Amrita Pritam's 102th Birth Anniversary: Here's Her Most Notable Work

Amrita Pritam best books: India's most iconic female poet Amrita Pritam was a power to reckon with. Her writings on partition, love, romance and pain moved people. She was empathetic towards the oppression women face in a patriarchal society and often wrote about them in her novels.

She was an unapologetic writer and the most important voice for women in Punjabi Literature. In 1956, she became the first woman to win the Sahitya Akademi Award for her poem Ajj aakhaan Waris Shah nu (Today I invoke Waris Shah – “Ode to Waris Shah”).

On her 102nd birthday today, let's have a look at some of her most memorable books.

Pinjar

This Punjabi novel written in 1950 by Pritam gives a detailed account of the miserable condition of women during partition. The story of the book revolves around Puro, a Hindu girl, who is abducted by a Muslim man Rashid. She manages to free herself from his clutches and returns home. Her parents, however, refuse to accept her. Emotionally distraught, she goes back to Rashid and marries him. The novel Pinjar has also been translated in English by Khushwant Singh.

Raseedi Ticket

Raseedi Ticket, which directly translates to Revenue Stamp, is Pritam's autobiography which gives the readers an insight into her relationship with Sahir Ludhianvi and her dream companion Imroz and how she felt towards them. It is a collection of her diary pages, her poems, and an analysis of what she dreamt of.

Shadows of Words

After Raseedi Ticket, Pritam wrote another autobiography Shadows of Words. The book captures her life and also gives them an insight into spirituality. Through the book, Pritam has attempted to introduce readers to her inner world.

In The Times of Love and Longing.

Both Amrita and her dream companion Imroz had very creative minds. The book delves into their personalities by exploring their extraordinary relationship in the form of letters they wrote to each other. They discussed their day to day happenings with each other.

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