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When I entered the field of literature and started writing ghazals, I got the first opportunity to listen to them in the auditorium of Ludhiana University. Kavi Darbar was being held there. He was a Punjabi poet and my teacher. Markanda was also called a poet. He took me along with him. Before the Kavi Darbar started, we went to Surinder Singh Dusanjh, an employee of the university, who was the stage secretary. C. Markanda also wrote my name to him. The Kavi Darbar started. When Avtar Singh Pash, who later came to be known by the name of 'Pash', was called on the stage to recite a poem, some young Sikh students in the pandal started shouting. By then the Naxalbari movement had ended and militancy had entered Punjab.
After the uproar, Pash left the stage without saying anything. Dusanjh called out my name. The situation was very serious but due to continuous singing on the Ram Leela stage, I got the courage to sing and recite ghazals. I sang the ghazal:-
The pillow never prevails
The hunger of the slums
the body needs to be broken
to the burning man
This was my first big literary platform in a big city, which was a matter of pride for me. The most proud thing was that I listened to other Punjabi poets there and also heard two ghazals of the artist. After listening to them, I remembered many of his shares and heard an excerpt of them again and again:-
Millions of eyes turned down
Don't look, but I will look, I will look!
I'm inside and outside you
like a sky with clouds
This verse of the second ghazal was also noteworthy:-
don't use the umbrella of love
Don't be greedy for clothes
imagination flies
What a pigeon, friends
Later, I started focusing on the literary field. Once I went to Ludhiana, he had brought two of his books with him. I remembered many of the shares from them:-
I want happiness and sadness
to see at a glance
life is my friend
this is not an album
Another share was:-
apply water sparingly
flowers are good
It is not a curse, but an art
without heart's blood
After reading both his books I not only remembered his words, they also got imprinted on the picture in my mind.
Once I went to Prof. Mohan Singh's fair. I met him there. Good things happened. Then my ghazals started getting published in some Punjabi magazines. I still remember one of his words. He said, “Buta Singh! Write as well as read. Also read books on the technique of ghazal.” He said, “The language department has published a book in Urdu. Its name is 'Hamari Shayari'. That book published in Punjabi with the title 'Saadi Shayari' is quite big. It tells what are the qualities and what are the flaws of Ishaar?” I bought that book. I read it two-three times and came to know about the qualities of Ishaar. If today I have started saying something remarkable, then the reason for this is the contribution of the book 'Saadi Shayari' and the suggestion of the museum's painter.
I got his address during my visit to Ludhiana. I was the general secretary of the Punjabi Sahitya Sabha of Tapa Mandi. There were not many local meetings then. The committees thought of maturing their new members by inviting established writers from outside. Our council also had the same thinking. I started inviting established Punjabi poets to Tapa Mandi for the first time, which included Sukhminder Rampuri, Sardar Bhandi and Ayam Painter among others. In those days, established poets did not care about money.
The members of the group used to pay thirty-one or fifty-one rupees as service charge in addition to the fare for going and coming. When I called, the museum was for the painter, but the main bird had also come with him. I spoke to the painter of the museum and he said, “Don't give money to the bird.” Give it to me, we will take the fare for going and coming.
He stayed at my house I served him to the best of my ability The colour of the setting sun was put in the glasses before the roti Markande was also invited After Sardar Parinde's ghazal, the new ghazal should start first They were not giving the artist a chance to speak, let alone recite the ghazal I remained silent Then Markande snatched the signal mike from Sardar Fanti's hand and gave it to the painter He did not recite any complete ghazal Recite two-three shares of his ghazal aloud The party is over In the morning I went to the inner bus stand to take a bus The scooter had not yet come into my life I stopped the bike and put him on the bus to Ludhiana and came to the shop. On the way I told him about the opening of a library in Tapa Mandi The painter said that I should come to Ludhiana to meet him Write a letter before coming He will give me books for the library I wrote a letter and then went After drinking tea and water, he spread the old single bedsheet on the bed and started giving books from the shelves. One of those books was also written by Krishna Adeeb, who wrote about Sahir Ludhianvi. He had originally written this book in Urdu and this was his Punjabi translation.
Sahir Ludhianvi was a friend of Krishna Adeeb, they were very close. The museum's painter also studied with Sahir Ludhianvi. I brought a bundle of books given by him. There were 250 books, some of which were big and rare. They were of great use to me. Then an opportunity came when I left the tailoring job and entered the field of journalism. Tapa started journalism from Mandi and came to Barnala. In Barnala, I came in contact with former MP Rajdev Singh Khalsa. Every year I organize two literary programmes in the memory of his mother and father, freedom fighter Hardev Singh.
Once I suggested him and gave the 'Freedom Fighter Hardev Singh Memorial Award' to the painter of the museum. The prize included one hundred rupees and a warm shawl. He came to Rajdev Singh Khalsa's house early in the morning. After the program, he left. He thanked me and Rajdev Singh Khalsa a lot and also said that new poets should write maturely. One should try to compete with established poets instead of city poets. Local thinking does not allow the poet to become famous outside. I asked him to stay overnight but he did not stay. After this I did not get a chance to meet him. Darvesh was a master painter of nature. There was no end to anything. He did not do that like established poets. He received the 'Bal Sahityakaar Award' of fifty thousand rupees from the Language Department. Later he also received the 'Shomaani Sahityakaar Award'. He was the uncle of Balveer Kaur, director of the language department. In the last phase of her life, the muse painter's eyesight deteriorated. Finally, in 2012, she left this world smiling. Her poems left behind have been imprinted on people's minds, due to which she will be remembered.
