Padma Shri Dr. Motilal Jotwani
TSW Citation
This is beyond any doubt that Fellow of Harvard Divinity School, Dr Motilal Jotwani was a renowned Sindhi Writer and educationist whose field of expertise was Sindhi language and literature. Dr. Motilal, who contributed to literature with more than 60 books written in English, Hindi and Sindhi language, hence we can say that Jotwani was among rare and few Sindhi writers involved with Hindi literature. Surprisingly this Gandhian Sindhi writer is not on list of recipients of Sahitya Akademi Award for Sindhi language. Shah Abdul Latif: His Life and Work was the topic of his thesis for Ph. D. from Delhi University in 1973. Besides being a famous and popular Sindhi writer Dr Motilal also contributed to Sindhi literature as journalist.
Motilal Jotwani: Biography
Motilal Jotwani was born as the eldest children of Wadhumal & Chandra Jotwani on 13 January 1936 at Rohari from the Sukhar district of Sindh. His father was teacher at K.J. Khilnani High School, Karachi and was also working as the part time sub-editor of Qurbani, Sindhi Magazine. Jotwani family did not migrate to India in 1947 and was staying at Karachi. It was only after the communal riot of Karachi in January 1948 that with some other Sindhi families, Jotwani decided to move and get settled in India. Family shifted to Mumbai and finally settled down in New Delhi in 1952.
In the year 1954 Motilal did Prabhakar, Hons. And started working as a Primary Teacher in school run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. While working as teacher he started to write articles and short stories for the local newspapers. The reader’s response to his short story “Mukti” published in local Hindi daily Veer Arjun in 1955 has encouraged him to take his writing seriously even as the means of livelihood. In 1958 he graduated from the Punjab University and was appointed as a Language Teacher under the Directorate of Education, Delhi. During all these years he kept writing in Sindhi, Hindi and English for various newspapers and periodicals. He went to get Diploma in Journalism from the Punjab University and published “Khayal”, a book of Sindhi essays in 1960.
He got married with Raj [Daughter of Gobindram and Sita Mansharamani] on 27 May 1961. After completing M.A. in 1962 he got job of programme officer in All India Radio at Rajkot and worked there almost for three years. In the year 1966 he was appointed as a Lecturer in Sindhi at Deshbandhu College, New Delhi. In 1973 he got Ph.D. for his thesis “Shah Abdul Latif: His Life and Work” from the Delhi University.
In the academic year 1979-1980 he worked as teacher in a course “Sant Sufi Literature of India at Harvard Divinity School US. From 1985 to 1990 he was the editor of Indian Author, the official journal of the Authors Guild of India. He also worked as secretary of Sindhi Academy of the Government of India and worked with Sindhi Education Society, which manages Baba Nebhraj Senior Secondary School and Hemnani Secondary School, in Delhi.
This was just fifteen day after his 72 birthday that on 28 January 2008 he left the physical world because of a cardiac arrest at Pune. He is survived by wife Raj Jotwani and two sons Anil & Dinesh.
Motilal Jotwani Literary Contribution
Motilal Jotwani has credit of being author of more than 60 books in Sindhi, Hindi and English. Some of his prominent literary creations in and associated with Sindhi language are
Dr Motilal Jotwani Awards
Considering the unmatched contribution of Motilal Jotwani to Hindi Literature, Sindhi language and Sindhi Literature government of India felicitated him with Padma Shri in 2003. Besides that, from 1973 to 1999 he was awarded six Ministry of Education/ HRD [Sahitya Academy Award] prizes for works in Hindi and Sindhi. He is also recipient of
Sauhard Literary Award – Ram Panjwani Gold Medal – Ishwaribai Buxani Life-time Achievement Award.
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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.