Amrita Pritam

Amrita Pritam was a celebrated Indian writer and poet. She is widely regarded as the first prominent female Punjabi writer, novelist, and poet of the 20th century. Amrita Pritam was honored with many prestigious awards, including the Sahitya Akademi, Bharatiya Jnanpith, and Padma Vibhushan. One of her most famous novels, Pinjar, was adapted into a film of the same name. She also wrote an autobiography in which she candidly expressed her audacity by writing about her personal life, which might be considered ‘controversial’ by many even in contemporary India. Amrita Pritam is most commonly remembered for her poem “Ajj aakhaan Waris Shah nu.” The poem is a tribute to Waris Shah, a renowned Punjabi poet and musician of the 18th century.