( A song written by Shanta Kaul composed and sung by Dalip Langoo)
(Mrs. Shanta Kaul)
( The happy days.......Shanta ji ,Pran Kishore ,their daughter and popular broadcaster Uma kKhosla (Niki Appa) .
REMEMBERING SHANTA KAUL..(1932 -2012)
She was amongst the first women to defy orthodoxy and fight for women’s emancipation to take to broadcasting and be in the cultural forefront of the Kashmir Valley. She was the first woman broadcaster from Kashmir. A poet, writer, actor and singer, Shanta Kaul was an amazing personality. Most of the female announcers who joined Radio Kashmir later learnt the basics of broadcasting from her. Even Uma Khosla ( Nikki Appa ) has acknowledged her support and guidance. Her mellifluous voice as the character ‘Appa Jaan’ in the weekly `Bachon ka Programme`, which she produced and presented, made her the darling of the state`s children whom she enthralled for 25 long years. If she was affectionate Apaa Jaan of children's programme, she was Khatiji of Pushkar Bhan's Machama series of radio plays. Shanta Kaul`s popularity transcended the national border with her programme `Aap ki Farmaish` earning her admirers in Pakistan. For her service in the broadcasting industry, she received several awards, including the Bakshi Memorial Award for Best Broadcaster in 1989.
Shaheed Sherwani Married to Pran Kishore Kaul, writer, painter and pioneer of radio drama in the UT, Shanta Kaul started her radio journey in 1950. People remember her for Aap Ki Farmaaish, Bachon Ka Programme and many other programmes. Her presentation style was at par with Mariyam Qazmi or Anzar Ahmed of AIR's Urdu service. She would have touched newer heights in broadcasting had she moved to AIR's National scene.
In 1950, she was the first woman actor to perform on stage when she acted in Prem Nath Pardesi's play. She was also associated with 'Shaair e Kashmir Mehjoor ' the first feature film in Kashmiri. Her collection of short stories, `Kaali Raat Ka Suraj`, was well received and reviewed by many leading newspapers. Many stories were translated into English. She has also a collection of poems ‘Anant-Yatra ‘ to her credit.
Well-known journalist Mohammad Syed Malik writes this:-
"She was the Radio voice of her time. Consistent in her presentation qualities, announcement, Stage show or drama. Together with Pran Ji, they made an ideal couple reflecting the best of our culture."
Padam-Shri Pran Kishore Kaul told me this:_
“I feel pained that she was probably over-shadowed because of the limelight I got. I have confessed in my book on Radio Kashmir that it was because of her solid support that I gained whatever little I have achieved. It is because of her grooming that our daughters Neerja, and Sanjala have done well in their professions and personal life. While Neerja writes and paints, Sanjala has been a former Dean of Faculty at Welham School, Dehradun. Shanta Ji's collection of Short stories. “Kali Raat Ka Sooraj ‘was very well received by Hindi critics. Many of them were broadcast and published. A few were translated into English. Her collection of poems Anant Yatra was published in a Coffee Table format. Her ‘Farmaishi Programme’ of old songs with input of selected verses in Urdu was not only popular in the country but also in Pakistan where she used to get letters and sometimes gifts too.”
In 2012, Shanta Kaul died in Pune after a brief illness.
(Avtar Mota)
CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.
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