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Marhi Da Deeva (novel)

1964 novel by Gurdial Singh

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 14, 2026
Entity authorityQ6760863 ↗
Source-derived summary

Marhi Da Deeva (Originally in Punjabi: ਮੜ੍ਹੀ ਦਾ ਦੀਵਾ, Literally meaning: The Lamp of the Tomb), sometimes spelled as Marhi Da Diva, is a 1964 Punjabi novel by Gurdial Singh. This first novel established Gurdial Singh as a novelist.

The author himself described it as the first Punjabi novel in "critical realism". It came in for high praise, with some critics calling it a landmark equivalent to Premchand's Godan. It was translated as The Last Flicker by the Sahitya Akademi.

Adaptation

The novel was adapted into a 1989 Punjabi film of the same name. Surinder Singh directed the film, which starred Raj Babbar, Deepti Naval and Parikshit Sahni in lead roles. The film received a National Film Award and was critically acclaimed.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Marhi Da Deeva (novel)” as 1964 novel by Gurdial Singh. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Marhi, Deeva and novel.

Editorial reviewBest approached as a cultural-object dossier: authorship and date matter, but circulation and reception often explain the wider significance. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1964, 1989—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1964. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Marhi, Deeva and novel providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Marhi Da Deeva (novel)”, the useful work is to connect “1964 novel by Gurdial Singh” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6760863. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1964 and 1989.

Critical limits

Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Marhi Da Deeva (novel)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Marhi Da Deeva (novel) primary sources, Marhi Da Deeva (novel) archive and Marhi research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Marhi Da Deeva (novel)”?
  2. How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
  3. Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Marhi Da Deeva (novel)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.