Surjit Singh Sethi (1928–1995) was an Indian playwright, novelist, short story writer and lyricist who wrote in Punjabi. He was also a film maker and theatre personality.
Biography Surjit Singh Sethi was born at Gujarkhan, Punjab Province, British India in 1928. He did his M.A. in English and submitted his thesis on Ibsenism (Dramatics) for Ph.D. He worked at All India Radio for some time as a producer. He was the founder of Speech, Drama and Music Department at Punjabi University which was later turned into the Theatre and Television Department. He groomed a number of students into stage, TV and film celebrities, and was influenced by modern trends of Western theatre. Sethi died in 1995.
Dramas Parde Pichhon (Behind the Curtain), One Act Plays, 1946 Chalde Phirde But (The Loitering Figures), One Act Plays Kandhi Ute Rukhda (A Tree on the Embankment), 1957 Coffee House, 1958 Kaccha Ghada (The Earthen Pitcher), 1960 Kadaryar, 1960 Bhareya Bhareya Sakhna Sakhna, 1964 King, Mirza Te Sapera, 1965 Gurbin Ghor Andhar (Pitch Dark Without the Guru), 1969 Safar Baqi, Talash Baqi (The Journey Remains, The Quest Remains) Nangi Sarak Raat Da Ohla (The Naked Road and The Reflection of The Night), 1971 Abara Kadabara, 1972 Mard Mard Nahi Tiwin Tiwin Nahi (Man is Not a Man and Woman is Not a Woman) Eh Zindagi Hai Dosto Mera Murshid Mod Liao (Bring Back My Messiah), 1975 Pebble Beach Te Laung Guacha
Novels Ret Da Pahad (Mound of Sand), 1954 Ik Shahr Di Gal (The Story of a City), 1955 Kandhi Ute Rukhda (A Tree on The Embankment), 1957 Ik Khali Pyala (An Empty Bowl), 1960 (The Sun Shall Not Rise Tomorrow Again), 1967 Abra ki Adabra, 1972 Dubde Suraj Nun Salam, 1976
Short stories Angrez Angrez San (So Were The English) Men Kahani Da Safar (Journey of My Stories), 1972
Other books Kavi Chatrik (Chatrik, The Poet) Criticism, 1955 Natak Kala, 1974 Langh Gaye Darya (Biography), 1976 Shot in 12 days: The Making of Mughlani Begum
Films Mughlani Begum SandliSurjit Singh Sethi. smashits.com
Awards and honours Honoured with Prof. Piara Singh Gill & Karam Singh Sandhu Memorial Antar-Rashtari Shiromani Sahitkaar/Kalakaar Award, by the International Association of Punjabi Authors and Artists (IAPAA) in 1984.
Notes Primarily a playwright, he wrote short stories and novels also. His first full-length play, Coffee house is a portrayal of 'hollow men'. Kaccha Ghada and Kadaryar give new dimensions to the well-recognised figures of romances. King, Mirza Re Sapera and Mard Mard Nahin, Tivin Tivin Nahin are his experiments in absurd drama. His anthologies of one-act plays, Parde Pichhon and Chalde Phirde make a good reading. His early novels are Ik Shahr Di Gal, Ret Da Pahad and Kandhi Ute Rukhda, but he acquired his special place in this genre with Ik Khali Piala and Kal Vi Suraj Nahin Chadhega. In these works he employed the stream of consciousness and flashback techniques.
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