Lakhmi Khilani
Introductory
Sahitya Academy Award – Famous Sindhi Writer – Pioneer of Indian Institute of Sindhology
Lakhmi Khilani is among the rare class of Sindhis who are felicitated twice with Academy award first for original creation and second time for translation. It is not a regular phenomenon that a person educated in one stream shows mastery in another just opposite stream and goes on winning the highest award for this new stream opted to work with in later part of life, a lot of time after completing owns education in the stream opposite to opted stream.
Lakhmi Khilani is the best illustration of what had been written above.
अधूरी रचना करे साजिश सां गडु बंद दरवाजा खणी मिटीअ जी महक हलंदी हली वयी
हाय मुहिंजी दिल चवे आजाद सचल हुओ मुंद जो टिड़ियल पहरियों गुलाब न हुयी कली
(रंगीन अखर छपियल किताबन जा उनवान आहिन )
Biography / About - Lakhmi Khilani
Sharing birthday with Mahatma Gandhi, Lakhmichand Bhiryomal Khilani [born on 2 October 1935] was awarded with Engineering Degree [Civil] in 1958 by Banaras Hindu University and was appointed as Engineer in a Kolkata based company but presently he is a popular and renowned personality of Sindhi literature. Surely many people will wonder to learn this because science and literature are opposite fields is a common thought of our society. This also might be surprising for many to know that since 1964 regularly published “Rachna” Sindhi literary magazine is creation of Lakhmi Khilani .
The success story of Lakhmi Khilani doesn’t ends here as he went on to beg the biggest award of Sindhi literature “Sahitya Academy Award” given by Sindhi Sahitya Academy in the year 1996 for his story collection titles “Gufa Je Hun Paar” [On the other side of cave].
This was the Tara Mirchandani an eminent Sindhi writer with whom Lakhmi came in contact during the student life at Banaras, had identified the presence of literary wisdom in the character of Lakhmi Khilani but before she get success in exploring it Lakhmi was at Kolkata for his job. This was fortunate for Sindhi Literature that at Kolkata Lakhmi got company of Prof. Mangharam Malkani and went on to organize “Akhil Bharat Sindhi Natak Mahotsav” in 1973. Before that during the 1964 he attended Sahitya Samelan at Lucknow and came in contact of many popular and eminent personalities of Sindhi literature, actually the seed of creating “Rachna” were sown here.
Science student Lakhmi Khilani was always thinking that if in the Science. Biology and Zoology are there why not we are having Sindhology in Sindhi literature? So, he decided to leave the established commercial kingdom of Kolkata for being settled at Adipur. This is his untiring efforts that Indian Institute of Sindhology has celebrated Silver Jubilee in 2015.
Literary Contribution
List of Books of Lakhmi Khilani ::
Till date Lakhmi has credit of 3 Novels, 4 Drama, and biography of Satyajit Rey besides the 7 Story collections. He had also credit for few translation works. List of these seven Story Collections : 1972 – Rat Ja Dag : 1978 – Adhuri Rachna : 1981 – Band Darwaja : 1983 – Gufa Je Hun Paar : 1996- kakatua [in Hindi] : 1999 – Mitti Ji Mahak : 2000 – Mund Jo Tidiyal Pahiriyon Gulab
Sindhi Novel – Hay Muhanji Dil [1966] – Sazish [1970] – Amrit Amrit [1974]
Sindhi Drama – Guda Gudiyun [1964] – Wariy-a Sando Kotu [1967] – Pahinjo Dushman [1993] – Kuda Faas [2007]
Books Window
Awards
Sahitya Akademi Award: Year 1996
Title of Book: “Gufa Je Hun Paar” (On the other side of cave)
Other Awards:
In 1998 he again bagged Sahitya Academy, this time for translation titled as “Asamay”
Gujarat Sahitya Academy has felicitated him with “Sahityakar Gaurav Puraskar” in 2008.
Famous and popular Sindhi folk singer Bhagwanti Navani is eventually immortal as she even after losing the physical existence still alive at hearts of thousands and thousands of Sindhi music lovers. Often called as Sindhi Koyel Bhagwanti was born on 01 Feb 1940 at Nasarpur. Undisputed queen of Singing Sindhi Lada (marriage ritual songs) Bhagwanti will always be remembered for singing Sukhamani Sahib (Guru Bani) in Sindhi. She also acted in Sindhi film Sindhua Je Kinare. On 22 Oct 1986 she left for heavenly abode.