Dhani Ram Chatrik was born on October 4, 1876. He is termed as the maker of modern Punjabi poetry. October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in Leap years). ... 1876 (MDCCCLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Punjabi (also Panjabi; in Gurmukhī, Panjābī in Shāhmukhī) is the language of the Punjab regions of India and Pakistan. ...

He worked all his life to lift the status of Punjabi language. He was the founding president of Punjabi Sabha (a Punjabi Literary Society). He worked relentlessly to get Punjabi its due status amongst people as well as government.

He was the first person to standardize the type set for Gurmukhi script, publish Guru Granth Sahib and Bhai Kahn Singh’s Mahan Kosh, the first Punjabi dictionary by using modern technique at his Sudarshan Printing Press. The Gurmukhi (ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ or ਗੁਰਮੁੱਖੀ) script, derived from the Later Sharada script and standardised by Guru Angad Dev in the 16th century, was designed to write the Punjabi (ਪੰਜਾਬੀ) language. ...

He was a highly creative writer. He used his composing skills to experiment with different genres of Punjabi. He used simple and fresh vocabulary. His use of metaphor, tone, and style were easy to understand by the masses. It was more a descriptive or Qissa style. This refreshing style is evident from the following lines depicting peasantry written in narrative style:

“Toorhi tand saamb haarhi vech watt ke

Lambrhaan ‘te shaahaan da hisaab katt ke

Kachhe maar vanjhli anand chhaa gya

Maarda damaame jatt mele aa gya”

His creations Himala, Ganga, Rat are well known. Another one of his poems, Kora Qadir, where we hear his passionate cry against the divisions of humanity through diversity of creed is as follows:

Let us bury caste and creed,

Let us erase this sorrow indeed,

You a Sayyid, I a Brahmin,

Let us finish this foolish din.

We have to bear each other, say

We are not here for eternal stay,

Let there be laughter in our meeting,

Let our hearts be one this evening

He has been called, “Punjab’s greatest lyricist and poet”. In 1988, Surinder Singh Narula published a book in his honour called “Dhani Ram Chatrik, Publisher: Sahitya-Akademi”. Punjabi University Patyala honoured Chatrik by dedicating their annual diary to him.

Dhani Ram passed away on December 18, 1954. December 18 is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Partial Bibliography

Chatrik authored Fullan Di Tokri (1904)

Bharthri Hari Bikramajit (1905)

Nal Dmaayanti (1906)

Chandan Varhi

Dharmvir (1912)

Chandanwari (1931)

Kesar Kiari ( 1940)

Nawan Jahan (1942)

Noor Jahan Badshahbe (1944)

Sufikhana (1950)