Amrita Pritam’s poem commonly known as “Main Tenu Phir Milangi” (“I Will Meet You Yet Again”) is widely described as her final poem and as a message to her partner, the artist Imroz. Its speaker imagines returning not in the body, but as a presence in his imagination and as a mysterious line on his canvas. The poem’s final-poem status is often repeated, though the available accounts do not establish a precise composition date or first publication.
What was Amrita Pritam’s final love poem?
The poem is usually identified by its Punjabi title, Main Tenu Phir Milangi, and is also rendered in English as “I Will Meet You Yet Again” or “I Will Meet You Again.” Transliteration varies: “Main Tainu Pher Milaangi” is another form found in coverage. Hindustan Times calls it Pritam’s swan song and says it was addressed to Imroz; a 2023 review of Amrita Pritam: The Writer Provocateur describes the poem as dedicated to him as well. [Hindustan Times, 31 August 2018] [Hindustan Times, 30 July 2023]
A 2021 scholarly article says Pritam wrote it a few days before her death. That is a reported chronology, not a settled date: the sources cited here do not provide a dated manuscript, an exact composition date, or a first-publication record. The careful description is that it is widely remembered as her last or swansong poem, with one scholarly account placing its writing shortly before her death. [Indian Journal of Arts and Literature, May 2021]
Why the poem is remembered
Its central image is a promise of presence after separation and death. Rather than imagining a literal return, the speaker says she will come back through imagination and as a mysterious line on Imroz’s canvas. The idea joins intimate address with the making of art: the beloved may be absent physically, yet remain in the artist’s work and inner life. The exact phrasing differs between English translations, so this is a description of the image rather than a definitive quotation.
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The poem’s emotional force also rests on the contrast between the body’s end and memory’s persistence. Its promise is not simply “we will meet again” in an unspecified future; it imagines ways that a person can continue to be encountered—in thought, in art, and in the traces of a shared life. That reading follows the imagery reported in the profile and scholarly discussion, while recognizing that individual translations shape its nuance. [ThePrint, 31 August 2019] [Indian Journal of Arts and Literature, May 2021]
Who was Imroz, and what was their relationship?
Imroz was an artist and Pritam’s long-term partner. Hindustan Times contrasts Pritam’s earlier unfulfilled love for lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi with the partnership she later shared with Imroz. Its account recalls that he supported her daily journeys to All India Radio and quotes him describing their relationship as unformalized; when asked to define love, he is quoted as saying, “Love for me is all spontaneity.” [Hindustan Times, 31 August 2018]
Journalist Nirupama Dutt’s first-person recollection describes meeting Pritam and Imroz and their shared literary circle, including their work on the Punjabi magazine Nagmani. Dutt calls the poem Pritam’s last poem to Imroz. This is a personal recollection and framing of their story, rather than documentary evidence for when the poem was composed or published. [The Quint, 27 December 2023]
Why the title and English wording vary
Punjabi written in Latin characters can be transliterated in more than one way, which accounts for forms such as “Main Tenu Phir Milangi” and “Main Tainu Pher Milaangi.” English titles vary too: “I Will Meet You Yet Again,” “I Will Meet You Again,” and “I shall meet you again” appear in secondary sources. These are not, by themselves, evidence of different poems.
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Translations also differ in their wording of the canvas, imagination, death, and memory imagery. The sources do not establish a definitive English text or support a reliable edition-by-edition comparison. Anyone quoting more than a brief phrase should identify the translator and edition and check the text against the published volume being used. A 2019 profile reproduces Punjabi lines alongside an English translation, while the 2021 scholarly article gives a shorter English rendering; neither establishes an authoritative edition. [ThePrint, 31 August 2019] [Indian Journal of Arts and Literature, May 2021]
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to read more of Pritam’s work
For readers who want to explore her poetry in multiple languages, the 2021 article’s bibliography lists Punjabi Poems of Amrita Pritam in Gurmukhi, Hindi and English, translated by Khushwant Singh and published by Star Publication in 2009. The bibliographic listing makes it a relevant reading companion, but does not establish that this particular poem appears in it or that a given edition is currently available. Check the contents and edition details before relying on it for this poem’s text. [Indian Journal of Arts and Literature, May 2021]
For wider literary context, the 2023 review of Amrita Pritam: The Writer Provocateur, edited by Hina Nandrajog and Prem Kumari Srivastava, describes a volume that includes selected poems, fiction excerpts, and critical essays. The review situates Pritam’s work within a life that encompassed poetry, fiction, broadcasting, editing, Partition, and gendered social constraints. [Hindustan Times, 30 July 2023]
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