The writer smiles away in a crisp white shirt
Shaani (originally Gulsher Khan) was born on May 16, 1933 in Jagdalpur, now in Chhattisgarh, India. He set an example in Hindi literature by striving towards perfection from a small town like Jagdalpur, away from the crowded Hindi literary scene across North India. He began his career by working in the Information and Publications Directorate of Madhya Pradesh government. He was transferred from Jagdalpur to Gwalior, and later the state capital Bhopal. He was appointed secretary of Madhya Pradesh Sahitya Parishad in 1972. He launched the magazine ‘Sakshatkaar’. On being relieved from his post in 1978, he went to New Delhi, and edited the Sunday supplement ‘Ravivarta’ of the reputed Hindi daily Navbharat Times. In 1980, he was appointed the founder editor of “Samkaalin Bhartiya Sahitya” (Contemporary Hindi literature), under the aegis of Sahitya Akademi. He retired from this post in 1991. He edited the re-launched Hindi magazine ‘Kahaani’ (Story) in 1993-94. He passed away on February 10, 1995 after a serious kidney ailment.
Shaani pioneered a new trend in Hindi novel writing with his award-winning novel ‘Kaala Jal’, which he wrote at the age of 28. He wrote several stories in Hindi on contemporary situations. He created for himself a new space in Hindi literature, by moving away from the orthodox template of Hindi story writing. In a sense, the credit rightly goes to him for filling up a big vacuum in Hindi literature.