| Spring 2021 |
| Abstract |
| This paper provides insight into key aspects of the Punjabi poem, Khooni Vaisakhi, written by Nanak Singh, who was present at the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre of 13 April, 1919, in Amritsar, Punjab. The poem was published in 1920, banned soon after, and was essentially lost for the next 60 years. The current author translated the poem into English, and published it in 2019. This paper uses family history and excerpts of his translation to discuss Nanak Singh’s motivation in writing the poem, the events leading up to the massacre, and themes of nationalism and communal amity. It describes Nanak Singh’s evolution as a novelist, and his transformation into a nationalist after the massacre. Some brief comments on the poem’s relevance for the present are also included. Keywords: Nanak Singh, Khooni Vaisakhi, Jallianwala Bagh, Indian nationalism  Nanak Singh’s Khooni Vaisakhi: The Poet and the Poem by Navdeep Singh Surihost Town and The Casual Vacancy: Sikhs in the Writings of Western Women Novelists by Eleanor Nesbitt – Click the PDF icon to view, right click to save as. |
| Navdeep Singh Suri Former Ambassador of India to Egypt and UAE and High Commissioner to Australia |
