Nand Lal Noorpuri

Nand Lal Noorpuri was born in June 1906, to father Bishan Singh and mother Hukman Devi, in the Noor Pur 122 JB Faisalabad village of Lyallpur district[1] in British Punjab.[2] He studied at Khalsa High School and at the old Khalsa College in Lyallpur (renamed as Faisalabad in Pakistan after partition in 1947). He quit college and joined first as a teacher and then as an assistant sub-inspector in Bikaner[1] in Rajasthan where he received a bravery award.[1] He married Sumittra Devi[1][2] and the couple was blessed with four daughters and two sons. After partition, in 1947, he settled in Jalandhar.[1]

In 1940, he left police force and came back to Punjab and wrote lyrics for Punjabi film Mangti.[1][2][3] that made him known to everyone in Punjab. But the partition changed everything for him. The source of income dried up. He lost his home and livelihood and came to Jalandhar.[1] Later, he found work in radio and started participating in kavi darbars (English: poetic concerts). His songs sung by many notable singers of Punjab including Mohammad Rafi,[1] Surinder Kaur,[2] Narinder Biba, Asa Singh Mastana, Parkash Kaur, A.S. Kang and more.

Disillusioned with his own poverty and lack of support and recognition from the government, he committed suicide on 13 May 1966,[1][2] by jumping into the well near his house in Model House Block-A colony, Jalandhar.

Some years back, some poets and journalists formed the Nand Lal Noorpuri Society with the aim to spread the poet's work.[1] Currently, it has the only annual award it gives to singers and poets. Sarbjit Cheema is the recent one to receive this award for his song on girl foeticide.[1]

• Shiv Kumar Batalvi
• Bari Nizami