Aabid Surti
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Abid Surti or Aabid Surti (born 5 May 1935) is an Indian painter, author, cartoonist, journalist, environmentalist, playwright and screenwriter. He was given a National Award by the government of India in 1993 for writing a series of short stories called the "Teesri Aankh".


Life

Abid Surti was born in a
Gujarati Muslim The term Gujarati Muslim is usually used to signify an Indian Muslim from the state of Gujarat on the western coast of India. Most Gujarati Muslims have the Gujarati language as their mother tongue, but some communities have Urdu as their moth ...
family on 5 May 1935 at Vavera, near
Rajula Rajula is a city and municipality in Amreli district in the Indian state of Gujarat.The city was founded by Darbar Daha Bapu Dhakhada nearly 1759 AD, on the bank of river Dhatarvadi and among the hills called Piliyo and Rajuliyo; the Dhakhdas and ...
,
Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
, India to Gulam Hussain and Sakina Begum. In his childhood, at the age of 5, he almost got carried away by flood in the
Tapti river The Tapti River (or Tapi) is a river in central India located to the south of the Narmada river that flows westwards before draining into the Arabian Sea. The river has a length of around and flows through the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat ...
near
Surat Surat (Gujarati Language, Gujarati: ) is a city in the western Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. The word Surat directly translates to ''face'' in Urdu, Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of t ...
. The family later shifted to
Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...
and he spent his childhood in Dongri area of
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
. His father was follower of
Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
. He joined the
J. J. School of Art The Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy School of Art (Sir J. J. School of Art) is the oldest art institution in Mumbai, India, and is affiliated with the University of Mumbai. The school grants bachelor's (B.F.A) degrees in Painting, ceramic, Metal work, ...
in 1954 and obtained a Diploma in Arts. He was greatly influenced by the writings of 20th-century Bengali novelist, Sharat Chandra Chatterji. Besides being a writer in Hindi and Gujarati, he is also an expert in
Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
. He started his career as a freelancer. In 1965, he married Masooma Begum; they have two sons from this marriage.


Writings

Surti has written short stories, novels, plays, children's books and travelogues. Several of his books have been translated into regional languages. He has also been writing for
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
and
Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...
newspapers and magazines for over 40 years and received a National Award for his short-story collection ''Teesri Aankh'' in 1993. He became an author by accident. When his first love broke down due to family pressure, the teenaged Aabid had no one to confide in – so he began putting his story on paper. The story was published in Gujarati in 1965 as ''Tootela Farishta'' (Fallen Angels) and proved to be an unexpected success.Abid Surti an Introduction ( Gujarati )
/ref> He has written more than 80 books, including 45 novels, 10 short story collections and 7 plays. The autobiographical novel ''Musalman'' was an account of his childhood in the poverty-ridden Dongri area of Mumbai. His latest novel, ''Sufi'', describes the parallel lives of two friends: the author himself and a man called Iqbal Rupani, who rose to become the kingpin of the Mumbai underworld in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1975, his fictional version based on the '' Devil's Bible'', entitled ''The Black Book'', created a nationwide controversy. Even amidst critical acclaim, it was translated into seven languages and voted Book of the Year in
Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
. He earned the nickname the "
Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie ( ; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British and American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern wor ...
of India" after his ''Black Book'' was published. He has together with his son Aalif Surti and Chandrika Vyas, Rima Kashyap also penned a controversial and hard-hitting novel called ''In Name of
Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...
'' inspired by a true incident during the
demolition of the Babri Masjid The Babri Masjid, a 16th-century mosque in the Indian city of Ayodhya, was destroyed on 6 December 1992 by a large group of activists of the Vishva Hindu Parishad and allied organisations. The mosque had been the subject of a lengthy socio ...
. In 2007, he was awarded the ''Hindi Sahitya Sanstha Award'' by the
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
government, and was given an award by the
Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
government for his children's literary work ''Rangat''. Among his other novels are ''Canal'' and ''Daagh''. He has also worked as a television and film script-writer. He was the editor of the Gujarati annual magazine ''Dayaro'' for many years. Recently, he has sued the makers of the
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
film ''
Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge ''Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?'' () is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Ashwni Dhir, and produced by Amita Pathak. Loosely based on the short story ''Tum Kab Jaoge, Athithi?'' by Sharad Joshi, the film stars Ajay Devgn, Paresh Rawal ...
'', which he says used his Gujarati novel ''Bauter Varas No Babo'', published in 1976 and later translated into Hindi as ''Bahatar Saal Ka Baccha''. He has written graphic children's novels in Hindi, including ''Buddh kyun muskuraye 2500 saal baad'' (Why did the
Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...
smile after 2500 years). He has also written satirical gazal with common English words.


