Renowned poet and Amrita Pritam's lover, Imroz, passes away at 97

Renowned poet and artist Inderjeet, better known by his pen name Imroz, passed away at his residence in Mumbai's Kandivali on Friday. The 97-year-old, who came into the limelight for his profound relationship with Punjab's beloved poetess Amrita Pritam, was suffering from age-related ailments.

Imroz's close friend and poetess Amiya Kunwar confirmed his demise, stating that he had been battling health issues for some time and was recently admitted to hospital. 

"He never forgot Amrita, even when taking food through a pipe," Kunwar said. "He hated it when people spoke of her in the past tense. He'd say, 'Amrita hai, yahin hai' (Amrita is here, she's present)."

Imroz and Amrita's love story rises above the boundaries as they lived together for over 40 years but never married. Even after Amrita's passing in 2005, Imroz refused to accept her absence. "He has only joined Amrita up in the heavens," Kunwar said. "Their love story is one that will forever inspire the world."

From Artist to Poet

Inderjeet Singh was born in 1926, Imroz's journey began in 1966 when he joined Amrita's magazine 'Naagmani' as an illustrator. It was then that he changed the name Imroz from Inderjeet. Amrita used to call him 'Jeet.'

Imroz, who was well known for his illustrations turned to poetry after Amrita's health. He wrote many poems and dedicated several collections to her memory. 'Jashan Jaari Hai' (Celebration Continues), for which he won an award, 'Manchaaha Hi Rishta' (The Desired Relationship), and 'Rang Tere Mere' (Our Colors) are some of his most treasured works.