Motilal Jotwani | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 January 1936 |
| Died | 28 January 2008 Pune, India |
| Occupation(s) | Scholar, writer, educationist |
| Known for | Sindhi literature |
| Spouse | Raj Jotwani |
| Children | 2 sons |
| Awards | Padma Shri Shah Abdul Latif Award Kriti Puraskar Sahitya Academy Award Sindhu Ratan |
| Website | web site |
Motilal Wadhumal Jotwani (1936-2008) was an Indian writer, educationist, Gandhian and a former post doctoral fellow of Harvard Divinity School who specialized in Sindhi language and literature. [1] [2] A winner of Sahitya Academy Award, [3] he was honoured by the Government of India in 2003 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award. [4]
Motilal Jotwani was born on 13 January 1936 at Rohri, in the Sukkur district of the Sindh region in the British India. [1] [2] [3] His family moved to India after the partition of 1947 and settled in Delhi. [1] [2] [3] After graduating, he obtained a post graduate diploma in journalism from Punjab University in 1959, secured his master's degree (MA) in English literature from Delhi University [5] and joined the university as a lecturer at Deshbandhu College from where he retired as the Reader in Sindhi literature. [2] He also obtained a doctoral degree (PhD) on the work of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, renowned Sufi poet. [1] [2] [3]
Jotwani authored 60 books in English, Hindi and Sindhi languages, composed of poems, short stories, novels and essays. [1] [2] [3] [6] [7] He is the author of Dictionary of Sindhi Literature [8] and a critical study on Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, under the name, Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, His Life and Work. [3] [9] Pratinidhi Rachnayen (1996), Sufis of Sindh (1986), Sindhis Through Centuries (2006), Anaasir jee Saazish (1968), Sandandhani je Sarakuni te (1982), Pursh ain Prakriti (1997) Kotha (1985), Sunjaanap jo Sankat (1992) and Naen Sire Khan (1998) are some of his other notable works. [3]
Jotwani, a known gandhian and a Sindhi language scholar, was the secretary of Sindhi Academy of the Government of India and during his tenure, he completed a book on Gandhiji, Gandhiji on Sindh and the Sindhis, with the assistance of K. R. Malkani, renowned historian and politician. [10] He was also a visiting post doctoral fellow of Harvard Center for the Study of World Religions during 1979-80. [2] [3] He was also the editor of Indian Author, the official journal of the Authors Guild of India, New Delhi from 1985 to 1990. [2] His contributions are also reported in the establishment of Sindhi Education Society which manages two schools, Baba Nebhraj Senior Secondary School and Hemnani Secondary School, in Delhi. He served as a member of its governing council for many years. [2]
Motilal Jotwani received six citations and awards from the Ministry of Human Resource Development during 1973-1999 for his literary contributions. [2] He received Hindi literary awards from the Government of Delhi and the Government of Uttar Pradesh in 1988 and 1990 respectively. [2] He has also received Hindi Academy Kriti Puraskar, Sahitya Academy Award and Sindhu Ratan Award. [3] The Government of India awarded him the civilian honour of Padma Shri in 2003. [1] [3] In 2006, he received the Shah Abdul Latif Award from the Government of Sindh. [1] [3]
Jotwani died on 28 January 2008 in Pune, succumbing to a cardiac arrest, leaving behind his wife, Raj Motwani and two sons. [1] [3]
Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, commonly known by the honorifics Lakhino Latif, Latif Ghot, Bhittai, and Bhit Jo Shah, was a Sindhi Sufi mystic and poet from Pakistan, widely considered to be the greatest poet of the Sindhi language.
Sachal Sarmast or Sacho Sarmast, was an 18th and 19th century Sindhi Sufi poet, mystic and philosopher from Daraza, regarded as an important figure in the Sindhi-language literature. He is revered throughout Pakistan.
Sindhi literature is the collection of oral and written literature in the Sindhi language in prose and poetry. The Sindhi language of the province of Sindh in Pakistan is considered one of the oldest languages of ancient India, and influenced the language of Indus Valley inhabitants. Sindhi literature has developed over a thousand years.
Nabi Bakhsh Khan Baloch was a Sindhi research scholar, historian, sindhologist, educationist, linguist and writer. He predominantly wrote in Sindhi, but also in Urdu, English, Persian and Arabic. He has been described as the "moving library" of the Pakistani province of Sindh.
Anwar Pirzada, was a journalist, columnist, writer and expert on Sindhi history, language and Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai's poetry.
Shah Abdul Karim of Bulri (1536–1623) famously known as "Shah Karim", was an early Sindhi Sufi poet from Sindh, Pakistan. Shah Abdul Karim Bulri was the great-great-grandfather of the famous poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.
Dr Fahmida Hussain is a Sindhi author, scholar, linguist and intellectual.
Imdad Hussaini was a Pakistani Sindhi poet and an Urdu language writer.
Mazhar Abro is a prominent short story writer, novelist, playwright and poet from Sindh, Pakistan. His literary appreciation began with the "Shah Abdul Lateef Bhittai National Award" by Pakistan Academy of letters Islamabad.
Khawaja Muhammad Zaman of Luari was a sufi saint and poet from Sindh. His father, Shaikh Abdul Latif Siddiqi, was a descendant of first Rashidun Caliph Abu Bakr. Their forefathers had moved to Sindh in Abbasid era.
Sadiq Fakir born on 20 March 1964, in Diplo, Pakistan was a singer and performer of Sindhi music from Sindh, Pakistan.
The Shrine of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai is an 18th-century Sufi shrine located in the town of Bhit Shah, in the Pakistani province of Sindh. The shrine is considered to be one of the most important in Sindh, and its annual urs festival attracts up to 500,000 visitors.
Gul Muhammad Khatri (1919–1979) was a renowned artist, painter and writer living in Karachi, Pakistan. He produced art works in the form of portraits, landscape art, and calligraphic illustrations of Sufi poetry. He also did commercial art work in the form of poster design, glass painting, sign board, textile design, theatrical design, cinema posters, tile design as well as Sindhi, Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati and English calligraphy.
Sobhraj Nirmaldas Sujansingani, also known as Fani, was an Indian prose writer and poet of Sindhi language works. He wrote very valuable books on the history and archaeological sites of Sindh. He was also a scholar of Arabic and Persian.
Bherumal Meharchand Advani was a Sindhi poet, prose writer and scholar. Renowned for his multifaceted contributions, he excelled as an educationist, novelist, linguist, and historian. He authored over 40 books.
Kalyan Bulchand Advani was an Indian poet, critic, and scholar of Sindhi literature. He compiled an edition of the Shah Jo Risalo in 1958 and translated Kalidas's work Shakuntala in Sindhi. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award by the Government of India in 1968.
Hotchand Molchand Gurbakhshani was an educationist and scholar, renowned for his annotated translation of the Sufi poetic compendium Shah Jo Risalo. He held the position of Principal at D.J. Sindh College Karachi and served as the first president of the Sindh Historical Society.
Ayaz Gul is a prominent contemporary poet from Sindh, Pakistan. His works are in the indigenous Sindhi language. He was honoured with the Pride of Performance for literature by President Arif Alvi in 2021.
Lalchand Amardinomal Jagtiani was a story writer, novelist and essayist healing from Hyderabad, Sindh, British India. Throughout his prolific career, he penned a remarkable total of 62 books, encompassing diverse genres such as one-act plays, short stories, literary criticism, and scholarly articles.
Jethmal Parsram Gulrajani was a journalist, publisher, and writer from Sindh, British India. He authored 60 books, launched several newspapers and literary magazines, and co-founded the Sindhi Sahtya Society.
