MotiLal Saqi
Encyclopedia
Moti Lal Saqi (1936 – 21 May 1999) was an India
n poet, writer, folklorist and researcher.
Born in 1936 at Bijbehara
, Jammu & Kashmir, India
, Moti Lal Saqi enriched Kashmiri language
and literature in several ways, and emerged as a major poet and critic in the language while still in his youth. From the lyrical romanticism of "Modury Khwab" (Sweet Dreams), his first collection of poems, to the spiritual restlessness and an inward quest for higher values based on faith reflected in "Mansar", for which he won the Sahitya Academi award, and "Mrigvan", Saqi underwent a significant change in his sensibility as a poet and established an idiom distinctly his own. The traumatic experience of uprootment from his native soil in 1990 found a poignant expression in many of his poems, his long poem "Marsi" (Elergy) being a most disturbing document of the tragedy of the Pandits' displacement. His latest collection Niry Nagma (Songs of the Green Meadows) shows his intense nostalgia for Kashmir and points to the torture of having to live in a forced exile away from the valley's myriad charms and attractions.
His latest book Aagar Neb reflects his deep research and study regarding various aspects of Kashmiri culture. Surprisingly enough, Saqi was awarded Padmashri for his services to Urdu literature.
Moti Lal Saqi was also associated with the activities of the N. S. Kashmir Research Institute and had agreed to work for the compilation of the encyclopaedia of Kashmiri culture which the Institute is going to bring out. NSKRI deeply mourns his loss which it feels is immeasurably great for a community that values learning and literature above everything else.
after a massive heart attack. Earlier in March he had undergone surgery for a heart ailment at Jammu
, and was now recuperating at his eldest son, Vijay Saqi's residence at Sarojini Nagar
. The tragic news of his death was received with great shock by his numerous friends and admirers in Delhi who rushed to bid him a tearful farewell. With his demise the Kashmiri Pandit community has lost yet another warrior who was in the vanguard of the struggle to save and sustain its culture in exile.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n poet, writer, folklorist and researcher.
Born in 1936 at Bijbehara
Bijbehara
Bijbiāra , also known as Bijbehara, Vejibyor and Vejibyōr, is a town and a notified area committee in Anantnag district in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, India.-Geography:Bijbehara is located at...
, Jammu & Kashmir, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Moti Lal Saqi enriched Kashmiri language
Kashmiri language
Kashmiri is a language from the Dardic sub-group and it is spoken primarily in the Kashmir Valley, in Jammu and Kashmir. There are approximately 5,554,496 speakers in Jammu and Kashmir, according to the Census of 2001. Most of the 105,000 speakers or so in Pakistan are émigrés from the Kashmir...
and literature in several ways, and emerged as a major poet and critic in the language while still in his youth. From the lyrical romanticism of "Modury Khwab" (Sweet Dreams), his first collection of poems, to the spiritual restlessness and an inward quest for higher values based on faith reflected in "Mansar", for which he won the Sahitya Academi award, and "Mrigvan", Saqi underwent a significant change in his sensibility as a poet and established an idiom distinctly his own. The traumatic experience of uprootment from his native soil in 1990 found a poignant expression in many of his poems, his long poem "Marsi" (Elergy) being a most disturbing document of the tragedy of the Pandits' displacement. His latest collection Niry Nagma (Songs of the Green Meadows) shows his intense nostalgia for Kashmir and points to the torture of having to live in a forced exile away from the valley's myriad charms and attractions.
Work as a critic
Saqi's contribution as a literary critic is equally impressive, his work on Sheikh Nur-ud-Din, popularly known as Nund Rishi, and the Sufi poets like Samad Mir is regarded as monumental. As a folk-lorist, Saqi compiled five volumes of Kashmiri folk-songs with a valuable introduction and annotation. His numerous articles on Kashmiri literature, art and culture were published in several prestigious magazines and journals of the country.Lexicography
Moti Lal Saqi was a lexicographer as well, having worked as an editor of the Kashmiri-Kashmiri and Urdu-Kashmiri dictionaries brought out by the J&K Cultural Academy under the Chief Editorship of Prof. S. K. Toshkhani. He also edited the three volumes of Kashmiri Encyclopedia published by the Academy, showing his great acumen as a researcher.His latest book Aagar Neb reflects his deep research and study regarding various aspects of Kashmiri culture. Surprisingly enough, Saqi was awarded Padmashri for his services to Urdu literature.
Moti Lal Saqi was also associated with the activities of the N. S. Kashmir Research Institute and had agreed to work for the compilation of the encyclopaedia of Kashmiri culture which the Institute is going to bring out. NSKRI deeply mourns his loss which it feels is immeasurably great for a community that values learning and literature above everything else.
Death
Moti Lal Saqi died in the wee hours of May 21, 1999 in New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
after a massive heart attack. Earlier in March he had undergone surgery for a heart ailment at Jammu
Jammu
Jammu , also known as Duggar, is one of the three administrative divisions within Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state in India.Jammu city is the largest city in Jammu and the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir...
, and was now recuperating at his eldest son, Vijay Saqi's residence at Sarojini Nagar
Sarojini Nagar
Sarojini Nagar is a neighbourhood in South West Delhi district of Delhi, India. The area is one of the most developed and cleanest areas in Delhi and is popular because of its market. It was one of the sites of the 29 October 2005 Delhi bombings. It is close to Safdarjung Airport, starting 2010,...
. The tragic news of his death was received with great shock by his numerous friends and admirers in Delhi who rushed to bid him a tearful farewell. With his demise the Kashmiri Pandit community has lost yet another warrior who was in the vanguard of the struggle to save and sustain its culture in exile.