By Editor in Chief Vinay Kochhar/CHANDIGARH.
Shiv Kumar Batalvi is the poet of Punjab whose songs became very popular even though they were not released in Hindi. When the song he had written as an advertisement for his lost lover reached the movies, it seemed as if everyone was singing it while searching for his beloved
‘Ik Kudi Jihda Naam Mohabbat Gum Hai’
Shiv was born on 23 July 1936 in Sialkot, Punjab, which is now in Pakistan. Shiv’s father was a tehsildar. When the country was divided, Shiv came to India, and after coming here, he settled in Batala, Gurdaspur. It was in Shiv’s destiny that he would become a poet, so since childhood, he found solace in the peace of rivers, trees and music. Born in Sialkot, Shiv reached Nabha via Gurdaspur, Batala, Qadian, Baijnath but he added Batalvi to his name and associated himself with Batala for life.
Like any simple story that grows up in a village, Shiv also fell in love with a girl at a fair. When the girl disappeared from his sight, a song was composed
‘Ik Kudi Jihda Naam Mohabbat Gum Hai’
O Saad Muradi, Sohni Fabbat
Gum Hai, Gum Hai, Gum Hai
O Surat Os Di, Pariyaan Vargi
Seerat Di O Maryam Lagdi
Hasti Hai Ta Phool Jhadde Ne
Turdi Hai Ta Ghazal Hai Lagdi
This childhood love ended when the girl died of illness. After this, a girl again made a place in the heart of Shiv as he grew up. However, it is said about that girl that she was one of the three daughters of Gurbaksh Singh Preetlari. But till date it is not known officially who that girl was and neither did she ever come in front of the people.
For her, Shiv had written that
Maaye ni maaye main ik shikra yaar banaaya
Churi kuttaan taan oh khaaonda nahin
Ve asaan dil da maas khawaya
Ik udaari aisi maari
Ik udaari aisi maari
Oh mud watanin na aaya, oh maaye ni!
Maaye ni ik shikra yaar banaaya
Shikra is the name of a bird which sees its prey from a distance and directly pecks at its flesh and then flies away. Shiv has called his girlfriend Shikra. Actually, the girl who had made a place in Shiv’s heart, got married and went abroad and left Shiv.
After she left, Shiv reached Amrita’s place one day and told her – Didi, did you hear what happened.
When Amrita asked what happened
Then Shiv told that the girl who used to talk to me so lovingly has left me. She has gone abroad and got married.
Then Amrita explained that people are like this.
But Shiv’s heart did not accept it and he kept writing about it all his life in grief. Perhaps this grief must have been that he used to drink a lot. But he sang very well. There are many songs of Shiv on YouTube in his own voice.
It is written in a BBC report that writers, poets who have surnames like Kumar etc. are not taught in the syllabus in Pakistan. But Shiv has been published so much in Pakistan that people even called him names there.
Shiv was in a hurry to die, he wanted to die in his youth itself. He used to say that the one who dies in youth either becomes a flower or a star and in youth either lovers die or those who are very virtuous. That is why he has written that
Asaan tan joban rutte marnaan
Joban rutte jo bhi marda phool bane ya tara
Joban rutte aashiq marde ya koi karma wala
People who love are true and even God listens to true people and the truth is Shiv gave his separation to the world in his youth itself.
Shiv left the world at the age of just 35 years. There are some of his pictures on the internet in which you can guess the innocence of his face. Apart from this, there is a video which is on the internet which was taken by BBC.
What could be a more innocent interview than this. When Shiv was asked if he has ever fallen in love with someone’s picture, then in response to this, it seemed as if Shiv was going to write a new ghazal.