2021 FinalistBalbir Madhopuri
New Delhi, India
From a humble beginning as a child laborer in the Punjabi village of Madhopur to becoming Deputy Director in India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Madhopuri’s journey is one of hardship, courage, and determination. He holds a postgraduate degree in Punjabi from Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar.
His prodigious writings bring to light the sufferings of the deprived and oppressed people especially the Dalits within a caste ridden society. ‘Chhangiya Rukh’ (2002) is a ground-breaking autobiography which has been translated into English, Hindi, Urdu, Russian and Polish. ‘My Caste-My Shadow’, a book of poems and ‘Ghadri Baba Mangu Ram’ solidified his standing as an influential writer. ‘Mitti Bol Paye’ has been compared with the writings of Thomas Hardy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Charles Dickens.
To his literary credit are fourteen books of fiction including significant editorial and translation works. A recipient of the Indian Sahitya Academy Translation Prize and the Lifetime Achievement Award, Punjabi Academy Delhi. Madhopuri is the Director of Punjabi Bhawan, Punjabi Sahit Sabha, New Delhi and the Editor of the quarterly Samkali Sahit magazine.
