Ajaib Chitrakar

1924-2012

jaib Singh Chitrakar, who has died aged 86, was an accomplished poet and artist. He kept writing poetry in Punjabi and Urdu till the end. A noted artist for his unique poetry and raw paintings, Ajaib Singh was known for being the soul mate of Har Kishan Lal the painter and Sahir Ludhianvi. He wrote about their life spent together in Ludhiana in his autobiography (1995) published by the State Punjabi Department. All of the three had close affinity with the progressive writers and artists movement, which was reflected in their early work. Ajaib Singh was a card-carrying member of the Indian communist party.

He had also translated literary classics into Punjabi, including Meghdoot by Kalidas, Geetanjali by Tagore, and Sikh Religion by Macauliffe. He wrote an epic on Guru Tegh Bahadur. As a self-made man born in a dalit family in Ghawaddi near Ludhiana, he depicted Punjabi rural life aptly through his drawings in Giani Gurdit Singh’s book Mera Pind.

He also designed the logos of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Punjabi University and Punjabi Sahit Akademi.

He wrote 15 books on poetry and 50 books for children illustrated by himself. His first collection of Punjabi poems Dumel (Horizon) was published in 1947. He also served as the editor of Punjabi magazine, Sahit Samachar. He edited and illustrated Bal Darbar a magazine for children. Lahore Book Shop published both the periodicals. He started his careHer as a teacher in Khalsa High School Qila Raipur and retired as a senior artist from PAU. •

Self-portrait