Kartar Duggal
Encyclopedia
Kartar Singh Duggal is a noted India
n writer who writes with ease in Punjabi
, Urdu
, Hindi
, and English
. His works include short stories, novels, dramas and plays. His works have been translated into Indian and foreign languages. He has served as Director, All India Radio
.
He was awarded the Padma Bhushan
by Government of India
in 1988. In 2007, he was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship
, the highest honour given by Sahitya Akademi
, India's National Academy of Letters.
District, (now in Pakistan
) to Mr. Jiwan Singh Duggal and Mrs. Satwant Kaur. He is married to Ayesha Duggal (formerly Ayesha Jaffri), a medical doctor. He received his M.A. Honours in English at Forman Christian College
, Lahore
.
(AIR). He worked there from 1942-66 in various jobs including Station Director. For the AIR, he wrote and produced programmes in Punjabi and other languages. In addition, he authored a large number of plays and dramas. He was the Secretary/Director, National Book Trust
, India from 1966-73. From 1973 to 1976, he served as an Information Advisor at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
(Planning Commission).
He has founded many institutions, including:
Duggal had been a member of many literary and cultural centers including being the President of Punjabi Sahitya Sabha (Punjabi Literary Society), Delhi
. He was nominated Fellow of the Punjabi University
in 1984. He was also honoured with nomination to the Rajya Sabha
(Indian Parliament Upper House) in August, 1997.
, two poetry collections and an autobiography
. Many of his books have been adopted by various universities for graduate studies. Among his works are:
He is well traveled. He has visited Bulgaria
, North Korea
, Russia
, Singapore
, Sri Lanka
, Tunisia
, the UK
and U.S.A.. He resides in New Delhi
and spends his retirement reading.
The Library of Congress
has 118 of his works.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n writer who writes with ease in Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. His works include short stories, novels, dramas and plays. His works have been translated into Indian and foreign languages. He has served as Director, All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
.
He was awarded the Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
by Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
in 1988. In 2007, he was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship
Sahitya Akademi Fellowship
The Sahitya Akademi Fellowship is a literary honour in India. Awarded by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, to the "immortals of literature," and limited to twenty one individuals at any given time, it is the highest literary honour conferred by the Government of India...
, the highest honour given by Sahitya Akademi
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi ', India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India...
, India's National Academy of Letters.
Early life and education
He was born in Dhamal, RawalpindiRawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
District, (now in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
) to Mr. Jiwan Singh Duggal and Mrs. Satwant Kaur. He is married to Ayesha Duggal (formerly Ayesha Jaffri), a medical doctor. He received his M.A. Honours in English at Forman Christian College
Forman Christian College
Forman Christian College University, or FCCU, is a chartered university in Lahore, Pakistan, named after its American-born founder, Dr. Charles William Forman.- History :...
, Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
.
Career
Duggal started his professional career with All India RadioAll India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
(AIR). He worked there from 1942-66 in various jobs including Station Director. For the AIR, he wrote and produced programmes in Punjabi and other languages. In addition, he authored a large number of plays and dramas. He was the Secretary/Director, National Book Trust
National Book Trust
National Book Trust, is an Indian publishing house, founded in 1957 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education within the Government of India....
, India from 1966-73. From 1973 to 1976, he served as an Information Advisor at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India)
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is a branch of the Government of India is the apex body for formulation and administration of the rules and regulations and laws relating to information, broadcasting, the press and films in India....
(Planning Commission).
He has founded many institutions, including:
- Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation
- Institute of Social and Economic Change, BangaloreBangaloreBengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
- Zakir Husain Educational Foundation
Duggal had been a member of many literary and cultural centers including being the President of Punjabi Sahitya Sabha (Punjabi Literary Society), Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
. He was nominated Fellow of the Punjabi University
Punjabi University
Punjabi University, located at Patiala, is one of the premier institutions of higher education in Punjab, India. Panjabi University teaches and researches in science, engineering and technology, humanities, social sciences, performing arts and sports....
in 1984. He was also honoured with nomination to the Rajya Sabha
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Rajya means "state," and Sabha means "assembly hall" in Sanskrit. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature,...
(Indian Parliament Upper House) in August, 1997.
Work
Duggal has authored twenty four collections of short stories, ten novels, seven plays, seven works of literary criticismLiterary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
, two poetry collections and an autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
. Many of his books have been adopted by various universities for graduate studies. Among his works are:
Short stories
- Birth of a Song (in English)
- Come Back My Master (in English)
- Dangar (Animal)
- Ikk Chhit Chananh Di (One Drop of Light)
- Nawan Ghar (New House)
- Sonar Bangla (Golden Bungalow)
- Tarkalan Vele (In the Evening)
Poetry
- Veehveen Sadi te Hor Kavitaavaan (Twentieth Century and Other Poems)
- Kandhe Kandhe (Shore Shore)
Other works
- Sat Natak (True Nanak) (One-Act Play)
- Band Darwaaze (Closed Doors)
- Mitti Musalmaan Ki (A Muslim’s Earth)
- Philosophy and Faith of Sikhism, Himalayan Institute Press, 1988. ISBN 978-0-89389-109-1.
- Giani Gurmukh Singh Musafir, New Delhi: National Book Trust, 1999. ISBN10: 8123727658.
Awards
Kartar Singh Duggal has been bestowed by many awards throughout his career, including:- Padma Bhushan
- Sahitya Akademi Award
- Ghalib Award
- Soviet Land Award
- Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad Award
- Bhai Mohan Singh Vaid Award
- Bhartiya Bhasa Parishad Award
- Punjabi Writer of the Millennium, Award of Government of Punjab
- Bhai Vir Singh Award (1989) presented by the Vice-President of India for outstanding literary contribution
- Praman Patra (1993) presented by the Chief Minister of Punjab for outstanding contribution to Punjabi literature
He is well traveled. He has visited Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and U.S.A.. He resides in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
and spends his retirement reading.
The Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
has 118 of his works.