Padma Shri Ajeet Cour, a well-known Punjabi fiction writer, is the spirit behind the Academy of Fine Arts and Literature (1977) and the Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (1987). She is the author of 31 collections of short stories, novelettes, and novels, nine creative translations of fiction and poetry, over 35 edited works, and numerous articles as an accredited journalist. Her books in English translation include The Other Woman, Leftovers, Pebbles in a Tin Drum, Gauri, Dead End, Water Weaver, and Life Was Here Somewhere. She writes in Punjabi but has been widely translated into several Indian and foreign languages.
Ajeet Cour’s forte lies in the passion and commitment she brings to bear on everything she takes up—from creative writing to cultural activism, from the preservation of the environment and historical heritage to the empowerment of marginalized women. She has been a visiting scholar, lecturing across the globe on Indian cultural heritage. She is the recipient of several national and international awards, including the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1986, the Padma Shri in 2006, and the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 2024. She is also one of the ‘1000 PeaceWomen Across the Globe’ who were nominated collectively for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.