The
beauty of a song lies in its being nearer to the sentiments of the folks. It may
even make the people oblivious of its creator and invest it with the charm of a
folksong. This has been the case with regard to some popular songs of Inderjit
Singh Hasanpuri'. Like his predecessors, Nandlal Nurpuri and Shiv Kumar Batalvi,
he has given a new dimension to his songs. In them the earthiness of Punjabi
life has been mirrored so vivid ly-Je mundia meri tor tun vekhni
Garwa lai de chaandi da
Ve lukk hille majajanjaandi da
Saarepind 'ch puare paaye Haay nee tere gore rung ne
Charkha mera rungla vich sone dian mehhaan
Ve main tainum yaad karanjad charkhe val vekhaan
Hasanpuri has many literary and artistic tastes. He is a painter, poet, singer, film-maker and producer of tele-films. He has been endowed with refined sensibilities and subtle perceptions. He has an uncanny instinct for the right word and an unfailing ear for nuances and modulations. He is a seeker of the joys of life, but he never hesitates to face unpleasant situations. He has seen the sufferings of life closely. He lost his father when he was hardly fifteen years old. He had to cut short his studies and fend for the entire family. In these circumstances, he was deeply attached to his mother for whom he was ready to make any sacrifice. He left home for long spells of time but his wife and children always kept the company of the old lady in the village.
He knows the ethos of the working classes and can well depict their joys and sorrows. His sympathies lie with the so-called dregs of society and he has an ingrained aversion for the wielders of power and pelf. The exploitation of the underprivileged people, that is taking place around him, has driven steel into his soul. His heart goes out to those who have been marginalized one way or the other-
Kakh lainjadonjawaan
Vairijaapan hcnvawan
Kakhon hauli na hojawaan
Mere magar napaije mukh, amiye
Nee main khotdi bagaane khet kakh, amiye His magnum opus is his long narrative poem-Kithhe gye oh din. In it he reminisces about the days when he and his Muslim friend Aslam lived together in their village before partition. It is in the form of a dramatic monologue in which Gurmukh first recalls the days of innocence spent in the company of Aslam. Then he reminds his friend of the shared experiences in the days gone by. In the end he apprises Aslam of the new situations that have developed in the intervening period. In this way the poet depicts the social and cultural scenario of the rural Punjab in a nostalgic mood. The tone of the poem, though wistful, strikes the chord of hope and joy in the heart of the reader-
Main haan prem pujari maithhon
Piaran bharyajaam na khoho
Aslam maithhon khoh chukke ho
Maithhon mera Ram na khoho
Aakhar kad takkjeenajagg te
Duss chanan ton bin, o' Aslam
Kithhe gaye oh din, o' Aslam !
Inderjit Hasanpuri has become a legend in his lifetime. He has a queer knack of using common words in such a way that they conjure up sensuous images. His songs swept his contemporaries off their feet and now the next generation is under their sway. He has received many awards but the Kartar Singh Dhaliwal Award, that he received sometime ago, carries a distinction of its own.