A gardener, an orderly, a writer: Ninder Ghugianvi bags a national honour

2 min readChandigarhJun 19, 2026 06:09 PM IST

Ninder Ghugianvi fellowship recognition highlights the remarkable journey of the Punjabi writer who rose from humble beginnings to literary acclaim.

In a major recognition for Punjabi literature, the Ministry of Culture, through the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT), has awarded its Senior Research Fellowship to noted folk culture researcher and writer Ninder Ghugianvi.

A resident of Ghugiana village in Faridkot district, Ghugianvi has been awarded the fellowship for a two-year research project titled “125 Years of Punjabi Singing”. The project will culminate in a book documenting 125 years of Punjabi musical heritage, which will be published by the Ministry of Culture.

The fellowship marks another milestone in Ghugianvi’s unconventional literary journey. His formal education ended after Class IX because of financial hardship, forcing him to take up a series of jobs to support his family. He worked as a daily-wage gardener with the Punjab Government’s Language Department before securing a job at the age of 20 as a domestic servant and orderly (ardali) in the residence of a district court judge.

Drawing on his experiences and observations, Ghugianvi later wrote his autobiography, Mein Saan Judge Da Ardali (I Was a Judge’s Orderly). The book was subsequently translated into more than a dozen languages by the National Book Trust and brought him wider recognition.

In a turn of events, the same Language Department where he once worked as a gardener later appointed him to its State Advisory Board and honoured him with the Shiromani Punjabi Sahitkar Award.

With nearly 70 books to his credit, Ghugianvi has built a substantial body of work despite having no formal higher education. His writings are the subject of academic research at various universities, while six of his books form part of university curricula.

He has served as Writer-in-Residence at Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya in Wardha, Maharashtra, and as Professor of Practice at Central University of Punjab. He has also delivered lectures to IAS and IPS officers.

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With the fellowship, Ghugianvi joins a distinguished group of Punjabi writers, including Ram Sarup Ankhi and Dalip Kaur Tiwana, who have received the honour.