Harchand Singh Bagri was born in 1945 in a village of Pherwahi in the District of Sangrur, in Punjab, India. He was born into a working middle class farming family. Harchand was the eighth child of nine children. He had five brothers and three sisters. Life was hard with a great deal of physical work but from an early age Harchand had a passion for learning. He would travel four miles back and forth, six days a week, to a neighboring village school  called Mubarikpur Middle School.
 
Harchand lost his mother at the age of ten and his father at the age of nineteen.  Much of his  earlier poetry and short stories are inspired by this turmultuous time in his life. After the loss of his mother, Prem Kaur,  his father Lal Singh took on the role of both parents. His father was not only a loving and nurturing man to Harchand and his younger brother but also great supporter of Harchand's endeavours.

Harchand continued his education graduating from college in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He had a desgination to become a teacher but he had dreams of settling abroad and making a better life for himself and his future family. Harchand completed a machinist certification program in order to enter a trade that was sought after in Canada. After the loss of his father there was not much holding him back. After his marriage to Parminder Kaur, he applied and was accepted as a visitor to Canada. He worked in British Columbia for a short period until he was able to bring his bride to his new home and later become Canadian citizens.

Harchand started writing poetry at the age of seventeen. It came very natural to him. It was an outlet for dealing with his grief and for expressing his thoughts on everyday life and social issues. By the time he was eighteen he had written enough material to produce a book of poetry and a novel (still unpublished). Once he arrived in Canada and started his family his passion for writing took a back seat as he focussed on providing for his wife and children. He worked tirelessly as a welder and machinist in small towns in British Columbia until he finally settled in Port Coquitlam. It was not until nineteen years later, after a visit to India and the discovery of his old works that he was inspired to write again. Initially it started with writing a few lines here and there on napkins while on his lunch or coffee breaks at the welding shops but soon everything he had been through or experienced over the years poured out of him in the form of poetry and short stories.

Harchand has now published twelve books and continues to write. His writing style is easily understood by all ages. Humour has always been centeral to dealing with life's challenges and is reflected in some of his works as well as recognizing and understanding life's lessons in our everyday experiences.

A video autobiography (in Punjabi) of Harchand Singh Bagri is available on the Punjabi Kalma website: