Lives & ideas
Writers, makers, scientists and public lives, with their connection to Punjab stated precisely.
300 sourced entries · alphabetical directory · page 4 of 17
Inclusion records a documented connection to Punjab. Birthplace, language, ancestry and personal identity are distinct.
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The young Punjab revolutionary combined organisation and public acts of violence with an intellectual commitment to criticism, study and emancipation.
Bhai Balmukund was a schoolteacher and anti-colonial revolutionary prosecuted in the Delhi–Lahore conspiracy case.
Gurdas helped prepare the Adi Granth and wrote influential Punjabi and Braj poetry. His work addressed the Gurus’ teaching and the responsibilities of a community facing change.
Meet a Nabha official and lexicographer whose work also addressed education, marriage and social discrimination in late-colonial Punjab.
Mani Singh’s remembered life joins the copying and explanation of scripture with responsibility for the Harimandar. Accounts of his execution preserve important disagreements over dates and circumstances.
Mardana’s rabab accompanied Nanak’s singing. His remembered life joins Talwandi, journeys and musical friendship, while later images and the rababi tradition preserve his importance.
Nand Lal’s Persian poetry links Sikh devotion with a wider literary world. His writing ranges from ghazals to praise of the Gurus, while some conduct texts bearing his name remain disputed.
Bhai Parmanand combined Arya Samaj education with political activism, international travel and imprisonment.
Sikh writer and religious figure Bhai Randhir Singh was associated with Narangwal, kirtan and Ghadar-era activism.
Follow Vir Singh’s writing and publishing work through an authored literary biography, institutional records and the later Sahitya Sadan.
Learn about palaeobotanist Birbal Sahni’s Punjab upbringing, fossil research and institute in Lucknow.
Punjabi migrant Buckam Singh served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War.
Bulleh Shah’s verse has travelled through print and music. His reputation is far better documented than many details of his life, which modern sources date differently.
Born in Jalandhar district, politician Buta Singh served in India’s Parliament and national government.
Catherine Duleep Singh helped Jewish refugees find shelter and work in Britain. Later museum projects interpret her relationships across countries.
Read about Sir Chhotu Ram’s agrarian politics and legislation in undivided Punjab.
Dada Amir Haider Khan’s life connected Punjabi maritime labour, migration and communist political organising.
Daler Mehndi’s Punjabi pop career includes Bolo Ta Ra Ra Ra and Dardi Rab Rab; interviews trace his musical training and songwriting.
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