In Amritsar, spoken word poet and writer Priya Malik talks about her love for Amrita Pritam and her ishq with poetry

Unfiltered, gutsy, thoughtful. The words seem apt to describe Priya Malik and her poetry, which made us millennials teary-eyed and warm in heart with her now famous lines, “iPhone ke zamane mein Nokia 3910 dhoond rahi hoon, soy milk coffee ke zamane mein adrak wali chaai dhoond rahi hoon…main 2024 mein 1999 dhoond rahi hoon.” Malik shot to fame instantly with her piece, 2024 Mein 1999, as the poem hit all the right spots with simple words that this generation could easily relate to.

Performing at the third edition of Sacred Amritsar festival this year, Priya, this time, charmed the audience by reminding them of Amrit Pritam wala ishq with her another famous piece, Ishq Hai, Ishq Hai, Ishq Hai. The poem began with ‘Marne Ke Baad Bhi Usse Phir Milne Ki Aas Lagana, (a reference to Pritam’s iconic ‘Mein Tenu Pher Milangi)’. It celebrated the idea of eternal love, transcending lifetimes. “I am a big fan of Amrita Pritam and you would find that a lot of my poems have her reference. I first read her when I was in Australia and it moved me so much,” said Priya.

Interestingly, Priya being a student of Hindi literature shared that she had not been familiar with Pritam’s work till 2015. “Not everyone is connected to books or literature as we ought to. The reason why the process of poetic discourse has evolved now. From being a page to visual media poet, the process has reversed, at least in my case, as I got recognised on social media first and now my books will be out soon. But as long as you inspire people to read, to pick up a book and get familiar with Gulzar or Amrita Pritam, it all works out,” she says.

Personal reflections

A spoken word poet, who often faces criticism from the purists for the lack of form or behr (rthymic pattern), Priya says all that matters is if people relate to it. “2024 Mein 1999 started as an Instagram caption. I cannot write until I feel passionately about the subject and most of my poems are a reflection of my personal observations. The thought and intent matters the most.”

Performing in Amritsar was special for her as her family has roots in Lahore and she is the only one from her generation to make an attempt to trace them. “My dadi was eight months pregnant when they were forced to migrate from Lahore in 1946 and settled in Dehradun. I have grown up listening stories of Bano bazaar, about Surraiya’s songs and the big vedha at my dadi’s home in Lahore. The home we have in Dehradun was built resembling the one they left in Lahore. My dadi’s graduation certificate has mention of Undivided Punjab as she graduated from Panjab University, which was in Lahore at that time. So I really want to once visit Lahore and Amritsar is the closest one can get, at least for now,” she says, of course, with a promise of crossing that border at least once!