Professor Mohan Singh
Birth
A distinguished poet, editor, and translator, honored with the Sahitya Akademi Award. Professor Mohan Singh is also regarded as an epoch-making poet of Punjabi literature.
Mohan Singh was a distinguished poet, editor, and translator in Punjabi literature. He was born on October 20, 1905, in the village of Dhamial, located in the Pothohar region of Rawalpindi district (now in Pakistan), to Sardar Jodh Singh and Mata Bhagwanti. He received his early education in Dhamial and completed his matriculation from Rawalpindi. Later, he earned a Master’s degree in Persian, which marked the beginning of his academic career.
Prof. Mohan Singh’s literary journey began in 1933 when he started teaching Persian, Urdu, and Punjabi at Khalsa College in Amritsar. In 1940, he joined Sikh National College in Lahore as a lecturer. However, he soon left his academic post and in 1946 founded Hindustan Publishers Limited, a publishing house that significantly elevated the standard of Punjabi literary publishing.
In 1934, he also launched the literary magazine Panj Darya, which was published from Lahore until 1947 and later from Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Jalandhar. This magazine played a critical role in promoting modern and progressive ideologies in Punjabi literary journalism.
Poetry occupied a central place in Prof. Mohan Singh’s literary contributions. With a fusion of progressivism and romanticism, he laid the foundation for modern Punjabi poetry. His major poetic works include Save Pattar, Kusambhre, Adhvaate, Kach-Sach, Wadda Wela, Jandre, Jai Meer, Boohe, Chaar Hanjhoo, Aawaazan, Nankain, and Nikki-Nikki Vasna. Among these, Save Pattar achieved great popularity for its harmonious blend of Punjabi culture, nature, and human emotions. His poetry is rich in symbols, literary devices, and the aesthetics of shingar rasa (the sentiment of beauty and love). He broke away from the conventions of traditional stage poetry, capturing the urgency and struggles of contemporary life.
Prof. Mohan Singh also made significant contributions to the field of literary translation. He translated several renowned works into Punjabi, including Premchand’s novels Nirmala and Godan, Sholokhov’s And Quiet Flows the Don (rendered as Dhartī Pāsa Paratīā), Jawaharlal Nehru’s Letters from a Father to His Daughter, Sophocles’ Greek tragedy King Oedipus, Light of Asia, Satrangi Peengh, and more.
Widely regarded as a “Yug-Kavi” (epochal poet) of Punjabi literature, Prof. Mohan Singh not only modernized Punjabi poetry but also intertwined it with social and political struggles. His writings embody the richness of Punjabi culture, the simplicity of rural life, and the profoundness of human experience. He was honored with the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Soviet Land Nehru Award for his literary achievements.
Prof. Mohan Singh passed away on May 3, 1978. To commemorate his legacy, the Mohan Singh Memorial Mela is held annually in Ludhiana.