Balwant Gargi was an Indian Punjabi language dramatist, theatre director, novelist, short story writer, and academic. On 4 December 1916, in Canal House in Sehna, Barnala (Punjab), Balwant Gargi was born in a house near the Sirhind Canal, famous for being the spot where Razia Sultan was imprisoned. The second son in the family of Shiv Chand Garg, a head clerk in the Irrigation Department, he would go on create history in the world of Indian and Punjabi literature.Gargi studied at Government College Lahore, and completed his M.A.(English) and M.A.(Political Science) from FC College in Lahore. He also studied theatre with Norah Richards at her school in Kangra Valley.Gargi wrote several plays, including Loha Kutt, Kesro, Kanak Di Balli, Sohni Mahiwal, Sultan Razia, Soukan, Mirza Sahiba and Dhooni di Agg and short stories Mircha Wala Sadh, Pattan di Berhi and Kuari Disi. His plays were translated into 12 languages, and have been performed around the world, including Moscow, London, New Delhi and around the United States. In addition to this dramatic corpus, Gargi’s short stories began to be published in English. A book, Folk Theatre of India, published in New York City and two semi-autobiographical novels in English and Punjabi, The Naked Triangle (Nangi Dhup) and The Purple Moonlight (Kashni Vehra) brought him to the forefront of cosmopolitan attention. Balwant Gargi was among the pioneers of playwriting in Punjabi and the production and telecast of his plays like Sanjha Chulha on Doordarshan received countrywide appreciation.

Born: 4 December 1916Sehna, Barnala (Punjab)
Died : 21 April 2003 (aged 86)Mumbai, India
Occupation : Writer, Theatre Director