Rajkavi Inderjeet Singh Tulsi (2 April 1926 – 11 May 1984), was an Indian patriotic poet, Bollywood lyricist, and author. His writings in Punjabi,

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

, and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Rajkavi in 1962 and the

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

in 1966 for his contributions towards the arts.

Early life

Tulsi was born on 2 April 1926 to Sardarni Basant Kaur and Sardar Mool Singh in Kanakaccha, Lahore, present-day Pakistan but then India. He lost his father when he was only 2 years old. His father, belonging to the profession of landlords, had left him many lands. This was at the time that women could not own property and it was common to murder young male heirs for land. As he was the only son, his mother who taught Shabads and Kirtans (Sikh Hyms), would hide and cover him in white sheets until the age of 12, out of fear that people would kill him and snatch their land. At the age of 9, when people were raising their voice against the British Raj, he was arrested by British Police for writing 6 lines of poetry which he recited on stage, requesting the Britishers to leave the country. Being a minor, he was released same day. In 1947, the partition between India and Pakistan and the environment due to that split at the moment, inspired him to continue his writing, while working for the Indian Railway. He married Surinder Kaur at the age of 18, during his college years. After partition, the couple settled in

Ferozpur Firozpur, also known as Ferozepur, is a city on the banks of the Sutlej River in Firozpur District, Punjab, India. After the partition of India in 1947, it became a border town on the India–Pakistan border with memorials to soldiers who d ...

, Punjab where he began work for the Indian Railways. Tulsi's eldest son was a Punjabi Film Director and Oil Transport Businessman and granddaughter,

Simran Judge ''Everest '' is a Hindi-language Indian telenovela telecasted by STAR Plus. Directed by Glenn Baretto and Ankush Mohla, ''Everest'' is created by Ashutosh Gowariker and produced by Ashutosh Gowariker Productions Private Limited (AGPPL). A. ...

is an American-Indian actor and model, who has appeared in several tv commercials, walked the runway for Lakme Fashion Week in India and was the lead of Ashutosh Gowariker's Everest. She is based in USA and has held senior positions in the Information Technology sector specializing in CyberSecurity and FinTech.

Education

Tulsi was sent to Amritsar to study Ghyani (Singing of Sikh Hymns) at

Khalsa College, Amritsar Khalsa College ( pa, ਖਾਲਸਾ ਕਾਲਜ ''khālsā kālaj'') is a historic educational institution in the northern Indian city of Amritsar in the state of Punjab, India. Founded in 1892, the sprawling campus is located about eight ...

, Punjab.

Fame

After partition, the couple moved to Ferozpur, where Tulsi obtained a job in the railways. While reciting poetry for a railway celebration, Railway Minister Jeevan Ram, impressed by his poetry gave him a promotion and transferred him to New Delhi. In New Delhi, Inderjeet Singh Tulsi was progressing, reciting poetry at Kavi Samelans. In 1955, he was awarded the Raj Kavi (Poet Laureaut) of Punjab, by the Governor of Punjab. During this time, Tulsi became very close to Indian Prime Minister Pandit

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

, who was very impressed by his poetry and was very fond of him. It was Nehru that invited him to recite poetry at numerous National Ceremonies, where Tulsi would be the first to open the show. In 1966, Tulsi became very popular and a known figure in India after he was awarded the Padm Shree award for Arts and Literature. During the

Sino-Indian War The Sino-Indian War took place between China and India from October to November 1962, as a major flare-up of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Tib ...

, Tulsi was sent by Pandit

to the frontier areas of Ladakh to boost the morale of the soldiers. While reciting poetry there, a soldier happened to be alone at a big height, where he was not able to hear his poetry. Tulsi especially walked up 1000 ft high area and went to that soldier so that he could boost his morale. After returning from Ladakh, Tulsi wrote his first book of various collections of poetry in Hindi and Punjabi: "Baraf Bane Angaare" (Snow turns into Fire Balls), inspired by the troops and his time spent in Ladak, followed by his second book, "Sur Singhar" (Beauty of Melody). He also wrote books on the Sikh religion. One was specifically focused on the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak's Life, called "Param Purukh Guru Nanak Dev Ji" and the second was on the last guru, called "Darvesh Padshah Guru Gobind Singh Ji". He was also a Senior Executive at Indian Railways by then.

Bollywood career

Tulsi gained recognition in 1962 when he was titled the Rajkavi of Punjab by the governor of Punjab, Narhar Vishnu Gadgil Following the Rajkavi award, in 1966, he was awarded the

Padma Shri Award Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferred ...

for his contribution to Arts and Education by Indian Prime Minister,

. He is also the author of Param Purkh (Guru Nanak Patshah), Darvesh Badshah Guru Gobind Singh Ji, which continue to be a part of Punjab University's Syllabus today, Baraf Bane Angare, and Sur Shinghar. Being a patriotic poet, Raj Kavi Tulsi was more focused and interested in serving his country and never thought of writing songs for films. A few years later,

Manoj Kumar Harikrishan Goswami (born 24 July 1937), better known by his screen name Manoj Kumar, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and editor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is known for acting and making films with patriotic theme ...

was attending a Kavi Darbar, where he heard Rajkavi Inderjeet Singh reciting one of his poems.

really appreciated his work and requested him to write for his upcoming film Shor, i.e. Pani Re Pani Tera Rang Kaisa and Jeevan Chalne Ka Naam. The songs became a hit and Rajkavi Inderjeet Singh Tulsi went on to work with many more filmmakers like

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: �aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...

