ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>S&#256DH&#362 SI&#7748GH HAMDARD (1918-1984)</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="SDHj,SIDGH,HAMDARD,Person,Person"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279S&#256DH&#362 SI&#7748GH HAMDARD (1918-1984), double-barrelled journalist, excelling in both Urdu and Punjabi and an innovative poet, who carried in his name the pseudonym "Hamdard", "sharing with all the pangs of their hearts," "friendly towards all," was born in 1918 in a peasant family of moderate means living at the village of Padd&#299 Ma&#7789v&#257l&#299, near Ba&#7749g&#257, in Jalandhar district of the Punjab. He was attracted by the revolutionary activity which was then stirring the hearts of the youth in his neighbourhood. As a high school student, he was active in Chaudhr&#299 Sher Ja&#7749g's group of the radicals in the Yug Pal&#7789&#257&#363 Dal, party to impart a radical turn to the age. The Dal was formed in 1939-40 by Gi&#257n&#299 Harba&#7749s Si&#7749gh of Sarh&#257l&#257 <u>Kh</u>urd in Hoshi&#257rpur district. The Dal ceased to exist after the arrest and execution of its founder. S&#257dh&#363 Si&#7749gh then joined the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee taking over its publicity wing.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In 1944, S&#257dh&#363 Si&#7749gh entered the field of journalism. He took up editorship of the <i>Daily Aj&#299t</i> (Urdu) and retained this position until 1957. In 1955, he also became chief editor of the <i>Punjabi Aj&#299t</i> The birth of the <i>Aj&#299t</i> was an entirely new phenomenon in Punjabi journalism. It marked a new era of change and experimentation. In S&#257dh&#363 Si&#7749gh's hands, Punjabi journalism matured and reached new heights. The <i>Aj&#299t</i> and S&#257dh&#363 Si&#7749gh Hamdard became synonymous terms, he had so lovingly nursed the paper. S&#257dh&#363 Si&#7749gh set its permanent seal on Punjabi journalism. He created a new taste in Punjabi writing aid introduced several new techniques. His services to Punjabi journalism, to what he did to give it a new face and format, were widely acknowledged. In 1963, the Punjab Government honoured him with the title of Shiroma&#7751&#299 Pattark&#257r (the journalist of the year). He was chairman of the reception committee of All India Newspapers Editors Conference held at Jalandhar in 1973. He also edited two monthly magazines <i>Tasv&#299r</i> and <i>Drish&#7789&#299</i>.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Within his lifetime, S&#257dh&#363 Si&#7749gh converted all his property and assets into a public trust for the advancement of Punjabi culture and letters.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As a poet S&#257dh&#363 Si&#7749gh Hamdard will be especially remembered for popularizing the <i><u>gh</u>azal</i> form in Punjabi. His collection of Punajbi poems in this <i>genre</i>, entitled <i><u>Gh</u>azal</i>, won him a first prize from the Punjab Government in 1963. An anthology of his prose writings assembled under the title <i>Akkh&#299&#7749 &#7692i&#7789h&#257 R&#363s</i>, a travelogue on his visit to Soviet Russia in 1967, also won the Punjab Government award in 1972-73. He also wrote some novels built around heroic episodes from Sikh history as well as some short stories. Gur&#363 N&#257nak Dev University, Amritsar, awarded him the Ph.D. degree for his thesis on "Origin and Development of the Punjabi <u>Gh</u>azal." He was a fellow of that University and a member of its Syndicate. He was also a member of the Advisory Committee of the Languages Department and Press Advisory Committee of the Punjab Government, and of the Indian Academy of Letters (1973-1978). He was also president of the Kendr&#299 Punjabi Lekhak Sabh&#257 during 1972-79 and founder president of Bazm-&#299-Adab (Urdu).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dr S&#257dh&#363 Si&#7749gh Hamdard was also awarded the title of Padma Shr&#299 by the Central Government in January 1984, but he surrendered the honour in protest against the army action in the precincts of Golden Temple, Amritsar, in June 1984.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;S&#257dhu Si&#7749gh Hamdard died at Jalandhar on 29 July 1984.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> S&#363b&#257 Si&#7749gh, <i>Pañj&#257bi Pattark&#257r&#299 da Itih&#257s</i>. Chandigarh,1978<BR> <li class="C1"> The <i>Ajit</i> (Punjabi). Jalandhar, 29 July 1995<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Major Gurmukh Si&#7749gh (Retd.)<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>