Works

Gujarati * Tootela Farishta (1965) * Dhutro * Aabh ma khilelu phool * Kapurush Mahapurush * Pagle Pagle Pyar * Soofi * Kundali * Fokatlalno Varghodo * Adhura anek * Vasant avyano mane vahem * Nana Nana Rakshash * Aathmo akash * Kala gulab * Pāpana pārano pradeṡa * Ram asrey * Rang badalti Roma * Radata Gulmohar * Boter varasno babo * Mari shreshth vartao * Alag Matina Marad * Baraf na chhera * Ek zalak Japan ni * Dagh * Sukhano relo same par * Musalman (translated into Eng. as Sufi) * Jaldi Kar, Juliet (play) Hindi Collections * 10 Pratinidhi Kahaniyan * 21 Shreshtha Kahaniyan * 365 Kahaniyan (collection of stories of the well-known author) Novels * Kathavachak * Adhi Stri * Bahata Paani * Bahattar Saal Ka Bachcha (translated from Guj) * Besabab * Biswin Sadi Ka Aakhri Dashak * Aadmi aur Chuhe * Chamatkari Ladaki * Cabaret Dancer * Charitraheen * Daag * Dastoor * Kale Gulab * Kapurush Mahapurush * Khoya Hua Chehra * Kokh Se Kabra Tak Sati * Kora Canvas * Labangi * Maan * Mere Papa Ki Shadi * Soonsaan * Tanha * Vasak Sajja Stories * Atankit * Bijliyan * Dhup Chhaon * Gujrati Ki Shreshtha Vyangya Kathaen * Teesri Aankh Travel * Awara Abid Satire * 365 Chutkule (selection of jokes) * Bundabandi Plays * Munchon Wali Begam English Novels * The Black Book (Kaali Kitaab) * In name of Rama * The Golf Widow * Little nino and his secret beard. Plays *He is Radha


Paintings

Surti has been acclaimed as a painter, credited with using creative and original techniques to paint with oil and watercolours. His use of acrylic colours applied to Italian art paper is also said to be out of this world. An accomplished painter, he has held 16 exhibitions in India and abroad. In his early years, he invented an innovative technique called "mirror collage" which won critical acclaim in Japan. In 1971, the Indian government commissioned a short film to showcase his creative work.


Cartoons and comic-books

The first cartoon characters he created were in 1952–53 for a
Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...
magazine ''Ramakadu''. It consisted of a comic feature of four pages in colour with three prominent characters – a boy, a girl and a monkey, entitled ''Rang Lakhudi''. As a cartoonist, he later created the lovable simpleton ''Dhabbuji''. The original and popular cartoon strip has been one of the longest-running comic strips in India, running without a break for over 30 years. It was the weekly comic strip that first appeared in Hindi magazine ''
Dharmyug ''Dharmyug'' was a Hindi pictorial weekly published by The Times of India Group from year 1949 till 1993. History The magazine was originally published by a Dalmia press in Bombay from 1949, just after independence of India, however it incor ...
''. He also created another comic book character, '' Bahadur'', which achieved a large fan following, when the comics started to be published in
Indrajal Comics Indrajal Comics was a comic book series in India launched by the publisher of ''The Times of India'', Bennett, Coleman & Co, Bennet, Coleman & Co in March 1964. The first 32 issues contained Lee Falk's ''The Phantom'' stories, but thereafter, the ...
from 1978.Indian Comics Legend Mr. Abid Surti Excerpts from personal interview published in Hindi magazine AHA ZINDGI
/ref> He also created other comic book characters like Inspector Azad, Inspector Vikram and a lady character named Shuja. The cartoon ''Dhabbuji'' and comics of ''Bahadur'', ''Inspector Azad'', ''Inspector Vikram'' and ''Shuja'' were all also published in English.
Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (; born as Shrishti Nath Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influen ...
once wanted to make a film based on ''Inspector Azad'', showing that the popularity of his comic strips were high. Further, his famous comic strips ''Doctor Chinchoo Ke Chamatkar'', which was published in the Hindi magazine '' Parag'' from 1963 to 1965 is being serialised by the
National Book Trust National Book Trust (NBT) is an Indian state-owned publishing house, headquartered in Delhi, India, founded in 1957 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education of the Government of India. NBT publishes reading material in several Indi ...
as ''Doctor Chinchoo Ke Kaarnamein''.


As an environmentalist

Abid Surti founded Drop Dead, a water conservation initiative in
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
in 2007. Every Sunday, along with a plumber and an assistant, he visits houses in and around Mira Road and fixes dripping taps. He simply replaces old O-ring rubber gaskets with new ones. The idea struck him in 2007 when he noticed the dripping tap in his friend's house. "A tap that drips water once every second wastes about 1,000 litres of water every month so imagine how much we all waste," he points out. Surti and his assistants raise awareness through posters and pamphlets. He pays for all expenses from his pocket.


Documentary

Pramod Pati has directed a documentary on Surti. ''Abid'' (1972) explores the inner world of Surti who had desire to "live within a painting". In this film using
pixilation Pixilation is a stop motion technique in which live actors are used as a frame-by-frame subject in an animated film, by repeatedly posing while one or more frame is taken and changing pose slightly before the next frame or frames. This technique ...
technique, Surti emerges from the ground, transforms a white room with painted images on walls, ceiling, and floor, akin to creating a live painting.


Awards and recognition

He has been awarded National Award 1993, Hindi Sahitya Sanstha Award, Gujarat Gaurav.


References


External links


Aabid Surti
at
Penguin India Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a smal ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Surti, Abid 1935 births Living people 20th-century Indian male writers 20th-century Indian novelists Activists from Maharashtra Artists from Mumbai English-language writers from India Gujarati-language writers Gujarati people Hindi-language writers Indian comic strip cartoonists Indian comics writers Indian comics artists Indian environmentalists Indian male dramatists and playwrights Indian male screenwriters Indian male novelists Indian Muslims Novelists from Maharashtra Screenwriters from Mumbai Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art alumni Writers from Mumbai People from Surat