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Singh, Balwant

Balwant Singh (Born: June 1921 - May 27, 1986) was a famous Urdu and Hindi dramatist, novelist and fiction writer and journalist of the 20th century who wrote legendary collections like Jaga, Pehla Pathar, Tarupod, Hindustan Hamara and Kale Kos, He created timeless novels like Raat, Chor Aur Chand, Chak Piran Ka Jasa and played an important role in giving global recognition to Urdu fiction with his creativity.Balwant Singh was born in 1921 in a Sikh family in the village of Chak Bahlul in Gujranwala, Punjab, British India. Father's name was Sardar Labh Singh who was a teacher in a military school. Balwant Singh had to leave Punjab at a young age due to his father's transfer to Dehradun. He had his early education at Cambridge School, Dehradun. He passed High School from Mission School Dehradun, BA from Poing Christian College Allahabad University. In Allahabad he opened a residential hotel named Imperial Hotel but in 1964 he closed the hotel and came to Delhi and joined the journal "Aaj Kal".Balwant Singh's first fiction was published in "Saza Saqi". Then he wrote a number of fictions, some of which became very popular because of their detailed study of the economy and society of the Punjab villages and especially the Jat Sikhs. The greatest merit of Balwant Singh's fiction is his keen observation of the villages and environment of Punjab and creation of some sensational characters. His overall attitude towards life is somewhat satirical and somewhat romantic which has been successfully reflected in some of his stories.