BySukant Deepak

August 5, 2021 (IANSlife) Considered the first modern poet of Dogri language, Padma Sachdev (81), originally from Jammu passed away on Wednesday in Mumbai.

Known for catapulting Dogri poetry to new heights, Sachdev, recipient of almost all major literary awards including the Sahitya Akademi award for her poetry book 'Meri Kavita, Mere Geet', Padma Shri and the Saraswati Samman for her autobiography 'Boond Bawri', received the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship for lifetime achievement. Not just Dogri, she wrote poems, short stories and novels in Hindi too.

In fact, she had composed Lata Mangeshkar's first Dogri music album. Mangeshkar wrote on a social media handle: "We were old friends and our families had close relations. I have beautiful memories of Padma. This is a very sad day for me."

Born in Jammu's Purmandal, she was the eldest of the three children of Sanskrit scholar Jai Dev Babu. She also wrote lyrics for a few songs in films including 'Prem Parbat' and 'Aankkhin Dekhi'. The poet, who worked for All India Radio in Jammu and Mumbai shifted to New Delhi and Mumbai after marrying singer Surinder Singh, part of the famous Singh Bandhu duo.

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Sukant Deepak can be contacted at Sukant.d@ians.in