One of the most honored name in indian literary circuit, Bhisham Sahni was not only a writer, he was also an activist, an actor and a humanitarian. Sahni’s most famous work was Tamas which one the Sahitya Akademi Award for literature in 1975.
He was the younger brother of the one of the greatest Hindi film actor, Balraj Sahni. As an actor he appeared in several films, including Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! (1984), Tamas (1986), Kasba (1991), Little Buddha (1993) and Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (2002).
Early Life and Career
Bhisham Sahni was born on August 8, 1915, in Rawalpindi, which is now in Pakistan. His father, Harbans Lal Sahni, was a prosperous businessman and a follower of Arya Samaj and a social reformer. His mother, Lakshmi Devi, raised Bhisham and his elder brother, Balraj Sahni. The family hailed from Bhera, a town Bhisham later depicted in his writings.
Sahni attended Government College in Lahore, earning a Master’s degree in English literature. He later obtained a Ph.D. from Punjab University, Chandigarh, in 1958. His academic pursuits grounded his literary career, though he balanced studies with political involvement. He learned multiple languages, including Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit, and Russian, enhancing his versatility.
Bhisham Sahni joined the freedom movement early, participating in the Quit India Movement of 1942 and serving jail time. He worked as a district secretary for the Congress, organizing relief during the 1947 Rawalpindi riots. After Partition, he moved to Bombay, joining the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) as an actor and director under Balraj’s guidance. He briefly tried family business at his father’s request but failed, redirecting his focus to teaching and writing. From 1956 to 1963, he worked as a translator in Moscow, translating Russian works into Hindi.
Bhisham Sahni’s Tamas
Bhisham Sahni is most renowned for his epic work Tamas (Darkness, 1974), a novel based on the Partition riots of 1947 during the Partition of India. Set in Rawalpindi, it follows Nathu, a tanner, whose accidental role in a pig’s slaughter sparks communal riots. The narrative depicts violence, displacement, and human resilience.
Tamas portrays the horrors of partition, though the overall theme remained the human story behind the entire carnage. He made the point that the real victims of all sectarian violence are the hapless common folk, irrespective of religious or denominational differences. It has been translated to English and several Indian languages, including Gujarati, Malayalam, Kashmiri, and Manipuri. Tamas won the 1975 Sahitya Akademi Award for literature.
Screen Adaptation of Tamas
Tamas won the 1975 Sahitya Akademi Award for literature. Govind Nihalani adapted Tamas into a 1986 TV miniseries, with Sahni playing Karmo, a Sikh character. The series, featuring Om Puri, Deepa Sahi, Surekha Sikri, Saeed Jaffery, Pankaj Kapur and Amrish Puri, stands out as one of the most profound depictions of the partition on screen. Offering a glimpse into the heart of darkness, this gritty and somewhat unsettling work is the artistic zenith of the Nihalani.
The Bombay High Court initially halted the screening of Tamas, but the Supreme Court overturned the stay shortly after. Govind Nihalani described Tamas as an “act of faith,” inspired by personal memories of fear, panic, and bloodshed during the Partition, which his family and countless others experienced firsthand while migrating from both sides of the border.
Tamas received immense critical acclaim for its unflinching portrayal of communal violence and human suffering and won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration.
Literary Work
Bhisham Sahni produced a vast body of work in his career of over fifty years. His first collection of short stories “Bhagya Rekha,” published in 1953 to great crtical acclaim. He publishe nine more short story collections over the years. His story collections include Pahla Patha (1956), Bhatakti Raakh (1966), Patrian (1973), Wang Chu (1978), Shobha Yatra (1981), Nishachar (1983), Pali (1989), and Daayan (1996). Some of his most famous stories include “Pali,” “Chief ki Dawat” “Amritsar Aa Gaya Hai” “Do Goraiya,” “Marne Se Pahle,” “Faisla,” Gulelbaz Ladka,” “Gango Ka Jaya,” “Yadenn,” and many more.,
He was also a top playwright with iconic works like “Hanoosh,” “Kabira Khada Bazar Mein,” “Madhavi,” “Muavze,” and “Alamgeer.” His plays were staged by famous directors like Rajindra Nath, M. K. Raina, Arvind Gaur and Abhijeet Choudhary.
He published seven novels include Jharokhe (1967), Kadian (1971), Basanti (1979), Mayyadas Ki Madi (1987), Kunto (1993), and Neeloo, Nilima, Nilofar (2000), He was writing an English novel on Gautama Buddha which remain unfinished. Sahni also authored Gulal Ka Keel (children’s stories), Aaj Ke Ateet (autobiography, 2003), and Balraj My Brother (biography, 1981), reflecting his diverse output. He also translated Tolstoy’s Resurrection into Hindi.
Films and Other Work
Bhisham Sahni’s acting career began with IPTA plays. He debuted on screen in Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho (1984), directed by Saeed Mirza, playing the lead. He appeared in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Little Buddha (1993). In Aparna Sen’s Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (2002) he portrayed a riot victim. He wrote the screenplay for Kasba (1991), directed by Kumar Shahani, based on Chekhov’s “In the Gully.”
Sahni was General Secretary of the All India Progressive Writers Association for over a decade. He also served as acting general secretary of the Afro-Asian Writers’ Association. He founded SAHMAT in 1989 to honor Safdar Hashmi, who was murdered by goons of a politician while performing his anti-corruption street play, Halla Bol.
Bhisham Sahni gets many awards and accolades in his illustrious career. He recieved Padma Shri in 1969, and Padma Bhushan in 1998. He also get Sahitya Akademi Award (1975), and Sahitya Akademi Fellowship (2002). Sahni received the Soviet Land Nehru Award (1983) and Lotus Award (1981), reflecting international acclaim. His play Madhavi won the 2004 Colour of Nation Award posthumously.
Personal Life
Bhisham Sahni married Sheila, a fellow IPTA actress. They had two children: Kalpana, a JNU professor, and Varun. In later years, he focused on writing and activism despite frail health publishing Aaj Ke Ateet before his death. He died on July 11, 2003, in Mumbai at 87, from natural causes, survived by his children.
Bhisham Sahni on IMBD
