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Farooq Qaiser ( Punjabi, ur, فاروق قیصر; 31 October 1945 – 14 May 2021) was a Pakistani artist, newspaper columnist, TV show director, puppeteer, script writer, and voice actor. He was known as the creator of the fictional puppet character
Uncle Sargam Uncle Sargam ( ur, انکل سرگم) is a puppet character that first appeared in the Pakistani children's television show ''Kaliyan'', aired on PTV in 1976. Uncle Sargam was created and voiced by the award-winning puppeteer and television di ...
introduced in 1976 in children's television show ''Kaliyan''. Farooq was also a cartoonist, newspaper columnist and wrote for the newspaper ''Daily Nai Baat'' in Lahore and under the pen name "Meethay Karelay" (English: "Sweet Bitter gourd").


Early life and education

Farooq Qaiser was born on 31 October 1945 in a Muslim family in
Sialkot Sialkot ( ur, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of Sialkot District and the 13th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined with Jammu (the winter capital of Indian administered Jammu and Ka ...
,
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
. He spent his early childhood in
Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
and
Kohat Kohat ( ps, کوهاټ; ur, ) is a city that serves as the capital of the Kohat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is regarded as a centre of the Bangash tribe of Pashtuns, who have lived in the region since the late 15th centur ...
,
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...
. In 1970, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts from the
National College of Arts The National College of Arts (colloquially known as NCA) is a public university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Overview National College of Arts - A Federal Chartered Institute is the oldest art school in Pakistan and the second oldest i ...
(NCA),
Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
. Later he received a master's degree in Graphic Arts from
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, Romania, in 1976 and also trained for puppetry there. He also received his master's degree in Mass Communication in 1999 from the
University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...
, School for Communication and Journalism,
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.


Career

Qaiser started his career in the early 1970s after graduating from the
National College of Arts The National College of Arts (colloquially known as NCA) is a public university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Overview National College of Arts - A Federal Chartered Institute is the oldest art school in Pakistan and the second oldest i ...
, Lahore, with a short documentary in the English language. In 1971, his teacher
Salima Hashmi Salima Hashmi ( ur, ; born 1942) is a Pakistani painter artist, former college professor, anti-nuclear weapons activist and former caretaker minister in Sethi caretaker ministry. She has served for four years as a professor and the dean of Nat ...
got him involved in her children's television puppet show ''Akkar Bakkar''. In that show, he worked with
Shoaib Hashmi Shoaib Hashmi ( ur, ) is a veteran playwright, actor and professor from Pakistan. Family life and education Hashmi received his Master of Arts degree in economics from Government College (now Government College University), Lahore and his MSc ...
,
Muneeza Hashmi Muneeza Hashmi ( ur, ; born 1946) is a broadcaster, television producer, actress and a former general manager of the Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV). Hashmi has over four decades of experience working with public media. She is currently ...
and
Faiz Ahmad Faiz Faiz Ahmad ''Faiz'' (13 February 1911 – 20 November 1984; Urdu, Punjabi: فیض احمد فیض) was a Pakistani poet, and author of Urdu and Punjabi literature. Faiz was one of the most celebrated Pakistani Urdu writers of his time. Outsi ...
on the scripts and puppets. The show was intended to be Pakistan's version of the American entertainment and educational show ''
Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...
''. His first assignment on the show was to create a local version of the
Big Bird Big Bird is a Muppet character designed by Jim Henson and built by Kermit Love for the long-running children's television show ''Sesame Street''. An eight-foot two-inch (249 cm) tall bright yellow anthropomorphic bird, he can roller skat ...
, after which he went on to create many other characters for the program. In 1976, Qaiser directed and wrote his own puppet show ''Kaliyan'' which was broadcast on the national television network, Pakistan Television (PTV). He created his own fictional puppet characters for the show including
Uncle Sargam Uncle Sargam ( ur, انکل سرگم) is a puppet character that first appeared in the Pakistani children's television show ''Kaliyan'', aired on PTV in 1976. Uncle Sargam was created and voiced by the award-winning puppeteer and television di ...
, Haiga and Maasi Museebte. He also was the voice of Uncle Sargam. He created the character Uncle Sargam in resemblance of his teacher Mohan Lal from Romania. The character went on to be a household name in Pakistan for many decades. Speaking about the character, Qaiser said, "he has the same insecurities and fears of every middle class Pakistani. He could say things that a common man wanted to express but could not say". Some of his other television shows included ''Putli Tamasha'' and ''Sargam Time''. Qaiser also worked at the Lahore based Urdu daily newspaper '' Daily Nai Baat'' as a cartoonist. He was also a newspaper columnist at the same newspaper and wrote under the pen name ''Meethay Karelay''. He taught for sometime at the Fatima Jinnah Women University in Rawalpindi. He served on the board of governors at the
National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage Heritage Museum ( ur, ), also known as Lok Virsa Museum is a museum administered and managed by Lok Virsa - National Institute of Folk & Traditional Heritage. It is a museum of history and culture in Islamabad, Pakistan, located on the Shakarpa ...
(''Lok Virsa''), in
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...
, Pakistan, in 2015. He was a recipient of the Presidential
Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...
in 1993. He also served in India as a member of
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
providing educational services for two years.


Personal life

Qaiser was married and had two daughters and a son. He died on 14 May 2021, in
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...
from a severe heart attack.


Works


Books

Source(s): * ''Hor Puchho'' * ''Kaalam Galoch'' * ''Meethay Karelay'' * ''Meray Piyaray Allah Mian''


Characters

Source: * ''
Uncle Sargam Uncle Sargam ( ur, انکل سرگم) is a puppet character that first appeared in the Pakistani children's television show ''Kaliyan'', aired on PTV in 1976. Uncle Sargam was created and voiced by the award-winning puppeteer and television di ...
'' * ''Masi Museebatay'' * ''Haiga'' * ''Sharmeeli'' * ''Rola''


Television shows

Source(s): * ''Kaliyan'' (1976) –
Pakistan Television Pakistan Television Corporation ( ur, ; reporting name: PTV) is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster. Pakistan entered the television broadcasting age in 1964, with a pilot television station established at Lahore. Background Historical co ...
* ''Daak Time'' (1993) – NTM * ''Sargam Sargam'' (1995) – Pakistan Television * ''Siyasi Kaliyan'' (2010) – Dawn News * ''Sargam Back Home'' (2016– continue) – Pakistan Television


Awards and recognition

*
Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...
Award by the President of Pakistan in 1993 * 9th PTV Awards for Writer Special Award in 1998 * Sitara e Imtiaz awarded by president
Arif Alvi Arif-ur-Rehman Alvi (; born 29 July 1949) is a Pakistani dentist and politician currently serving as the 13th President of Pakistan, in office since 9 September 2018. He was a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from June 2013 to May 2 ...
on March 23, 2021, for his unmatched performance and contribution towards the entertainment industry of Pakistan for over 4 decades.


References


External links


Farooq Qaiser interview with Samaa TV in Pakistan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Qaiser, Farooq 1945 births 2021 deaths Pakistani columnists Pakistani expatriates in Romania Pakistani male journalists Pakistani graphic designers Pakistani comics artists Pakistani television directors Pakistani puppeteers Pakistani male voice actors Pakistani cartoonists National College of Arts alumni USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism alumni Pakistani comics writers Pakistani television writers Pakistani male television actors Punjabi people Artists from Lahore PTV Award winners Recipients of the Pride of Performance Male actors from Lahore Writers from Lahore Male television writers