M A I N   N E W S

Bhisham Sahni dead

New Delhi, July 11
Eminent litterateur Bhisham Sahni, who had slipped into a coma yesterday at the Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre here, died this evening, hospital sources said. He was 88 and is survived by a son and a daughter.

Sahni, the younger brother of late actor Balraj Sahni, was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital on July 7 following a cerebral vascular stroke. The writer was best known for his novel Tamas. — UNI 

‘Sahni was embodiment of Punjabi spirit’
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 11
The man of words is no more. Even as he seeks farewell from the world, many of his admirers back in Chandigarh refuse to grant him the permission to depart. In their thoughts, they still cherish the memory of this man, who could never get over the pain of Partition.

It was his urge to set the world into its original mould of affection that drew him towards writing. Born on August 8, 1915, at Rawalpindi, now in Pakistan, this distinguished Hindi fiction writer, playwright, translator, teacher and polyglot spent the rest of his life in preaching amicable living, the only element that can bind the world together. His works reflect his commitment to India’s ethos and secular foundation.

All Bhisham Sahni associates in Chandigarh remember him as the true embodiment of the Punjabi spirit. Virender Mehndiratta, eminent theatre person, who has known Sahni very closely, says, “Simplicity came easy to Bhisham. Although he was a celebrated writer, he never allowed airs to rule him.” Madhur Kapila, a columist and writer, recalls her association with Bhisham Sahni with fondness. “Bhisham Sahni’s interview was my first journalistic assignment. I remember the attention he gave to me and my queries.”

Satya Pal Gupt, former chairman, Haryana Sahitya Akademi, looks back at the congregation of literary figures which was attended by Bhisham Sahni in 1990. It was a three-day seminar in which Bhisham Sahni promoted the cause of Punjabiyat.

Remembers Phool Chand Manav, president, Sahitya Sangam, an organisation which invited Sahni to Chandigarh in January, 2000. “His demise has created a vacuum that will never be filled. He was a man of God, simple and humble.”

Prof Jagmohan Chopra, chairman of another literary outfit, lauds Bhisham Sahni as a versatile writer, who could translate his feelings into words. Struck by his demise, Dr Neerja Sood, former Head of the Hindi Department, Panjab University, says the legend can never be repeated.