Abid Surti
Encyclopedia
Abid Surti or Aabid Surti is a National Award winning India
n author who has earned accolades within India and abroad as a painter, author, cartoonist, journalist, playwright and screenwriter besides being a ‘one-man’ NGO out to save every drop of water. He has won critical acclaim for multiple creative talents. He was given National Award by Government of India in 1993 for one of his books.
and Gujarati
newspapers and magazines for over 40 years and has won a national award for his short story collection Teesri Aankh in 1993. Aabid Surti became an author by accident. When his first love broke due to family pressure, the teen aged Aabid had no one to confide in – so he began putting his story on paper. The story was published in Gujarati in 1965 as Tootela Farishta (Fallen Angels) and proved to be an unexpected success. As of now, he has written more than 80 books including 45 novels, 10 short story collections and 7 plays. The biographical novel Musalman was the actual account of the author’s childhood in the poverty-ridden Dongri area of Mumbai. His latest novel Sufi describes the parallel lives of two friends, one, the author himself and the other, a man called Iqbal Rupani who rose to become the kingpin of the Mumbai underworld in the 1960s and 70s. In 1975, his fictional version based on the book the Devil's Bible titled The Black Book created a nationwide controversy. Even amidst critical acclaim, it was translated into 7 languages and voted ‘The Book of the Year’ in Kannada. He earned the nickname the Salman Rushdie of India after his Black Book was published. He has together with his son Aalif Surti and Chandrika Vyas, Rima Kashyap also penned a controversial and hard-hitting novel name In name of Rama
inspired by a true incident during the demolition of the Babri Masjid
. In 2007, he was awarded the Hindi
Sahitya Sanstha Award by the Uttar Pradesh
government. He has also been given award by Gujarat Government for his literary work on children named Rangat. Name of his other novels are Canal and Daagh. He has also worked as Television and film script-writer. He has also been editor of Gujarati annual magazine name Dayaro for many years. Recently, he has sued makers of Bollywood
film Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge
, which he says made from his Gujarati
novel Bauter Varas No Babo published in year 1976, which was later translated in Hindi
as Bahatar Saal Ka Baccha. He has also written graphic children novels in Hindi like Buddh kyun muskuraye 2500 saal baad ( Why did the Buddha
smile after 2500 years)
He has also written satirical gazal with common English words.
magazine Ramakadu. It consisted of a comic feature of 4 pages in color with three prominent characters – a boy, a girl and a monkey, titled Rang Lakhudi. As a cartoonist, he later created the lovable simpleton Dhabbuji. The highly original and popular cartoon strip has been one of the longest-running comic strips in India, running without a break for over 30 years. It was the weekly comic strip that first appeared in famous Hindi
magazine Dharmyug. He also created another popular comic book
character, Bahadur, which achieved a large fan following, when the comics started to be published in Indrajal Comics
from 1978. He also created other comic book characters like Inspector Azad,Inspector Vikram and lady character named Shuja. The cartoon Dhabbuji and comics of Bahadur, Inspector Azad, Inspector Vikram and Shuja were all also published in English. Raj Kapoor
once wanted to make a film based on Inspector Azad, such was the popularity of his comic strips. Further, his famous comic strips Doctor Chinchoo Ke Chamatkar, which used to get published in Hindi
magazine Parag
during the years 1963-65 is getting serialized by National Book Trust
as Doctor Chinchoo Ke Kaarnamein.
in the year 2007 for water conservation. Every Sunday, along with a plumber and an assistant, he visits houses in and around Mira Road and fixes dripping taps. His plan is simple yet ingenious. He simply replaces old O-ring rubber gaskets with new ones. The idea struck him in 2007 when he noticed the dripping tap in his friend’s house. "A tap that drips water once every second wastes about 1,000 litre of water every month so imagine how much we all waste," he points out. Surti and his assistants raise awareness through posters and pamphlets.He pays for all expenses from his pocket.
family on 5 May 1935 at Vavera near Rajula
city of Gujarat, India
to Gulam-hussain and Sakina Begum. In his childhood at age of 5, he almost got carried away by flood in Tapti river
near Surat
. The family later shifted to Bombay and he spent his childhood in Dongri area of Mumbai
. His father was follower of Sufism
His mother tongue is, however, Gujarati
, as his parents belonged to Surat
city of Gujarat, India
or to say he is Gujarati Muslim. That is why, he, probably uses Surati as his pseudo-name and surname. He joined J. J. School of Art in 1954 and obtained a Degree of Diploma in Arts. He was greatly influenced by writings of Shard Babu Besides being a writer in Hindi
& Gujarati
, he is also an expert in Urdu
. He started his career as a free-lancer. In year 1965, he got married with Masooma Begum. They have two sons from this marriage elder named Sahil, who now works as a Management Guru and younger named Aalif, who works as creative head for STAR TV. Today, also Abid Surti lives in Mumbai
and prefers to maintain middle-class life-style. He is a practitioner of Vipashyana. His hobbies include swimming, painting and acting in plays. A director named Pramod Peti, has made a documentary on life of Abid Surti.
