IndiStories Episode 24: Diya Jale Saari Raat by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas
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Description
It is a romantic story written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, who is remembered as a novelist, story writer, film director, and distinguished journalist. Although I did not fully subscribe to the communist worldview, when I picked up a copy of BLITZ weekly magazine as a student, I immediately jumped to what was called the Last Page. This place was reserved for a column by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. He was born in Panipat, a town in Haryana that we often associate with Maulana Hali. Abbas’s grandfather Khwaja Ghulam Abbas was, in fact, a chief rebel in the 1857 Rebellion. We also remember Abbas for his films like Dharti Ke Lal, Pardesi, and especially Raj Kapoor films such as Awara, Shree 420, Jagte Raho, Mera Naam Joker, and Bobby. Abbas got a bachelor’s degree in English literature and a law degree from Aligarh Muslim University. He authored dozens of books that were published in Urdu, Hindi, English, and numerous foreign languages. He died in 1987. Your feedback is most welcome. [email protected]
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Gulzar was born in Dina (District Jhelum, now in Pakistan) in 1934. After partition, the family split and moved to Delhi and Mumbai. Partition and the horrors of partition significantly influenced young Gulzar, and later in his life, he published short stories and a novel about this apocalyptic...
Published 02/08/24
Published 02/08/24