Nanak Singh

He published novels that won him literary acclaim.

• Name — Nanak Singh • Birth Name — Hans Raj • Born — 4 July 1897 • Birthplace — Chak Hamid, Jhelum district, Punjab, British India (present-day Punjab, Pakistan) • Died — 28 December 1971 • Place of death — Ambarsar Punjab, India • Spouse — Raj Kaur • Children — Kulwant Singh Suri (son) Kulbir Singh Suri (son) Kanwaljit Singh Suri (son) Kartar Singh Suri (son) Kuldeep Singh Suri (son) Pushpinder Kaur (daughter) • Occupation — Playwright, poet, Novelist

Nanak Singh was born to a poor Punjabi Hindu family in the Jhelum district of Pakistan as 'Hans Raj'. He later changed his name to Nanak Singh after adopting Sikhism. Although he did not receive a formal education, he started writing at an early age by writing verses on historical events. Later, Singh started to write devotional songs, encouraging Sikhs to join the Gurdwara Reform Movement. In 1918, he published his first book Satguru Mehma, which contained hymns in praise of the Sikh Gurus. It is considered his first commercially successful literary work. He was one of the few survivors of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.

On 13 April 1919, British troops killed vary from 379 to 1,500 or more people and over 1,200 other people were injured of whom 192 were seriously injured during a peaceful rally participants in what became known as the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre on Baisakhi (Punjabi New Year) day in Amritsar. Singh was present with two friends who were killed in the massacre. This incident impelled Singh to write Khomeini Visayans – Bloody Baisakhi (Punjabi New Year), an epic poem that mocked colonial rule. The British Government became concerned about his provocative publication and banned the book. • Illustration — Nanak Singh and Gopal Singh Chandan in 1958 Singh participated in India's independence struggle by joining the Akali movement. He became the editor of Akali papers. This was noticed by the British Government. Singh was charged with participation in unlawful political activities and was sent to Borstal Jail, Lahore. He described the savagery and oppression of the British on peaceful Sikhs during the Guru ka Bagh Mocha demonstration in his second poetry collection, Zakhmi Dil. It was published in January 1923, and was banned within two weeks of publication. Singh wrote several novels during his time in jail, including over 40,000 pages in longhand Gurmukhi (Punjabi) script. He was publicly recognized with many awards, including Punjab's highest literary award in 1960. His great historical novel, Ik Mian Do Talwaran (One Sheath and Two Swords, 1959), won him India's highest literary honor, the Sahitya Akademi Award, in 1962. • Illustration — Nanak Singh 1998 stamp of India

Pavitra Paapi, a 1970 Indian Hindi-language drama film was based on his novel of the same name. His short story Sunehri Jild was adapted into a television short of the same name that aired on DD Punjabi.