Recently, one of Abid Surti's son Aalif Surti, was in news, when Aalif & his wife Aditi ( a Maharashtrian
Hindu
), refused to fill in the column titled 'Religion' in their child's most basic document, the birth certificate. They said, "We are not against religion, but who are we to choose a religion on our baby's behalf? We will expose him to the values of different faiths and cultures, and when he grows up he will be free to follow any faith—or none if he wishes." Aalif Surti is also a known person and started career at age of sixteen as a cartoonist. He dabbled in film journalism for a while before joining Shah Rukh Khan as a creative head for his website. He has been working with STAR TV
since 2001 and has plans to move into full-time movie making soon.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n author who has earned accolades within India and abroad as a painter, author, cartoonist, journalist, playwright and screenwriter besides being a ‘one-man’ NGO out to save every drop of water. He has won critical acclaim for multiple creative talents. He was given National Award by Government of India in 1993 for one of his books.
As Author
He has written many books which include short stories, novel, plays, children's books and travelogues. Several of his books have been translated into various regional languages. He has also been writing for HindiHindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
newspapers and magazines for over 40 years and has won a national award for his short story collection Teesri Aankh in 1993. Aabid Surti became an author by accident. When his first love broke due to family pressure, the teen aged Aabid had no one to confide in – so he began putting his story on paper. The story was published in Gujarati in 1965 as Tootela Farishta (Fallen Angels) and proved to be an unexpected success. As of now, he has written more than 80 books including 45 novels, 10 short story collections and 7 plays. The biographical novel Musalman was the actual account of the author’s childhood in the poverty-ridden Dongri area of Mumbai. His latest novel Sufi describes the parallel lives of two friends, one, the author himself and the other, a man called Iqbal Rupani who rose to become the kingpin of the Mumbai underworld in the 1960s and 70s. In 1975, his fictional version based on the book the Devil's Bible titled The Black Book created a nationwide controversy. Even amidst critical acclaim, it was translated into 7 languages and voted ‘The Book of the Year’ in Kannada. He earned the nickname the Salman Rushdie of India after his Black Book was published. He has together with his son Aalif Surti and Chandrika Vyas, Rima Kashyap also penned a controversial and hard-hitting novel name In name of Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
inspired by a true incident during the demolition of the Babri Masjid
Demolition of Babri Masjid
The Demolition of Babri Masjid was the destruction of the 16th-century mosque of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India, on December 6, 1992 by Hindu Karsevaks in an attempt to reclaim the land known as Ram Janmabhoomi...
. In 2007, he was awarded the Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
Sahitya Sanstha Award by the Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
government. He has also been given award by Gujarat Government for his literary work on children named Rangat. Name of his other novels are Canal and Daagh. He has also worked as Television and film script-writer. He has also been editor of Gujarati annual magazine name Dayaro for many years. Recently, he has sued makers of Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge
Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge
The music is composed by Amit Mishra and Pritam Chakraborty while the lyrics are by Irshad Kamil. The soundtrack was released in 20 February 2010. "Aaja Aaja" and its remix are composed by Pritam while the rest were by Amit Mishra...
, which he says made from his Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
novel Bauter Varas No Babo published in year 1976, which was later translated in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
as Bahatar Saal Ka Baccha. He has also written graphic children novels in Hindi like Buddh kyun muskuraye 2500 saal baad ( Why did the Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
smile after 2500 years)
He has also written satirical gazal with common English words.
As Painter
Abid Surti has been acclaimed as a painter, who has been credited to have used creative and original techniques to paint with oil and water colors. His using of acrylic colors applied to Italian art paper are also said to be indeed out of this world. An accomplished painter, he has held 16 exhibitions in India and abroad. In his early years, he invented an innovative technique called ‘mirror collage’ which won critical acclaim in Japan. In 1971, the Indian government commissioned a short film to showcase his creative work.As Cartoonist & Comic Book creator
The first cartoon characters, he created were in 1952-53 for a GujaratiGujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
magazine Ramakadu. It consisted of a comic feature of 4 pages in color with three prominent characters – a boy, a girl and a monkey, titled Rang Lakhudi. As a cartoonist, he later created the lovable simpleton Dhabbuji. The highly original and popular cartoon strip has been one of the longest-running comic strips in India, running without a break for over 30 years. It was the weekly comic strip that first appeared in famous Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
magazine Dharmyug. He also created another popular comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
character, Bahadur, which achieved a large fan following, when the comics started to be published in Indrajal Comics
Indrajal Comics
Indrajal Comics was a series launched by the publisher of The Times of India, Bennet, Coleman & Co in March 1964. The first 32 issues contained Lee Falk's The Phantom stories, but thereafter, the title alternated between various King Features characters, including Lee Falk's Mandrake, Alex...
