Chiragh Din, also known as Ustad Daman, was a legendary Punjabi poet born on 9 February 1911 to Meeran Bakhsh, a tailor in the walled city of Lahore. He passed his matriculation in 1927. During his youth he used to recite his Punjabi poems in the meetings of the Indian National Congress and other political gatherings. Daman was a perfect tailor and a perfect Punjabi poet of his own kind

He was a contemporary of the famous Urdu poet, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, born on 13 February 1911. Both were non-conformist. Like Faiz, Ustaad Daman also supported the cause of Pakistan on the basis of ‘right of self determination’. He raised his voice against the rulers and dictators like Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, and Zia-ul-Haq. Though he suffered, yet he never bowed down to them. Faiz passed away on 20 November 1984. Both Faiz and Daman were 74 years old at that time. On 3 December 1984, Daman followed.

This paper aims to shed some light on the development and growth of Ustad Daman’s personality and poetry through different phases of his life: as poet, a supporter of working class and as a political activist. If one was to sum up his life and poetry in a single expression, then “his commitment” would be the first choice.