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Baba Bohar Bhaji Gursharan Singh, the master playwright of revolutionary theatre, was born on 16 September 1929 in District Multan, Pakistan. From a young age he recognized the pulse of the times and also felt the pain of the people.
At the age of eight, the incident of one of his poor but brilliant classmates leaving school due to poverty filled him with anger towards social and economic inequality and he was leftist under the influence of Russian socialism since his school days. Were related to ideology. He studied till MSc (Hons) Technical Chemistry. Learned Punjabi and Urdu languages while studying in primary school in Multan. Received most of his education from Khalsa School and Khalsa College, Amritsar.
He worked as an engineer during the construction of the Bhakra Nangal Dam. His life took a new turn while working on the Bhakra Dam and he wrote plays for workers' rights. It was here that he wrote and performed his first play 'Lohri Di Ghatta'. In the eyes of the government, Gursharan Singh became a rebel and instigated others to revolt.
In such a situation it became difficult for him to work. As a result, he resigned and entered the field of drama. People used to call the Punjabi drama writer and street theater director as 'Gursharan Bha ji'. The character 'Bhai Manna Singh' created by him became quite popular. Apart from theatre, he also ran a monthly booklet 'Samta' for a long time to propagate pro-people ideology. In the year 1964, Bhai Ji along with his friends laid the foundation of Amritsar Drama Art Center in Amritsar. Today this institution is a major theater institution.
New boys and girls were introduced to drama through Amritsar School of Drama. These boys themselves became big actors and directors. Dr. Famous artists like Sahib Singh and Kewal Dhaliwal are now committed to spreading the ideas of Gursharan Singh to the masses. In his fifty years of stage journey, he wrote more than 185 plays and gave more than 12 thousand performances of those plays from the villages of Punjab to the country and abroad. Bhaji's plays 'Toa', 'Nawan Janam', Begmo Di Dhi', 'Siyank', 'Mitti Da Mul', 'Eh Lahu Kisada Hai', 'Kiv Kode Tutai Pali', 'Kursi Wala Te Manji Wala', 'Dhamaka Nagare Di', 'Baba Bolda Hai', 'Jangi Ram Di Haveli', 'Hit List' and 'Inquilab Zindabad' etc. are still in people's minds.
He took theater to the villages and his plays were based on Dalit people. He used to say from every platform that as long as people continue to be looted, an egalitarian society will not be created.
This great personality, the heartbeat of the people, received the Sangeet Natak Award in 1993, the Shiromani Playwright Award of the Language Department in 1994 and the nationally famous 'Kalidas Samman' award in 2004. On 11 January 2006 in village Kussa of Moga district. This famous Punjabi playwright and theater artist died on 27 September 2011 in Chandigarh at the age of 82 after a prolonged illness.
His demise has caused an irreparable loss to Punjabi theatre, but his descendants are taking the stage forward with their plays in every corner of Punjab. The unique footprint left by him in the field of Punjabi theater will remain indelible for centuries. Today at 11 am in Shakti Kalan Temple Barnala, where thousands of people will offer flowers of reverence to Baba Bohar Bhaji Gursharan Singh of theatre, a fair of drama, choreography, revolutionary songs and music will also be organised.
