Hardiljeet Singh 'Lalli'

Popular among Punjabi literary circles across the globe as Lali Baba (Punjabi: ਲਾਲੀ ਬਾਬਾ), Hardiljeet Singh Sidhu was known for inspiring generations of writers and scholars.

Lali was born in a landlord family belonging to village Fatehgarh near Lehragaga in Sangrur district in Punjab. He was married to Satwant Kaur in 1967 and had two sons and a daughter. Lali taught at Linguistics department in Punjabi University, Patiala before he retired. Though he never got published any book of his own, he was known to be a virtual treasure trove of world of art and literature. He carried on the oral tradition imparting a great deal of knowledge to those around him.

Noted poet Navtej Bharati wrote a poetry book Lali named after him and dedicated to him.

Lali died in the 82nd year of his life on 28 December 2014 at Patiala.