Shiv Kumar Batalvi was an Indian poet, writer and playwright of the Punjabi language. He was most known for his romantic poetry, noted for its heightened passion, pathos, separation and lover's agony.He became the youngest recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1967, given by the Sahitya Akademi , for his epic verse play based on the ancient legend of Puran Bhagat, Loona , now considered a masterpiece in modern Punjabi literature, and which also created a new genre, of modern Punjabi kissa. Today, his poetry stands in equal footing, amongst that by stalwarts of modern Punjabi poetry, like Mohan Singh and Amrita Pritam, all of whom are popular on both sides of Indo-Pakistan border. Wikipedia
“Life is a slow suicide, and it is happening to every intellectual.”
Interview video hosted on Youtube. http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=EgpSHpATAIM,
