Description
Dr. Dilip Kaur Tiwana is a world renowned novelist and short stories writer of contemporary Punjabi
literature. She was born on 4th May 1935 in village Rabbon in the Ludhiana district of Punjab in a well-todo land-owning family. She was educated at Patiala, where her uncle, Sardar Sahib Tara Singh Sidhu was
Inspector General of Prisons. She had a distinguished academic career. She got first class first in M.A., and
was the first woman in the region to get the Ph.D. degree from the Panjab University, Chandigarh. In 1963,
she joined the Punjabi University, Patiala as a Lecturer and then went on to become Professor and Head
of the Department of Punjabi, and Dean, Faculty of Languages. She was a brilliant teacher and researcher
and made a significant contribution to literary and critical studies in Punjabi. She was also a UGC National
Lecturer for a year.
Dr. Tiwana has enriched Punjabi literature with her 33 novels and 14 collections of stories. Her novels
and short stories are focused upon the down trodden and innocent rural folk with suppressed desires
and passions. The titles of her novels like Agni Prikhya, Eho Hamara Jiwna, Waat Hamari, Jimi Puchhey
Asmaan, etc. project the life of such poor and innocent people. Although many of her novels and stories
collections are tragic in nature, but the tins of ornery purges our feelings. A number of her novels deal with
the inner duality of the female psyche. She has also written some autobiographical works such as Nange
Pairaan da safar, Poochte ho to Suno, Tere mere sarokaar, Jeeun Joge, and Turdyaan turdyaan. In addition
she has contributed a biography of Dr. Mohan Singh Diwana and two books on literary criticism. Her
awards and honours are numerous. Starting from 1960-61 when Government of Punjab awarded her for
the best book of short stories titled ‘Sadhana’. Punjab Government also honoured her with Nanak Singh
Puruskar for the novel ‘Peele Patian Di Dastan’, Gurmukh Singh Musafir award for autobiography ‘Nange
Pairaan da Safar’ 1982. In addition she got Shiromani Sahitkar Award 1987 and best novelist of the decade
(1980-90) in 1992. She was honored with Mata Sahib Kaur Award during the tercentenary celebrations of
the Birth of the Khalsa for outstanding contribution in the field of language, art and literature at Anandpur
Sahib on 11 April 1999. In 2000 she got Kartar Singh Dhaliwal Award (Lifetime achievement) from Punjabi
Sahit Academy, Ludhiana. She was conferred upon Padma Shri in 2004 by Government of India. However
on 14th October 2015, she returned Padma Shri award against increasing intolerance in the country. Being
a great novelist and a gem of Punjabi literature, she has been a role model for all the lovers of Punjabi
language. Presently she living with her husband and son Dr. Simranjit Singh, who is an Assistant Professor
of Electronics and Communication at Punjabi University, on the campus of Punjabi University, Patiala,
where she is a life fellow and writer-in-residence.
