Anthology assimilates Amrita Pritam's body of works

A new anthology assimilates varied genres of Amrita Pritams writing with the works in this collection handpicked by the illustrious litterateur before her demise.The Ninth Flower Best of Amrita Pritam, transcreated from Hindi by author-biographer Jyoti Sabharwal, is brought out by Stellar Publishers to mark her 16th death anniversary.The collection is also inclusive of some of her hitherto unpublished works that she entrusted to Sabharwal one morning in mid-2004.Though frail and ailing, she seemed to be charged about something.

A new anthology assimilates varied genres of Amrita Pritam's writing with the works in this collection handpicked by the illustrious litterateur before her demise.

''The Ninth Flower: Best of Amrita Pritam'', transcreated from Hindi by author-biographer Jyoti Sabharwal, is brought out by Stellar Publishers to mark her 16th death anniversary.

The collection is also inclusive of some of her hitherto unpublished works that she entrusted to Sabharwal one morning in mid-2004.

''Though frail and ailing, she seemed to be charged about something. I noticed a pile of books by her side on the bed. She pushed this pile towards me and said with that familiar smile, 'Take my work forward. Translate these selected works that I've handpicked for you. Try and accomplish it while I am still around','' Sabharwal recalls.

Pritam had chosen for the collection what she thought was the best among the litany of all her genres - novelettes, poems, short stories, introspective essays and orations - and also proposed the title, ''The Ninth Flower''.

Agony and ecstasy are two frenetic states of a mystical spirit and Pritam infused that spirit in her poetic prose and verses. A creative genius, a legend in her lifetime, she touched the heart and soul of bibliophiles with reflective allusions to mythology and history, and also delved in the metaphysical sphere with parables and similes.

Be it the resonance of romantic poetry and longing, the heart-rending tales of Partition, or contemplative essays, her ingenious artistry of words and imagery converged in the spiritual realm.

This confluence was facilitated by her vision as a quintessential Sufi, seeking cosmic amalgamation in the stream of consciousness.

As she wrote incessantly, her virtuosity surpassed these epithets - the Grande Dame of Punjabi literature - the Prima Donna of contemporary rebels.

Her works have been translated in over 30 regional and foreign languages. But her literary luminosity transcended all the national and international laurels conferred on her - be it the Padma Shri, Padma Vibhushan, Bharatiya Jnanpith Award, Vaptsarov Award and Order of Saints Cyril & Methodius (Bulgaria), Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France), nomination to Rajya Sabha, the first woman poet to have been bestowed the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1956, as also Sahitya Akademi Fellowship for lifetime achievement - for her ultimate desire was to offer an incisive insight into her inner world.

The book has a foreword by former diplomat and Sahitya Akademi Award winner M Mukundan.

''This is a cohesive and compelling work on Amrita Pritam - a godsend tome for those who love to engage with her mind,'' he writes.

The book is slated for release early next month.

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