Singh, Tara, also known as Tara Singh Kamil, was born in Hookran district of Hoshiarpur, Punjab. He now lives in Delhi and is engaged in journalism. Singh began his literary career as a poet of light, witty and humorous pieces which became instantly popular at \’Kavi Darbars\’. He moved on to serious poetry and has now published six volumes of writings. He has translated eighteen books from Hindi and Urdu into Punjabi and vice-versa, and has authored one volume of prose.
His poems, characterised by a style that is simple, elegant, expressive and spontaneous, have charmed a wide range of readers for over three decades. Kahikashan, selected for this year\’s Sahitya Akademi Award in Punjabi, is a collection of poems remarkable both for their fluidity of form and for profundity of thought and feeling. For its universality of appeal, its evocative use of symbol and imagery, its concern with life in all its fullness, this book is considered an invaluable contribution to Punjabi literature. Tara Singh is comparatively unaffected by both the progressive and the experimental creeds.
When his First collection Simmade Pather (Oozing Stones) was published in 1956, the era of progressive poetry was nearing its end. The romantic creed too had been left behind. Therefore he had a voice of his own. Unlike the progressive poets, he did not want to merge or expand his personal sorrow into the misery of the people. He kept the two apart as parallel streams. He writes: There is the grief over one\’s friend. Which makes the heart dissolve moment by movement. And then there is the grief of labour Which is not valued by the market.
Similarly, he tells his beloved: The business of the world is going on, too, Along with the preoccupation of your love. Conscious of his non-alignment, even proud of it, he writes: Why should I become a Picasso? My paintings will not bear a brush used by another, New paintings look for a new brush and a new canvas. He uses the extended metaphor in preference to the unitary metaphor of most poetry, traditional or progressive. For instance, about his sentiment of love, he writes: Every moment from every lair of the mind, Flows the tale of my love, As in some places in the mountains, From moist, damp stones, Oozes slowly, lukewarm, soft warm water.
His next collection Meghale (Clouds) 1958 continues the same mood, perhaps with greater refinement. Tara Singh can keep proper balance between feeling and intellect, though sometimes he becomes rather cynical, as when he says: Whenever you and I meet, We are afraid of each other For we know we are going to ask about each other\’s welfare. And sometimes perhaps a kind of sentimentality creeps in, all the same as when he says: 0, my intimate life-mate, Allow me, in your simplicity, To kiss the feet of my child, For there is yet no particle of dirt in its nails. Allow me, 0 my intimate, That the touch of my lips May enjoy the taste of your womb.
There is perhaps a fall-back in his third collection, Asin Tusin (We and You) although here also he knows and accepts the dividing line between his generation and the next, as when he says: 0 people, who will come after us, Accept our congratulations, For a conscious vision of a beautiful world, We who had unrolled ourselves as a carpet under your feet. Tara Singh\’s latest work, Suraj da Letter Box (The Letter-box of the Sun) presents much maturer poetry and in this he takes a position more or less directly opposed to that of the progressive poets. He takes the view that poetry is essentially an expression of intimate personal experience. To make it a vehicle of collective thinking and feeling is to dilute it.
References :
1. Amarjit Singh, Punjabi sahit da itihas ”Qissa kal, Amritsar, 1981.
2. Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature, 6 Vols., Delhi, 1995.
3. Kohli, S.S., Punjabi Sahit da Itihas, Ludhiana, 1955.
4. Mohan Singh, A History of Punjabi Literature, Amritsar, 1956.
5. Sekhon, S.S. and K.S. Duggal, A History of Punjabi Literature, Delhi, 1992.
Tara Singh, also known as Tara Singh Kamil, is a literary figure whose unique voice has left an indelible mark on modern Punjabi literature. Emerging initially as a poet of light, witty, and humorous compositions, his early works quickly found favor at local kavi darbars—gatherings where poetry was celebrated with zeal and communal warmth. Over time, however, Tara Singh evolved into a serious poet, one who displayed an uncanny ability to blend heartfelt emotion with intellectual clarity. His style is characterized by a simplicity of language, a natural elegance in expression, and a spontaneity that resonates with readers across generations .
One of his landmark contributions is his celebrated poetry collection Kahikashan, which was honored with the Sahitya Akademi Award. In Kahikashan, Tara Singh employs a fluid form and deep symbolism to explore themes of love, loss, and the nuances of individual existence. His work is renowned for its extended metaphors and a refined use of imagery—for example, he draws vivid contrasts between the personal sorrows of friendship and the often-overlooked grief of labor, delineating these as parallel streams rather than merging them into a singular, collective lament. This deliberate separation of personal and social sorrow reflects his conscious decision to remain non-aligned with both the progressive and experimental creeds that dominated earlier trends in Punjabi poetry .
Beyond his original compositions, Tara Singh has also contributed significantly to bridging cultural and linguistic divides through his translation work. By translating books between Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi, he has enriched Punjabi literary discourse and made diverse literary treasures accessible to wider audiences. His translations and his own poetic creations have not only expanded the thematic range of Punjabi literature but have also introduced fresh literary techniques and approaches that inspire contemporary poetry.
Tara Singh’s journey—from his humorous beginnings to his later, more introspective works—illustrates a unique balancing act between light-hearted wit and profound philosophical inquiry. His voice remains distinct for its conscious reserve against overt political or progressive diktats, choosing instead to carve out a space that celebrates individuality, universal themes, and the intimate interplay of human emotions with broader existential ideas.
