Pash

Who was Pash?

Pash was the pen name of Avtar Singh Sandhu. One of the major poets of the Naxalite movement in the Punjabi literature of 1970s, he was killed by Khalistani terrorists on March 23, 1988. His strongly left-wing views were reflected in his poetry.

He was born in Talwandi Sajjlem, Jalandhar, Punjab, growing up in the midst of Naxalite a revolutionary movement waged in Punjab against the landlords, industrialists, traders, etc. who control the means of production. He published his first book of revolutionary poems, Loh-Katha in 1970; his militant and provocative tone raised the ire of the establishment and a murder charge was hastily brought against him. He spent nearly two years in jail, before being finally acquitted.

On acquittal, he became involved in Punjab's maoist front, editing a literary magazine, Siarh. He became a popular political figure on the left during this period, and was awarded a fellowship at the Punjabi Academy of Letters in 1985. He toured the United Kingdom and the United States the following year; while in U.S., he became involved with the Anti-47 Front, opposing Sikh extremist violence.