Agha Saleem

Agha Khalid Saleem[3] (7 April 1935–12 April 2016; known by his pen name Agha Saleem) was a Pakistani writer, novelist, playwright and poet. He was primarily engaged in fiction writing, novels, dramas, regional films and travel literature. He is also credited for translating Sindhi language books into Urdu and English language, including Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai's book titled Risalo.

Agha Saleem
Native name
آغا سليم
BornAgha Khalid Saleem
(1935-04-07)7 April 1935
Shikarpur, Sindh, Pakistan
Died12 April 2016(2016-04-12) (aged 81)
Karachi, Pakistan
Occupation
  • Writer
  • Novelist
  • Playwright
  • Poet
[1][2]
LanguageSindhi, Urdu, English[lower-alpha 1]
NationalityPakistani
EducationGraduation
Alma materGovernment College University Hyderabad
SubjectPolitics, Literature
Notable awardsPride of Performance
Latif Award (2)
Years active1958–2016

He was born as Agha Khalid Saleem in Shikarpur, Sindh to a Pakhtun family. He did his primary schooling from a school in his hometown. In 1948, he went to Hyderabad and graduated from a public college called Government College Kali Mori (now Government College University Hyderabad) in 1958. He had two sons, including Agha Jamshed Khan and Agha Khudadad Khan and a daughter Agha Gul Zareen Khan.

Literary career

Agha started his career around 1957 to 1958. His first short story titled Ahh Ae Zalim Samaj (O, you cruel society) was published in 1958 when he graduated from the college. As a playwright, he started writing radio plays with Radio Pakistan after completing his education. His first novel titled Ondhahi Dharti Roshan Hath'a (Dark Land, Bright Hands) was published in 1972. The novel he wrote depicted Indus Valley Civilisation of Mohenjo-daro which primarily revolves around historical events of the civilisation till the dominion of Pakistan created two new sovereign states India and Pakistan followed by the split of Indian subcontinent.[4][5] His prominent novels included Oondahi Dharti, Hamma Oast and Roshan Hath. He was inspired by the political movement against One Unit, a geopolitical programme launched by the government of Pakistan and was actively involved in contentious politics-writings and pro-democracy movement in an attempt for mass mobilisation.[6]

His first radio play titled Wapsi and Dodo Chanesar are recognized among the prominent ones. Later, he wrote more plays, including Roop Bahroop, Gul Chhino Girnar Jo, and Gulan Jahera Ghava. His poetic series titled Pann Chhan Aeen Chand was published in 1986.[7]

As an editor, he also worked for two local newspapers of that time such as Jaago and Daily Sach.[4]

Work

Key
Remarks denote a short description of the work where available.
# Title[7][6] Year Type/Credited as Remarks
1Ahh Ae Zalim Samaj (O, you cruel society) 1958 Short story N/A
2Chand Ja Tamanayee 1967 Short story N/A
3Ondhahi Dharti Roshan Hath'a (Dark Land, Bright Hands) 1972 Novel It depicts Indus Valley Civilisation of Mohenjo-daro
4Dharti Roshan Aahe 1985 Short story N/A
5Gunah 1985 Short story N/A
6Annpooro Insaan 1985 Short story N/A
7Roshni Ji Talash 1985 Novelette N/A
8Oondahee Dharti 1985 Novel N/A
9Roshan Hath 1985 Novel N/A
10Hama-i-Oost 1985 Novel N/A
11Hamma Oast N/A Novel N/A
12Falsafay Ji Kahani 1985 Translator N/A
13Shah Jo Risalo 1985 Translator N/A
14Pann Chhan Aeen Chand 1986 Poem N/A
14Wapsi N/A Radio play N/A
16Roop Bahroop N/A Radio play N/A
17Gulan Jahera Ghava N/A Radio play N/A
18Gul Chhino Girnar Jo N/A Radio play N/A
19Dodo Chanesar N/A Radio play N/A
20Melody of Clouds N/A N/A N/A

Arrests

In 1978 he was arrested and later prosecuted under martial law for disrespecting the country's founder. The case was later dismissed after Qazi Muhammad Akbar, a Pakistani politician helped him get out of prison.[7]

Awards

Year Award[8] Nominated work Result
2005 Pride of Performance For contributing to Sindhi literature Won
N/A Latif Award (2) N/A

Death

Agha was suffering from heart complications and was under medical treatment at a hospital. He died of a heart stroke on 12 April 2016 in Karachi, Pakistan.[7][9]

Footnotes

  1. He published primarily in Sindhi and Urdu languages and very few work in English language

References

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