Aziz Hajini (born Abdul Aziz Parray; 7 March 1957 11 September 2021) was a Kashmiri writer, poet, critic and convenor of

Sahitya Akademi The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...

for New Delhi's Northern Regional Board. He served as a government school teacher for 30 years before being appointed as assistant professor at the department of Kashmiri of the

University of Kashmir The University of Kashmir (U-K, UoK), informally known as Kashmir University (KU), is a collegiate public state university located on the western side of Dal Lake in the city of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, India which was established in 194 ...

until he retired from active service in 2019. In between he was appointed secretary of

Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages The Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages (also known as Cultural Academy) is a Society registered with Government as a Cultural organization dedicated to the promotion of regional languages, art and culture including theatre ...

in 2015 by PDP led government which evoked severe criticism in the media for his alleged links with the separatists.

Biography

Hajini was born as Abdul Aziz Parray in 1957 at Hajan area of Bandipura, Jammu and Kashmir. He did his early schooling at Hajan, and later moved to

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

city where he graduated from the

Government Degree College, Bemina The Abdul Ahad Azad Memorial College Bemina (Urdu;) formerly known as GDC Bemina, Government Degree College, Bemina is a University Grants Commission autonomous college in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir located on 300 Kanal (37.5 acre) c ...

. He later received

honours degree Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, or ...

in Kashmiri language from the

. He is first gold medalist of the university in the Kashmiri language category. He obtained PhD in 2017 from the same university. Prior to his PhD, he qualified for the

National Eligibility Test UGC NET or NTA-UGC-NET, is the examination for determining the eligibility for the post of assistant professor and/or Junior Research Fellowship award in Indian universities and colleges. The examination is conducted by National Testing Agenc ...

(NET). Hajini died on 11 September 2021, at the age of 64.

Career

He was elected as the president of

Adbee Markaz Kamraz Adbee Markaz Kamraz (AMK), sometimes referred to as Adbee Markaz Kamraz Jammu and Kashmir (AMKJK), is an oldest and the largest cultural and literary organisation of the Jammu Jammu and Kashmir union territory focused on promoting and preserv ...

, an NGO of the Jammu and Kashmir. From 2008 to 2012, he served as convenor of Sahitya Akademi for Kashmiri languages. Prior to this, he served as a member of the Akademi from 1997 to 2002. In 2015, his book ''Aane Khane'', a literary criticism covering

Kashmiri literature Literature of Kashmir has a long history, the oldest texts having been composed in the Sanskrit language. Early names include Patanjali, the author of the '' Mahābhāṣya'' commentary on Pāṇini's grammar, suggested by some to have been the sa ...

and language was released by the then governor of Jammu and Kashmir

Narinder Nath Vohra Narinder Nath Vohra (born 5May1936), popularly referred as N. N. Vohra, is a retired 1959batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Punjab cadre who was the 12thgovernor of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. He was the first civi ...

and later in 2016, he became the recipient of Akademi Award in Kashmir after the book was released to general public. He was also appointed a member of the

Indian Institute of Public Administration The Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) was established in 1954 and is research and training organization under the Ministry of Personnel of the Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), k ...

for New Delhi and a member of the

National Book Trust National Book Trust (NBT) is an Indian publishing house, which was founded in 1957 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education of the Government of India. The activities of the Trust include publishing, promotion of books and reading, ...

in 2012. From 1998 to 2000, he was appointed president of Kashmir Theater Association an NGO and between 1998 and 2008, served as general secretary of the Adbi Markaz Kamraz. He also participated in literary seminars abroad such as the US, the UAE and in Canada.

Literary contribution

He wrote more than twenty books in

Kashmiri language Kashmiri () or Koshur (, /kəːʃur/) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by around 7 million Kashmiris of the Kashmir region, primarily in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. In 2020, the Parliament of India passed a bill to make ...

, including poetry and criticism.

Controversy

His appointment as Secretary of Jammu Kashmir Academy of Art Culture and languages (JAACL) in 2015 evoked severe criticism in the media for his alleged links with the separatists, especially with Umar Farooq All Party Hurriyat Conference Chief.

Awards

In 2013, he translated Do Gaz Zameen'', a novel by Abdul Samad into Kashmiri language, leading it to become the recipient of an uncertain award for best translation in Kashmiri.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hajini, Aziz 1957 births 2021 deaths Writers from Srinagar University of Kashmir alumni Poets from Jammu and Kashmir Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Kashmiri Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Prize for Translation