Pash was born as Avtar Singh Sandhu in 1950 in a small village called Talwandi Salem in Jalandhar district of Punjab, in a middle class farmers family. His father Sohan Singh Sandhu was a soldier in the Indian army who also composed poetry as a hobby. Pash grew up in the midst of the Naxalite movement, a revolutionary movement waged in Punjab against the landlords, industrialists, traders, etc. who control the means of production. This was in the midst of the Green revolution which had addressed India's problem of famine using high yield crops, but had also unconsciously led to other forms of inequities in Punjab. In 1970, he published his first book of revolutionary poems, Loh-Katha, at the age of 18. His militant and provocative tone raised the ire of the establishment and a murder charge was brought against him. He spent nearly two years in jail, before being finally acquitted. In 1972, the 22 year old started a On acquittal, he became involved in Punjab's Maoist front, editing a literary magazine, Siarh. He became a popular political figure on the left during this period, and was awarded a fellowship at the Punjabi Academy of Letters in 1985. He toured the United Kingdom and the United States the following year; while in the U.S., he became involved with the Anti-47 Front, opposing Sikh extremist violence. His words had a great influence on the minds of the people.
Assassination
In the beginning of 1988 Pash was in Punjab for the renewal of his visa from the United States. A day before leaving for Delhi, however, he was gunned down by Khalistani Militants along with his friend Hans Raj on the well in his village on 23 March 1988. Pash was assassinated by the Khalistanis.
Literary works
Loh-katha ,
Uddian Bazan Magar ,
Saadey Samiyaan Vich , and
Khilre Hoye Varkey
Khilre Hoey Varkey was posthumously published in 1989 after his death, followed by his journals and letters. A selection of his poems in Punjabi, Inkar, was published in Lahore in 1997. His poems have been translated in many languages including other Indian languages, Nepali and English. Poems written by Paarsh are popular in India, especially in Punjab and North India. Recitations of his poems are often carried out, especially on the weekends close to his death anniversary.
Sab Ton Khatarnaak
One of Pash's most popular and often cited poems is titled ਸਬ ਤੋਂ ਖ਼ਤਰਨਾਕ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ ਸੁਪਨਿਆਂ ਦਾ ਮਰ ਜਾਣਾ। सबसे ख़तरनाक होता है हमारे सपनों का मर जाना. In 2005, this poem was included in NCERT's Hindi book for 11th standard.
