Sadhu Singh Hamdard (1918–1984) was an

Indian freedom fighter The Indian independence movement consisted of efforts by individuals and organizations from a wide spectrum of society to obtain political independence from the British, French and Portuguese rule through the use of many methods. This is a li ...

and journalist, excelling in both

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

and

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 ...

and an innovative poet, who carried in his name the pseudonym 'Hamdard', "sharing with all the pangs of their hearts," "friendly towards all."

Early life as freedom fighter

As a high school student, he was active in Chaudhri Sher Jang's group of the radicals in the Yug Paltai Dal, party to impart a radical turn to the age. The Dal was formed in 1939-40 by Giani Harbans Singh of Sarhala Khurd in

Hoshiarpur district Hoshiarpur district is a district of Punjab, India, Punjab state in northern India. Hoshiarpur, one of the oldest districts of Punjab, is located in the North-east part of the Punjab state and shares common boundaries with Gurdaspur district in ...

. The Dal ceased to exist after the arrest and execution of its founder Harbans Singh, Sadhu Singh then joined the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee taking over its publicity wing.

As a journalist and Chief Editor of Ajit

In 1944, Sadhu Singh entered the field of

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

. He took up editorship of the up to '' Daily Ajit'' (Urdu) and retained this position till 1957. In 1955, he also became chief editor of the Punjabi Ajit. The birth of the Ajit was an entirely new phenomenon in Punjabi journalism. It marked a new era of change and experimentation. In Sadhu Singh's hands, Punjabi journalism matured and reached new heights. The Ajit and Sadhu Singh Hamdard became synonymous names, he had so lovingly nursed the paper. Sadhu Singh set its permanent seal on Punjabi journalism. He created a new taste in Punjabi writing and introduced several new techniques. His services to Punjabi journalism, to what he did to give it a new face and format, were widely acknowledged.

Awards

In 1963, the Punjab Government honoured him with the title of Shiromani Pattarkar (the journalist of the year). He was chairman of the reception committee of All India Newspapers Editors Conference held at

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 ...

in 1973. He also edited two monthly magazines Tasvir and Drishtl. Within his lifetime, Sadhu Singh converted all his property and assets into a public trust for the advancement of Punjabi culture and letters. Dr Sadhu Singh Hamdard was also awarded the title of

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

by the Central Government in January 1984, but he surrendered the honour in protest against the army action in the precincts of the

Golden Temple The Golden Temple is a gurdwara located in Amritsar, Punjab, India. It is the pre-eminent spiritual site of Sikhism. It is one of the Holy place, holiest sites in Sikhism, alongside the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Kartarpur, Pakistan, ...

Amritsar Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...

, in June 1984. Sadhu Singh Hamdard died a month later at

on 29 July 1984.

Poet

As a poet, Sadhu Hamdard is especially remembered for popularising the

Ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

form in Punjabi. His collection of Punjabi poems in the genre, entitled ''Ghazal'' won him a first prize from the Punjab Government in 1963. An anthology of his prose writings assembled under the title ''Akkhin Ditha Rus'', a travelogue on his visits to

Soviet Russia The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

in 1967, also won the Punjab Government's award in 1972–73. He also wrote some novels built around heroic episodes from

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

history as well as some short stories.

Conferring of Ph.D

Guru Nanak Dev University Guru Nanak Dev University is a Public State University in Amritsar, India. It also offers many higher studies degree courses online. The university's campus is spread over . Campus Guru Nanak Dev University campus is spread over 500 acres (2 ...

, Amritsar, awarded him the Ph.D. degree for his thesis on ''"Origin and Development of the Punjabi Ghazal."'' He was a fellow of that University and member of its Syndicate. He was also a member of the Advisory Committee of the Languages Department and Press Advisory Committee of the Punjab Government, and of the Indian Academy of Letters (1973–1978). He was also president of the Kendri Punjabi Lekhak Sabha during 1972-79 and founder-president of Bazm-I-Adab (Urdu).

References

1. The Ajit, Punjabi, Jalandhar, 29 July 1995. 2. Suba Singh, Punjabi Pattarkari da Itihas, Chandigarh, 1978. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamdard, Sadhu Singh Punjabi-language writers Journalists from Punjab, India 1918 births 1984 deaths Indian independence activists from Punjab Province (British India) 20th-century Indian journalists Urdu-language writers from India Punjabi-language poets People from Punjab Province (British India)