ਲੂਣਾ (Luna)

The book that won Shiv Kumar Batalvi the Sahita Akademi Award, Luna is a play written in verse.

The king of Sialkot marries a young girl called Luna. She falls in love with the king's son from his first marriage, Puran who is of her age. When Pooran repels her advances, she alleges misbehaviour by him to the king. Pooran is maimed and thrown into a well as a punishment. A sage rescues and treats him, and Pooran turns into a wandering ascetic himself - a Bhagat. Years later, a childless Luna comes to visit the famous Bhagat. When she realises his identity, she admits her mistake. Pooran forgives her and his father, and a child is later born to Luna.

That is how the legend of Puran Bhagar has been told in Punjab for centuries. Shiv Kumar Batalvi has instead turned it into a tale that questions the old legend, shifts the perspective and tells the story from the perspective of the woman. For Batalvi, it is the legend of Luna: a girl of lower caste, married against her wishes, who falls in love with a man of her age. He retells the legend, questions the society and makes Luna the focal point of his tale.