Amrita Pritam
Punjabi poet and novelist
- Lived
- 86 yrs
- 1919 – 2005
- Works listed
- 5
- Poem, Novel
- Honours
- 3
- Most recent 2004
- Profile views
- 2
- 0 followers
Amrita Pritam was the leading Punjabi woman writer of the twentieth century. Her Partition elegy “Ajj Aakhaan Waris Shah Nu” is loved on both sides of the border, and her novel Pinjar became a film. She was the first woman to win the Sahitya Akademi Award and later received the Jnanpith. She died in 2005.
Biography
Early poems
Amrita Pritam grew up in Lahore, the daughter of a poet and schoolteacher; her mother died when she was eleven. She published her first collection of poems at sixteen and was married young to Pritam Singh, whose name she kept.
Partition
In 1947 she fled Lahore for India. In its aftermath she wrote “Ajj Aakhaan Waris Shah Nu” (“Today I call on Waris Shah”), calling on the eighteenth-century Punjabi poet to rise from his grave and witness the suffering of Punjab’s daughters. It became the defining poem of Partition in Punjabi.
Novels and prose
Her novel Pinjar (1950), about a Hindu girl abducted during the violence, was filmed in 2003. She wrote more than a hundred books of poetry, fiction, essays and autobiography, including Rasidi Ticket (The Revenue Stamp), and edited the Punjabi literary magazine Nagmani.
Life and honours
Her friendships and love — for the poet Sahir Ludhianvi and later her long companionship with the painter Imroz — were unconventional for her time and are part of her legend. She was the first woman to receive the Sahitya Akademi Award (1956), received the Jnanpith Award in 1981 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2004, and served in the Rajya Sabha. She died in Delhi on 31 October 2005.
Timeline
-
1919
Born in Gujranwala, Punjab, British India (now Pakistan)
-
1936
First collection of poems
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1947
Moves to India; writes her Partition elegy
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1950
Pinjar
-
1956
Sahitya Akademi Award
-
1981
Jnanpith Award
-
2004
Padma Vibhushan
-
2005
Dies in Delhi
-
2005
Died, aged 86
Notable works
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1947
Ajj Aakhaan Waris Shah Nu Poem
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1950
Pinjar Novel
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1955
Sunehade Poetry
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1976
Rasidi Ticket Book
Autobiography.
-
—
Kagaz te Canvas Poetry
Awards and honours
-
Sahitya Akademi Award
1956 · Sunehade — first woman recipient.
-
Jnanpith Award
1981
-
Padma Vibhushan
2004
Did you know?
-
1
Her Partition poem is loved in both India and Pakistan.
-
2
She was the first woman to win the Sahitya Akademi Award.
-
3
Her autobiography is titled after a revenue stamp.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Amrita Pritam?
Amrita Pritam was the leading Punjabi woman writer of the twentieth century. Her Partition elegy “Ajj Aakhaan Waris Shah Nu” is loved on both sides of the border, and her novel Pinjar became a film. She was the first woman to win the Sahitya Akademi Award and later received the Jnanpith. She died in 2005.
When did Amrita Pritam die?
Amrita Pritam died on 31 October 2005 at the age of 86.
Where is Amrita Pritam from?
Amrita Pritam was born in Gujranwala, Punjab, British India (now Pakistan).
What is Amrita Pritam known for?
Amrita Pritam is best known for Ajj Aakhaan Waris Shah Nu; Pinjar; Rasidi Ticket.
What awards has Amrita Pritam received?
Notable honours include Sahitya Akademi Award (1956), Jnanpith Award (1981), Padma Vibhushan (2004).
References
- Amrita Pritam — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Amrita Pritam — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Amrita Pritam — IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Amrita Pritam — Goodreads author page. Goodreads. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Amrita Pritam — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Amrita Pritam (Q1705018) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Amrita Pritam”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
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About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 27 October 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Amrita Pritam.” TrackFame, last updated 28 October 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/amrita-pritam
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