, N.N. Sippy, and

B.R. Chopra Baldev Raj Chopra (22 April 1914 – 5 November 2008) was a famous Indian director and producer of Bollywood industry and television series . Best known for directing Hindi films like '' Naya Daur'' (1957), '' Sadhna'' (1958), '' Kanoon'' (196 ...

. He continued to deliver hits like Le Jayenge Le Jayenge Dilwale Dulhanya Le Jayenge (

Chor Machaye Shor ''Chor Machaye Shor'' () is a 1974 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Ashok Roy and produced by N. N. Sippy. The film stars Shashi Kapoor, Mumtaz, Danny Denzongpa, Madan Puri, Asrani and Asit Sen. The music is by Ravindra Jain. Asrani e ...

), Beshak Mandir Masjid Todo (

Bobby Bobby or Bobbie may refer to: People * Bobby (given name), a list of names * Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh * Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea * Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwriter * Bobby, old slang for a constabl ...

), Samay Tu Dheere Dheere Chal (

Karm ''Karm'' () is a 1977 Hindi movie produced and directed by B. R. Chopra. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Vidya Sinha, Shabana Azmi, Urmila Matondkar and Master Bittoo. The songs wrtin by Rajkavi Inderjeet Singh Tulsi and music given by R. D. ...

), and Jaa Re Jaa Oo Harjayee (

Kalicharan ''Kalicharan'' is a 1976 Indian Hindi-language action drama film directed by Subhash Ghai, starring Shatrughan Sinha, Reena Roy, Prem Nath, Premnath, Ajit Khan, Ajit, Madan Puri and Danny Denzongpa. The film became a box office blockbuster. The ...

). He went on to produce Punjabi films under his own banner "Tulsi Productions", called "yaar Gariba Da" starring Yograj Singh and Geeta Behl, and "Ladli" starring Kiran Kumar and pakistani heroine Zaira.

Death

In 1984, Tulsi passed away due to a heart attack. He always wished to pass away on stage and so he did, while reciting poetry.

Awards

*In 1962, Rajkavi Inderjeet Singh Tulsi was awarded with the Rajkavi Title of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

by the governor of Punjab, Narhar Vishnu Gadgil *In 1966, Rajkavi Inderjeet Singh Tulsi was awarded with the

(the fourth highest

civilian award This list of civil awards and decorations is a partial index to articles about notable civil awards and decorations. It excludes Law enforcement awards and honors and ecclesiastical decorations, which are covered by separate lists. See :Civil aw ...

in the Republic of India) for his contribution in Arts and Education by Indian Prime Minister,

.Vishveshvaranand Vedic Research Institute

Vishveshvaranand Indological Journal-Volumes 4–5, 1966

Filmography

As a lyricist

* Shor 1972 *

1974 *

Sauda Sauda ''()'' is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sauda, where most of the population lives. Other villages in the municipality include Saudasjøen and Amdal. Despite being ...

1974 *

Do Jasoos Do Jasoos () is a 1975 Hindi comedy drama film. Produced and directed by Naresh Kumar, the film stars Raj Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar, Aruna Irani, Prem Chopra, Kamal Kapoor, Farida Jalal and Asit Sen. The music is by Ravindra Jain. Plot Dharamc ...

1975 * Zameer 1975 *

Fakira ''Fakira'' is a 1976 Indian Hindi-language crime action film produced by N.N. Sippy and directed by C.P. Dixit. The film stars Shashi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Asrani, Aruna Irani, Danny Denzongpa, Asit Sen (actor), Asit Sen, Ramesh Deo and Madan ...

1976 *

1976 * Santo Banto 1976 Punjabi Movie *

1977 * Pratima Aur Paayal 1977 * Zamaanat *

Bhakti Mein Shakti ''Bhakti Mein Shakti'' is a 1978 Bollywood film produced and directed by Dara Singh. It starred Dara Singh, Satish Kaul, Bharat Bhushan, Sunder and Yogeeta Bali in main lead. Cast *Dara Singh as Dyanu Bhakt *Satish Kaul as Satish *Bharat Bhus ...

1978 *''Laadli'' 1978-Punjabi Movie * Vishwanath (film) 1978 *

Ahimsa Ahimsa (, IAST: ''ahiṃsā'', ) is the ancient Indian principle of nonviolence which applies to all living beings. It is a key virtue in most Indian religions: Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.Bajpai, Shiva (2011). The History of India � ...

1979 * Jaandaar 1979 * The Gold Medal 1979 * Raaj Mahal 1982 *''Yaar Gareeba Daa-1986 Punjabi Movie

As an author

* Baraf Bani Angare * Darvesh Badshah Guru Gobind Singhji * Sur Singar – Poetry * Param Purkh (Guru Nanak Patshah) – Depicts the life of Guru Nanak Dev Ji through poems

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tulsi, Rajkavi Inderjeet Singh 1926 births 1984 deaths Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education