Diwan Singh
Dr. Diwan Singh Kalepani (12 May 1897 – 14 January 1944) was a Punjabi poet. He participated in the
Diwan Singh Kalepani passed his Matriculation in 1916 and in 1921 he got the diploma in Medical Service from
During the Second World War when Japan occupied the Andamans in 1942, Diwan Singh could not get reconcile to it. The Japanese officers ordered him to make a speech against the Britishers on the Penang Radio, but Diwan Singh declined. He also refused to let the local Gurdwara be used by the Japanese soldiers as a place where they entertained themselves. He was arrested in 1943 by the Japanese. The remaining 65 members of Punjabi Sabha were also put behind the bars. After about six months of torture, he was butchered along with other members of the Punjabi Sabha. Diwan Singh's collection of poems Vagade pani (Flowing water) was published in 1938 and his second collection Antim Lehran (Last tides) was published posthumously. Diwan Singh was not interested in conventional poetry and wrote in romantic-satirical free-verses on which Puran Singh's influence can also be seen. His scientific outlook made his poetry deep and intellectual. He believed in the direct poetry, very much like Puran Singh, and thus, strengthened the trend for succeeding generation of poets.[2]