Loona (Lūṇā) is a Punjabi epic

verse play Verse drama is any drama written significantly in verse (that is: with line endings) to be performed by an actor before an audience. Although verse drama does not need to be ''primarily'' in verse to be considered verse drama, significant portio ...

written by

Shiv Kumar Batalvi Shiv Kumar Batalvi (23 July 1936 - 6 May 1973) was an Indian poet, writer and playwright of the Punjabi language. He was most known for his romantic poetry, noted for its heightened passion, pathos, separation and lover's agony, due to that he ...

. Based on the ancient legend of Puran Bhagat, this epic was bestowed with prestigious

Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...

in 1967, given by

Sahitya Akademi The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...

(India's National Academy of Letters). Shiv became the youngest recipient of this prestigious award. Though Loona is portrayed as a villain in the legend, Shiv created the epic around her agony which caused her to become a villain.

Plot

The epic is based on the ancient legend of saint

Puran Bhagat Puran Bhagat (later became Sri Chauranginatha) was a Punjabi Nath Saint and prince of Sialkot. As per unauthenticated history, he had been exiled and lived the last days of his life in a village located in the suburbs of Sialkot city. His temple ...

(

Bhagat Bhagat is a term used in the Indian subcontinent to describe religious personalities who have obtain high acclaim in their community for their services and devoutness.It is also one of the clan in Mahar caste with clan totem as King Cobrahttp:/ ...

is the Punjabi word for a saint, devotee). Puran is a prince whose

father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...

marries a girl named Loona, who's much younger than his age. Loona, the stepmother of Puran, gets attracted to Puran and conveys her feelings to him. Puran, being a devotee of God and having pure thoughts, refuses. Loona gets hurt and seeks the revenge by convincing his husband to send Puran to exile. In the legend, Loona is the villain. Shiv took a contrary view from the legend and created the epic around the pain of the teenaged girl forcefully married to a man much older than her age, and further, renounced by the man she fell in love with.

Importance in Punjabi Literature

This epic is considered a masterpiece in modern

Punjabi literature Punjabi literature, specifically literary works written in the Punjabi language, is characteristic of the historical Punjab region of India and Pakistan and the Punjabi diaspora. The Punjabi language is written in several scripts, of which the Sha ...

, and which also created a new genre, of modern Punjabi kissa. Shiv's poetry is considered standing in equal footing, amongst that by stalwarts of modern

Punjabi poetry Punjabi literature, specifically literary works written in the Punjabi language, is characteristic of the historical Punjab region of India and Pakistan and the Punjabi diaspora. The Punjabi language is written in several scripts, of which the Sh ...

, like

Mohan Singh (poet) Mohan Singh (1905–1978) was a noted Indian poet in the Punjabi language and an academic, and one of the early pioneers of modern Punjabi poetry. Biography Born in 1905 at Lyallpur (now in Pakistan), Mohan Singh spent the early years of h ...

and

Amrita Pritam Amrita Pritam (; 31 August 1919 – 31 October 2005) was an Indian novelist, essayist and poet, who wrote in Punjabi and Hindi. A prominent figure in Punjabi literature, she is the recipient of the 1956 Sahitya Akademi Award. Her body of wo ...

, all of whom are popular on both sides of Indo-Pakistan border.

Awards

in 1967List of Punjabi language awardees

Official listings.

References

{{Reflist Punjabi literature Sahitya Akademi Award-winning works Indian poems Indian plays 20th-century Indian books Indian mythology in popular culture Hindu mythology in popular culture Cultural depictions of Indian monarchs Cultural depictions of Indian men Punjabi-language books 1965 Indian novels Novels about ephebophilia Sexuality and age in fiction Child marriage in India