Born on 23rd July 1936 in Bara Pind Lohtian (Shakargarh tehsil) Punjab, which is now a part of Pakistan, Shiv Kumar used to talk a lot about his childhood days. The lands of Pind Lohtian used to be a part of Gurdaspur before the Partition of Indian Territories. Being close to the mountains of Jammu & Kashmir, the weather of the village was quite cooler compared to other villages of Punjab. Shiv’s life before partition was really peaceful, his village has around 500 families with majority of Hindus. Both Hindus & Muslims used to drink water from the same wells, and their kids also played together. Religious and seasonal festivals were given importance by the villagers, and Pind Lohtian was also known for his political stability and social law and order. Every dispute was settled within the village through Panchayats, no major crimes were reported and police never came to the village. The village was named Lohtian because merchants there used to bring Loha (Iron) from the City of Amritsar to sell it in local lands. Bara Pind Lohtian is the ideal place to grow up for any Hindu boy.
Shiv was born in a middle-class family who were staying in the village for generations. Pandit Krishan Gopal, his father, started his career as a Patwari, promoted to Qanoongoh (a mid-level supervisory position in the Revenue Department), later retired as the Principal of Patwar School, Batala. It is said that Shiv’s mother Smt. Shanti Devi had a very sweet melodious voice, which Shiv inherited from her.
As a kid, Shiv used to spend his days with birds, he loved nature and was curious to know about the environment around him. There were stories that many times his father found him lying under trees enjoying the colour of sky and the silent environment of his village. His village was surrounded by large mango orchids. Villagers used to call Shiv malang (wanderer). Shiv was really fascinated with the spiritual tale of Ramayana, and he also played some roles in Ramlila (a musical verse play) on the occasion of Dussehra.
The Village Lohtian didn’t have a school for girls at that time, but a Hindu woman used to teach girls of the village in a temple. Shiv started his education in the Boys Primary School of Pind Lohtian. Pandit Krishan Gopal was promoted to the position of Girdwar (the supervisor of Patwaris) and got posted in Dera Baba Nanak. The whole family migrated there. In the summer vacations of 1947 Shiv and his brother Davarka visited Lohtian to spend holidays. Unfortunately, they were in Lohtain when the partition of Indian Territories was announced. Shiv and Davarka left the village with their close relatives and moved to Jammu & Kashmir as the lands of Bara Pind Lohtian belonged to Pakistan after the partition. After staying in Jammu & Kashmir for a few days, they moved to Dera Baba Nanak, where their parents were waiting for them. Later, the family decided to move to Batala, which is a city near to the borders. Shiv’s childhood days ended with the incident of partition which deeply affected him, and he later considered this as the end of Good Days of his Life.
Shiv was highly passionate about the life of the village, he used to talk about the silence and affinity he found in his childhood in his poetry. The memories of childhood never faded from his mind. Somewhere at the end of his poetic career he talked about his life before partition in one of his poem titled Dudh Da Qatl (Murder of Mother’s Milk), where he refered the United Lands of Punjab as his Mother.
I still remember it today, and you must remember it too
When, together, we murdered our mother.
My childhood was killed with the murder of my mother
And it's cold corpse was left behind in your place.
Even now, I become quiet when I remember that
And lose myself in the thoughts of that half-a-body that was your share.
[Translation by Suman Kashyap].
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