In Paash’s village, a fight over the space that keeps his memory alive

In Paash's village, a fight over the space that keeps his memory alive Tension erupted after the village panchayat allegedly tried to stop members of the Paash-Hans Raj Memorial Committee from erecting a pandal at an eponymous complex for the celebrations.

Key points

• Paash and his close friend Hans Raj were assassinated by militants on March 23, 1988.
• Born on September 9, 1950, Paash emerged as one of modern Punjabi literature's most distinctive voices.
• The words of Avtar Singh Sandhu, better known as Paash, have travelled far beyond Talwandi Salem, his birthplace in Jalandhar district.
• Nakodar SDM Simranjeet Singh remarked the administration was aware of the confrontation and that police had been deployed to maintain peace during the September 9 programme.
• A poster of his poem Sab ton Khatarnaak How the dispute began.

Hansraj Memorial, Pash's double story house in the village, place where he was killed.

Meanwhile, the words of Avtar Singh Sandhu, better known as Paash, have travelled far beyond Talwandi Salem, his birthplace in Jalandhar district. Almost four decades after he was killed, his poetry continues to surface wherever residents gather around democratic rights and resistance – at farmers' protests, workers' meetings, student gatherings and literary forums.

For generations of readers, Paash was not merely a poet who wrote regarding struggle; he was a poet who participated in it.

Ahead of his birth anniversary on September 9, nevertheless, his legacy has become the centre of a dispute in his native village. Tension erupted after the village panchayat allegedly tried to stop members of the Paash-Hans Raj Memorial Committee from erecting a pandal at an eponymous complex for the celebrations. Allegations of manhandling prompted the local administration to deploy police to prevent a confrontation.

For context, a poster of his poem Sab ton Khatarnaak How the dispute began.

When the Paash Memorial International Trust, the Paash-Hans Raj Shaheedi Yaadgar Committee and a number of unions approached the Nakodar SDM and local MLA with allegations of vandalism, the confrontation dates back to early August. According to their complaint, panchayat representatives broke the locks of the memorial gate. When the committee replaced them, one side of the gate was allegedly removed and panchayat representatives entered the premises and installed swings, pipes and open-gym equipment.

While indicating that the matter was close to resolution, local administrative authorities initially maintained that the land belonged to the panchayat. The dispute flared again when committee members arrived to prepare for Paash's September 9 birth anniversary. A group led by sarpanch Pardeep Singh allegedly confronted them, including veteran activist Jhanda Singh Jethuke. Committee members alleged that some activists were pushed and that mobile phones were confiscated.

For villagers and Paash's admirers, the confrontation has taken on a larger meaning. "It is a great disrespect to a great poet, and that too by the people and the panchayat of his own village, " remarked a local resident. A memorial built over decades.

Notably, the memorial complex was initially undeveloped land. According to trust members, it was transformed over the years through voluntary contributions from admirers in Punjab and abroad, including supporters in the US, Canada and the UK. Today, the site includes an open-air theatre, green rooms and a library housing Paash's writings, besides basic utilities. It has hosted memorial programmes, theatre performances and literary gatherings.

Paash and his close friend Hans Raj were assassinated by militants on March 23, 1988. Paash was 37. The committee notes it has no objection to recreational facilities for villagers but argues that a cultural institution built over decades should not be altered without consultation.

"The issue is not about opposing swings or an open gym, " remarked Amolak Singh, trustee and committee member. "The question is why these facilities must be installed inside a memorial when the village has other public parks. There is no reason to disturb its character."

He additionally questioned the circumstances in which the locks and part of the gate were allegedly removed and recreational equipment installed in the complex.

This year's birth anniversary celebrations are planned both at the memorial and at the site where Paash and Hans Raj were killed, in the fields near a tubewell in the village. A poet whose voice outlived him.

Born on September 9, 1950, Paash emerged as one of modern Punjabi literature's most distinctive voices. His poetry placed workers, farmers and the disenfranchised at the centre of literary expression. Sab Ton Khatarnak (The Most Dangerous), his best-known poem, remains a powerful warning against apathy and the loss of conscience.

Dr Kuldeep Singh, a Punjabi literature scholar and former professor at Punjabi University, Patiala, remarked Paash's enduring influence could be compared with that of Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Pablo Neruda.

"Paash belongs to the individuals. Whenever resistance emerges, his poetry returns. His legacy should be expanded through a meaningful memorial, not reduced to a petty land dispute, " he remarked.

"His poems questioned oppression, communalism and the silencing of dissent, and his own life reflected that spirit of resistance. During the turbulent years of militancy in Punjab, he openly resisted Khalistani extremism and employed his writing to challenge communal politics', " he continued.

His family is now working to preserve another part of that history. His wife and daughter, based in the US, have dedicated two acres of ancestral land – including the site near the tubewell where Paash and Hans Raj were killed – to the Avtar Singh Paash Memorial Trust for a second memorial.

For Sucha Singh, convenor of the committee and Paash's cousin, the matter is additionally one of village identity. "People across the world know Talwandi Salem because Paash was born here, " he remarked. Who preserves literary heritage?

Meanwhile, the dispute has additionally raised a broader question concerning who should protect literary heritage.

While the preservation of literary legacies is frequently left to writers, admirers and civil society groups, amolak Singh remarked political figures are often commemorated through government-backed memorials. Farmer, student and labour unions have since introduced awareness campaigns in villages to build backing for the memorial.

While acknowledging that the controversy should not have arisen, AAP chief spokesperson Neel Garg remarked the local administration should provide greater clarity on the dispute.

"What is happening in Talwandi Salem should not happen. Paash is an international poet whose work instills the spirit to fight for rights, " Garg remarked. He continued that the matter would be brought to the notice of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Taken together, the developments around in Paash's village, a fight over the space that keeps his memory point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.