Shaani

Shaani Gulsher Khan; (16 May 1933- 10 February 1995) was a Hindi Fiction writer and a novelist. He was the founder editor of prestigious Hindi literary magazines SAKSHATKAR and SAMKALEEN BHARTIYA SAHITYA. He also editor of Hindi journal KAHANI which he relaunched.

Biography:

Shaani was born in jagdalpur, the then princely Bastar state, now in Chhattisgarh state (India), on May 16, 1933 and died in New Delhi on 10 February 1995.

He received his early education in local madarsas of Jagdalpur and later joined Government school for formal education. He did his graduation Vikram University in 1969.

While he was still in school, he brought out a literary magazine GYANDEEP which used to be handwritten. After matriculation he took up a job in Municipality and later joined Madhya Pradesh Soochna Vibhag (MP Information Department) Jagdalpur office.

He was appointed as the secretary, Madhya Pradesh Sahitya Parishad in 1972. Parishad began publishing a magazine called ‘Sakshatkaar’. He moved to Delhi in 1979 and for a brief duration he edited ‘Nav bharat’ Times Sunday supplement ‘Ravi vaarta’. Later he became the editor of ‘Samkaleen Bharatiya Sahitya’, a magazine published by Sahitya academi, from where he retired in 1991.

Shaani was the first major muslim writer of modern Hindi. For the first time he depicted the ethos of Indian muslim society in his novels and short stories. His Kala Jal novel also narrates conflicts and problems of a lower class muslim family. This novel was serialized on national Television Door Darshan in mid 80s.

Shaani passed away in 1995 in Delhi.