Sajood Sailani (born Ghulam Mohammed Wani; 1936 17 November 2020) was a
Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to:
* People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir
* Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley
* Kashmiri language, their language
People with the name
* Kashmiri Saikia Barua ...
playwright, painter, theater artist, cartoonist and a poet. He is primarily recognized for his
radio plays written in regional languages. He produced his work in
Urdu and
Kashmiri languages and wrote about 150 radio plays, 27 stage dramas and 40 comedies throughout his career.
In the latter years of his career, he wrote a play titled ''Kaej Raath'', leading him to become the recipient of
Sahitya Akademi Award under Kashmiri category in 1994. He also served as a member of
Sahitya Akademi's advisory board from 1973 to 1977 and in 1990.
He was born as Ghulam Mohammed Wani around 1936 in Dalgate
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 ...
,
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to:
* Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent
* Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory
* Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
.
He is survived by three children, including two sons Showkat Shehri (playwright and writer) and Manzoor Ahmad (psychiatrist) and a daughter.
Biography
He played a prominent role in popularizing modern Kashmiri theatre during 70s and 80s when he established Wani Art Gallery.
He started his career after being inspired by the
All India Radio's night show
Hawa Mahal programme. He later recorded nohakhwaani (tragedy of
Husayn ibn Ali
Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, أبو عبد الله الحسين بن علي بن أبي طالب; 10 January 626 – 10 October 680) was a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a son of Ali ibn Abi ...
) at Radio Kashmir Srinagar (in modern-day
AIR Srinagar). He also wrote some uncertain scripts of
noha depicting
battle of Karbala.
He originally started his career when he was studying in 10th class. It is believed that he never attended any college for further studies. He initially started writing short
sketch comedies
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and is ...
for the All India Radio and later worked for the Radio Kashmir Srinagar where he produced most of his
literary work, including prominent
dramas such as ''Kaej Raath'' (Dumb Night), ''Gaashe Taaruk'' (Guiding Star), and ''Ropye Rood'' (Money shower).
His prominent dramas include ''Zalur'' (spider), ''Vutri binyul'' (catastrophe), ''Fundbaz'' (swindler) and ''Tentykor'' (Catgut) among others.
As a painter, he established Wani Art Gallery and subsequently became the recipient of an uncertain cultural award conferred by the
government of Jammu and Kashmir
The Government of Jammu and Kashmir is the governing authority of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and its two divisions and 20 districts.
Jammu and Kashmir is a union territory in India under the terms of Article 239A (wh ...
's department Cultural Academy in 1970. He is sometimes considered as the only Kashmiri writer till this century who wrote a radio play in
.
Awards
Death
He was suffering from
chronic condition
A chronic condition is a health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time. The term ''chronic'' is often applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three mo ...
for some years and died on 17 November 2020 in Zafran Colony residence of Srinagar. He is buried in Pandrethan, cemetery of Srinagar.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sailani, Sajood
1936 births
2020 deaths
Kashmiri poets
Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Kashmiri
20th-century Indian poets
Dramatists and playwrights from Jammu and Kashmir
Painters from Jammu and Kashmir
Indian editorial cartoonists