Seetal, Sohan Singh entered the field of literary creation after 1947. He has written over a score novels most of which are romantic and sentimental. Among these Dive di Lo (The Flame of the Earthen Lamp), Mul da Mas (Flesh at a Price) and Badia (Revenge) deal with the eternal problem of woman about which most Indian writers and artistes cannot help being sentimental. Sohan Singh Seetal has in due course travelled from sentimentality, which often becomes macabre, to competent realism, although here also the projection of problems and their solution are not without a sentimental tinge.
On the whole, Seetal has described in his novels the countryside of Central Punjab and the life of its people as a kind of parallel to Nanak Singh who deals with urban life in the same tract of land. Both are reformist and sentimental to start with and then grow into realists in their later work but while Nanak Singh tends towards a kind of Gandhian Socialism, Seetal\’s concern with the peasant\’s life takes a populist form. His novel Jug Badal Gya won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1974.
References :
1. Amarjit Singh, Punjabi sahit da ifihas ”Qissa kal, Amritsar, 1981.
2. Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature, 6 Vols., Delhi, 1995.
3. Sekhon, S.S. and K.S. Duggal, A History of Punjabi Literature, Delhi, 1992.
4. Singh, N.K., Encyclopaedia of Indian Biography, Delhi, 2000.
Sohan Singh Seetal was a prominent Indian writer, poet, and lyricist of the Punjabi language, born in 1909 and passed away in 1998. He began his literary career after 1947 and went on to write over 20 novels, mostly romantic and sentimental in nature.
Some of his notable works include “Dive di Lo” (The Flame of the Earthen Lamp), “Mul da Mas” (Flesh at a Price), and “Badla” (Revenge), which deal with the eternal problem of women’s issues and are characteristic of the sentimental tone often found in Indian literature.
Throughout his career, Seetal’s writing style evolved from sentimentality to competent realism. His novels often portrayed the countryside of Central Punjab and the lives of its people, serving as a counterpart to the urban-centric works of fellow writer Nanak Singh.
Both Seetal and Nanak Singh began their careers with reformist and sentimental tones, eventually growing into realists in their later works. However, while Nanak Singh’s writing tended towards Gandhian Socialism, Seetal’s focus on peasant life took on a populist form.
Seetal’s notable novel “Jug Badal Gaya” earned him the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 1974, solidifying his position as a respected figure in Punjabi literature.
