Vasudev Nirmal

Vasudev Nirmal was born on 02 June 1936 at Karachi Sindh and reached Mumbai in 1948 a few days prior to assignation of father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi. This was not shocking news for him as he was thinking about the lot of walking, which he has to, for education in a Sindhi School. Overcoming to all the odds he become graduate of Engineering [B.E. (civil)] from the Poona [Pune] University. Very shortly he was on the pay roll of Mumbai Municipal Corporation and when retired was working as Dy. Chief Engineer.

His professional commitments were forcing him to draw lines and sketches for the dams, roads and other infrastructural projects but his inner world, the wounded soul suffering pains of partition was inspiring him for something else. Since the 1952 he started writing poems and play some of them were also published in local newspapers. As far as money is concerned Vasudev had not earn much from it but this was satisfying his soul. Besides the poems, he also wrote plays, essays and even adaptations and translation. In the latter half of his life, he also becomes active as script writer for many musical features for AIR and Door Darshan. It was his screen play and dialogues with which recent Sindhi film “Paarewari” was released in 2001. So, we can say that he had worked with almost every field of Sindhi language and literature but still it can be said that Sindhi Gazal is his first love.

Vasudev was felling that all this creativity was proving insufficient to fulfil thrust of his soul so he along with likeminded people such as Dr. Moti Prakash, S.P. Menghani, and Kirat Babani went on establish Sindhu Kala Mandir a unique and phenomenal contribution of him to Sindhi theater. His participation didn’t end with being the founder member of institution but was expanded into capacity of actor, writer and director of many plays for this Sindhi stage. He is Hon. Gen. Secretary Sindhi Sahitya Mandal since 1970.

According to him his true beloved is the she who is with him since last forty years with name of Purnima. He also admits that instead of being just wife, she is life companion and very first reader, besides being the critic, for every literary creation of him. This is she whose approval means the final for going ahead with that writing. After retirement from the service of Mumbai Municipal Corporation he is living at Juhu but still serving the Sindhi language and literature in his own ways and style. He teaches Sindhi to those who desire to learn and were deprived of formal Sindhi school.

After a quite long period of age-related health problems Vasudev Nirmal breathed last on 10 April 2017, the day of Golden Jubilee of the day on which Sindhi language was included to eighth schedule of Indian constitution.