from 1978. He also created other comic book characters like Inspector Azad,Inspector Vikram and lady character named Shuja. The cartoon Dhabbuji and comics of Bahadur, Inspector Azad, Inspector Vikram and Shuja were all also published in English. Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor
Known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor Rāj Kapūr, 14 December 1924 – 2 June 1988), also known as The Show-Man, was an Indian film actor, producer and director of Hindi cinema. He was the winner of nine Filmfare Awards, while his films Awaara and Boot Polish were nominated for the Palme d'Or at the...
once wanted to make a film based on Inspector Azad, such was the popularity of his comic strips. Further, his famous comic strips Doctor Chinchoo Ke Chamatkar, which used to get published in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
magazine Parag
Parag (magazine)
Parag was a monthly Hindi children's magazine published from Delhi by The Times Group in the 1980s and 1990s. It was among the most popular children's magazines of its time, but stopped publication after more than a decade of publishing....
during the years 1963-65 is getting serialized by National Book Trust
National Book Trust
National Book Trust, is an Indian publishing house, founded in 1957 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education within the Government of India....
as Doctor Chinchoo Ke Kaarnamein.
As an environmentalist
Abid Surti is the founder of Drop Dead, a unique initiative he set up in MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
in the year 2007 for water conservation. Every Sunday, along with a plumber and an assistant, he visits houses in and around Mira Road and fixes dripping taps. His plan is simple yet ingenious. He simply replaces old O-ring rubber gaskets with new ones. The idea struck him in 2007 when he noticed the dripping tap in his friend’s house. "A tap that drips water once every second wastes about 1,000 litre of water every month so imagine how much we all waste," he points out. Surti and his assistants raise awareness through posters and pamphlets.He pays for all expenses from his pocket.
Personal life & family
Abid Surti was born in a MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
family on 5 May 1935 at Vavera near Rajula
Rajula
Rajula is a city and a municipality in Amreli district in the Indian state of Gujarat.- Demographics :As of the 2001 Indian census, Rajula had a population of appro. more than 80,393. Males constituted 51% of the population and females 49%. Rajula has an average literacy rate of 64%, higher than...
city of Gujarat, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to Gulam-hussain and Sakina Begum. In his childhood at age of 5, he almost got carried away by flood in Tapti river
Tapti River
The Tapi River ancient original name Tapi River , is a river in central India. It is one of the major rivers of peninsular India with a length of around 724 km...
near Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
. The family later shifted to Bombay and he spent his childhood in Dongri area of Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. His father was follower of Sufism
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
His mother tongue is, however, Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
, as his parents belonged to Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
city of Gujarat, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
or to say he is Gujarati Muslim. That is why, he, probably uses Surati as his pseudo-name and surname. He joined J. J. School of Art in 1954 and obtained a Degree of Diploma in Arts. He was greatly influenced by writings of Shard Babu Besides being a writer in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
& Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
, he is also an expert in Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
. He started his career as a free-lancer. In year 1965, he got married with Masooma Begum. They have two sons from this marriage elder named Sahil, who now works as a Management Guru and younger named Aalif, who works as creative head for STAR TV. Today, also Abid Surti lives in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
and prefers to maintain middle-class life-style. He is a practitioner of Vipashyana. His hobbies include swimming, painting and acting in plays. A director named Pramod Peti, has made a documentary on life of Abid Surti.
Recently, one of Abid Surti's son Aalif Surti, was in news, when Aalif & his wife Aditi ( a Maharashtrian
Marathi people
The Marathi people or Maharashtrians are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, that inhabit the Maharashtra region and state of western India. Their language Marathi is part of the southern group of Indo-Aryan languages...
Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
), refused to fill in the column titled 'Religion' in their child's most basic document, the birth certificate. They said, "We are not against religion, but who are we to choose a religion on our baby's behalf? We will expose him to the values of different faiths and cultures, and when he grows up he will be free to follow any faith—or none if he wishes." Aalif Surti is also a known person and started career at age of sixteen as a cartoonist. He dabbled in film journalism for a while before joining Shah Rukh Khan as a creative head for his website. He has been working with STAR TV
STAR TV
Satellite Television Asia Region is an Asian TV service owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. It is headquartered in Hong Kong, with regional offices in mainland China, Taiwan....
since 2001 and has plans to move into full-time movie making soon.