Born in Banbhaura village in Malerkotla, Mohan Bhandari came to the city in 1959 as a clerk in the Punjab Education Department. And very soon he made his strong presence felt at a very young age with his short stories in Punjabi. And today after retiring from the department at a very good position he is a satisfied and complacent man. His high literary standards got him the prestigious Sahitya Akademi award for his anthology of short stories called, Moon di Akh.So how does he feel about the award? ``It has been a long and tough journey. The award makes me feel good, but what is more important to me is that people read my work and recognise it also'' he says shyly.So what are his writings all about and what inspires him to write? ``Life has been my inspiration and is in itself my guru. I have seen so much in life that I want it to express it through my writing.''``I was born in a lower middle class home and you can imagine the problems associated with it. My father expired when I was just eleven and it was a struggle for survival for me and my family. But what amazes me is the spirit of man, and his power of struggle to exist. It is this struggle, pains, existence that is reflected in my works.'' says Bhandari.He has described the nine to five routine of office life which has its shades of black and white very sensitively in his book Baraf Latarhe Rukh. He has also written a lot about the turbulent decade of violence in Punjab and also the partition which is very close to his heart. ``I saw the horrors of partition with my own eyes and felt it go deep down my soul'' Bhandari remembers.``I have tackled the hard times of violence in Punjab attempted, in vain, to break the age-old traditional Hindu Sikh ties in acclaimed stories like Paarh, Saanjh and the Kabootar. I am an optimist and believe that violence cannot separate people. The common must meet like water does. At least that is what I hope.''``My stories are `human', as I have fought for survival all my life and have succeeded and have been satisfied. Satisfied because I have been honest, and true to myself and that has expressed itself in my works. I am genuine and have never worn a mask. And this is what gives force to my writings and makes it convincing'' Bhandari asserts.And what does he have to say about the status of Punjabi literature? ``I know that the status is very discouraging. Western influence, vested political interests in some cases the onslaught of the media are responsible for the deteriorating standards. But I believe it is a challenge to keep our culture alive. I believe that what one can express in one's mother tongue one cannot do it in a foreign language.''And what about his prize winning collection Moon Di Akh all about? `` It is a collection of seven stories which tackles tragedies of Punjab, riots in Delhi etc. Some people felt that when the period has ended what is the relevance of such writing. But I feel that the basic human values and feeling that is expressed in the literature of movement can never be irrelevant. Hs the pain of partition gone irrelevant?'' So what are his plans about the future? Does he plan to continue writing? ``Yes! The most painful period in a writer's life is when he cannot write. I will continue to write and hope to begin my autobiography soon'' says Bhandari with a never die attitude.
