Satyapal Anand


Satyapal Anand was an Indian-American poet, critic and writer. He wrote several fictional and poetry books in four languages: English, Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. He also received awards for his literary work.

Early life

Anand was born in Kot Sarang, Talagang District, Punjab Province, British India, now in Punjab, Pakistan. He finished his primary education there and attended secondary school in Rawalpindi in 1947. After the partition of India, his family moved to Ludhiana in East Punjab, where he received his college education, earning a Masters in English from the Punjab University in Chandigarh with academic distinction. Later, he earned his first doctoral degree in English Literature with a thesis titled "Changing concept of the nature of reality and literary techniques of expression." He earned his second doctoral degree in Philosophy from the Trinity University, Texas.

Career

Academic

Anand spent most of his life in teaching graduate and post-graduate students in universities around the globe. Starting with the Punjab University in Chandigarh in 1961, he held teaching positions at other universities, including the University of the District of Columbia in Washington, DC. He was also a visiting professor at South Eastern University in Washington, D.C., the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, and Open University in England. From 1992 to 1995 he was on special assignment as a Professor of Education in the Department of Technical Education, Saudi Arabia. He availed himself of many invitations in his professorial life, having nickname "Air Port Professor" by his pupils and friends. He visited several countries including the UK, Germany, Turkey, Denmark, Norway and North America.

Literary

Anand's writing career started in the early 50s when in a span of just two years he published a poetry collection, a collection of stories, and novels, all in Urdu. He had his brush with authorities when the Punjab, India banned his Hindi novel "Chowk Ghanta Ghar" in 1957 and ordered his arrest. His first book of short stories was published in 1953, when he was a 22-year young student. He was highly praised by the Urdu writers and poets for his best literary work in Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi and English. He mostly writes poems rather than ghazals. His poems are based on history, mythology or mixed culture of the West and the East.
Anand's English poem "Thus Spake The Fish" has qualified for the award in an international competition by a UN-sponsored committee for "Earth Preservation Day Celebration." The poem,

Personal life and death

Anand married Promila Anand in November 1957 and the couple had two sons and a daughter.
Anand died in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on August 2, 2025, at the age of 94.

Awards