Sarwanand Koul Premi (Aged 66), the son of Gopi Nath Koul, the first matriculate in his village, and Omravati Koul, was born into a farming family in the Anantnag district in 1924. He was a well-known freedom fighter, philanthropist, Gandhian, broadcaster, social reformer, litterateur, and translator, with knowledge of Hindi, Urdu, Kashmiri, Persian, English, and Sanskrit. He worked towards the cause of marriage for orphan Muslim girls and firmly believed in national integrity among all communities.
During the Quit India Movement from 1942-1946, he worked underground for the cause of the nation and got arrested on six occasions. Mahatma Gandhi recognized his work and presented him, in 1946, with a photo frame containing one of his famous Hindi poems “Aav chalen ek saath chalen.”
Ghulam Ahmed Mehjoor honored him with the epithet of ‘Premi’ for his love of poetry. He worked for the State Education Department from 1956-1979. Sadly, he and his son Virender were brutally murdered by militants in 1990.
Sarwanand Koul Premi was respected by all communities, and his publications include over three dozen books, including translations of the Bhagavad Gita, Gitanjali, and Ramayana into Kashmiri. It is important for Kashmiri youth to read his works to learn about the rich cultural heritage of the country. He was a staunch secularist and worked hard towards national integration and understanding.
He was posthumously felicitated with a medal and memento (1997) by Delhi Pradesh BJP on the occasion of 50 years’ celebrations of India’s independence. He was also awarded a gold medal by the J&K Government (1997), the Shree Bhatt Puruskar by J&K Vichar Manch, New Delhi (2000), the Sharda Puruskar Saman by Sanjeevani Sharda Kendra, Jammu (2006), and the First Alakh Saman by Shri Alakh Sahiba Trust, Jammu (2017).
Sarwanand Koul Premi
(1924 – 1990) – (Jammu & Kashmir)
Sarwanand Koul Premi (Aged 66), the son of Gopi Nath Koul, the first matriculate in his village, and Omravati Koul, was born into a farming family in the Anantnag district in 1924. He was a well-known freedom fighter, philanthropist, Gandhian, broadcaster, social reformer, litterateur, and translator, with knowledge of Hindi, Urdu, Kashmiri, Persian, English, and Sanskrit. He worked towards the cause of marriage for orphan Muslim girls and firmly believed in national integrity among all communities.
During the Quit India Movement from 1942-1946, he worked underground for the cause of the nation and got arrested on six occasions. Mahatma Gandhi recognized his work and presented him, in 1946, with a photo frame containing one of his famous Hindi poems “Aav chalen ek saath chalen.”
Ghulam Ahmed Mehjoor honored him with the epithet of ‘Premi’ for his love of poetry. He worked for the State Education Department from 1956-1979. Sadly, he and his son Virender were brutally murdered by militants in 1990.
Sarwanand Koul Premi was respected by all communities, and his publications include over three dozen books, including translations of the Bhagavad Gita, Gitanjali, and Ramayana into Kashmiri. It is important for Kashmiri youth to read his works to learn about the rich cultural heritage of the country. He was a staunch secularist and worked hard towards national integration and understanding.
He was posthumously felicitated with a medal and memento (1997) by Delhi Pradesh BJP on the occasion of 50 years’ celebrations of India’s independence. He was also awarded a gold medal by the J&K Government (1997), the Shree Bhatt Puruskar by J&K Vichar Manch, New Delhi (2000), the Sharda Puruskar Saman by Sanjeevani Sharda Kendra, Jammu (2006), and the First Alakh Saman by Shri Alakh Sahiba Trust, Jammu (2017).
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