Has authored 106 books, taught at KU for 33 years
RK News Service
New Delhi, May 25: Professor Shafi Shauq, a renowned creative writer from Kashmir who has authored, edited and translated more than 106 books in Kashmiri, English, Hindi and Urdu, was presented the Padma Shri award by President Droupadi Murmu at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday.
Born on March 18, 1950, in Kaprin village of Shopian district, Prof Shauq received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Kashmir in 1970, followed by MA, MPhil, and PhD in English from the same university. He taught at the university for 33 years and retired as Head of the Department, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, and Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Learning.
Throughout his academic career, Prof Shauq actively participated in various national projects, including Medieval Indian Literature, the Encyclopedia of Indian Literature, and the Oxford Companion to Indian Theatre. Besides writing poetry and fiction, he has translated numerous works of Indian literature as well as many Kashmiri works into English and Hindi. As a member of various representative committees of Indian writers, he visited China, Germany twice, London, and Brazil.
Some of his most important works include Kaeshur Lughat (a monolingual dictionary of Kashmiri), Yaad Aasmaanan Hinz (Remembering the Skies), Zabaan ti Adab (Language and Literature), Kaeshri Adabuk Tawaariekh (a history of Kashmiri language and literature), and Kaeshur Grammar. His translations include his series under the title ‘The Best of Kashmiri Literature’. He has also written scripts for numerous television serials and films.
Prof Shauq is a recipient of several state and national awards, including the Best Book Award from the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages (1995), the Sahitya Akademi Award for poetry (2006), the Sahitya Akademi Award for translation (2007), and the Bhasha Samman Award from CIIL Mysore.
Among the dignitaries present at the ceremony were the Vice President of India, the Prime Minister of India, and the Union Home Minister. The President also presented the Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan awards to other distinguished recipients.