REMEMBERING PADMA SACHDEVA: MOTHER OF MODERN DOGRI
अस डोगरे आं आखने आं शानै कन्नै।
असें जित्तीयां न जंगां घमसानै कन्नै।
Lovingly called as the Mother of Dogri literature as well as Dogri’s first woman modern
poet. Padma Sachdeva was born in Purmandal-Jammu in 1940. She was distinguished Dogri and
Hindi writer, poet and scholar, a guiding force and inspiration to thousands of writers in India.
She has made remarkable efforts to lead the Dogri Language to the highest peaks.
Dogri is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in Jammu and Kashmir and the northern
part of Himachal Pradesh. She will also be remembered for her key role in the struggle for
getting Dogri added to the Eighth Schedule of the constitution. Her collections comprises of
Dogri poetry, eight books of Hindi prose including two novels, one collection of short stories, an
autobiography, a travelogue and more than half a dozen translations. She earned her first critics
appreciation just at the age of fourteen years for her lyrical poem 'Raja Diyan Mandiyan’. Padma
Sachdev wrote poems and stories that had an affectionate relationship with Dogra culture. She
always made a strong plea to the people of Dogra region to respect their mother tongue.
In her latest poetry collection, “Laladiyan”(Monsoon insects), Padma had glorified
Jammu’s composite culture of love, brotherhood and integrity of yesteryears. The Legend Lata
Mangeshkar has given her golden and melodious voice to the Dogri Song “Tu Mala Tu-Log Panan
Thikrian Badam Panne Tu”, “Odni Ragi De Lalaria”, “Nikke Phangdu-Onnchi Udan”, “Bhala
Sipahiya Dogriya, Rosliyan, Rosliyan Taran Tera Bada Manda Lagda” written by Padma Sachdev.
She also received the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award in 2001 and the Kabir
samman for poetry for the year 2007 given by Government of Madhya Pradesh, Sarswati
samman for the year 2015, Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 2019, SAHITYA AKADEMI AWARD in
1971 for her collection of poems 'meri kavita mere geet’. Her major works: TAVI TE JHANAN ,
POTA POTA NIMBAL, MERI KAVITA MERE GEET and many more. She wrote the lyrics of the song
'Mera chhota sa ghar baar' from the 1973 Hindi film by Ved Rahi "Prem Parbat" which had music
by Jaidev. Thereafter, she wrote the lyrics of two songs of the 1978 Hindi film "Aankhin Dekhi",
which had music by J.P. Kaushik including the famous duet "Sona re, tujhe kaise miloo" sung by
Mohd Rafi and Sulakshana Pandit. She also wrote the lyrics along with Yogesh for the 1979 Hindi
film "Saahas", which had music by Ameen Sangeet.
Writing in the preface of the work, Hindi poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar noted "After reading
Padma's poems I felt I should throw my pen away – for what Padma writes is true poetry." Her
autobiography Boond Bawadi is considered a classic. She was to the dogri language what
Mahadevi Verma was to hindi and Amrita Pritam to Punjabi. Padma Sachdev was a blessing,
her memory a treasure, she was cherished beyond words and will be missed beyond
measure.
Gargi Ranial
4th Semester B.A LL.B 5year (Student)
