2005, this poem was included in NCERT's Hindi book for 11th standard.

References

External links