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Podcast: Listen with Irfan
Episode:

Bhisham Sahni speaks
Category: Arts
Duration: 00:07:59
Publish Date: 2022-12-25 10:38:02
Description:

Bhisham Sahni was an iconic writer, playwright and actor, born on 8 August 1915.

Bhisham Sahni was one of the most well known and celebrated writers of post-independent India. While he was also known for being a professor, an essayist, translator, editor, dramatist, theatre Director, actor, social and political activist, it is his fiction that has made the most significant contribution to Hindi literature.

One of the most gifted writers of his time, a man whose humanity ran like a deep river through his life and work, a man who lived with quiet dignity and gentle kindness, Bhisham Sahni wrote some of the finest books of his time, books imbued with humanity, compassion, gentle humour and delicate nuances.

Proficient in Punjabi, Hindi, Sanskrit, Urdu and English, Bhisham Sahni started writing short stories at the age of 16. He wrote in Hindi more than a hundred short stories, compiled in ten volumes; seven novels, six plays, stories for children, a biography of his brother, Balraj Sahni, an autobiography and his Literary Journey (MeriSahitYatra) in Punjabi. BhishamSahni’s last unpublished novel on Gautama Buddha was written in English.

Sahni's screen acting debut came after he had turned 69 and new wave filmmaker Saeed Akhtar Mirza offered him the lead in Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho (1984). In 1986, the Indian neo-realist filmmaker Govind Nihalani turned Sahni's novel 'Tamas' into a landmark television film. It was also the high point of Sahni's acting career. He played an old Sikh on the run with his wife from the riot-torn areas. Watched, and loved, all over India, the film triggered violence from Hindu militants, including threats to Nihalani. He was last seen in Aparna Sen's critically acclaimed film Mr And Mrs Iyer (2002).

He received numerous awards for his excellence as a writer.

He died in Delhi on 11 July 2003.

Cover art: Irfan

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