On occasion of Womens’ Day, we at Jammu Virasat would like to remind the reader about the first woman poetess of modern Dogri poetry, Smt Padma Sachdev.

Born in remote but highly spiritual village of Purmandal, Padma Sachdev managed to become one of modern India’s prominent poetesses. Apart from writing in Dogri, she writes in Hindi also.

She has published several poetry collections, including Meri Kavita Mere Geet which won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1971. She has also received the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award in 2001, and the Kabir Samman for poetry for the year 2007-08 given by Government of Madhya Pradesh. In 2017, she was also conferred with the Dinu Bhai Pant Life Time Achievement Award.

Some of her books are Tavi Te Chanhan (Rivers Tawi and Chenab, 1976), Nheriyan Galiyan(Dark Lanes, 1982), Pota Pota Nimbal (Fingertipful Cloudless Sky, 1987), Uttar Vahini (1992) and Tainthian (1992).

She has recorded her lifestory in biography Chitt-Chete which was published in 2015.

We leave you with an interview of her done by the Rajya Sabha TV