Shiv Kumar

Shiv Kumar Batalvi (1936-1973) was born (July 23rd, 1936) in a Brahmin Hindu household and grew up in a small Punjab village called "Baraa Pind Loah-teeyaan" (District Shakargarh, in present day Pakistan) in the dying days of the British Raj in India.

He is one of the top five modern Punjabi poets.  He shot to fame in Indian Punjab's literary world with his Punjabi poems, ghazals and songs in the brief period between 1960 and 1967 at which time he became the youngest writer to receive the prestigious Indian national literary award (Sahitya Akademi Award).  His unique choice of words and the vibrant colors of his imagery won him hundreds of thousands of Punjabi speaking fans from the 1960's onwards. Currently, the number of Punjabi speaking people who admire and love his poetry, especially his songs, is in the millions.