Hassan Kashmiri—Lucknow’s playwright of yesteryears

Meet Our Unsung Heroes

Meet Ghulam Hassan Kashmiri …an unsung hero from Lucknow whose ancestors had settled in 18^th century when Nawab of Awadh Asaf-ud-Daulah shifted base from Faizabad to Lucknow in 1775 and made the city his capital. While shifting his Capital, the Nawab had settled a large group of Kashmiris-both Hindus and Muslims in Lucknow.

Ghulam Hassan Kashmiri belonged to that Kashmiri Muslim family who too had moved to Lucknow and got settled around Kashmiri Mohalla where Kashmiri Pandit families also set foot on Lucknow’s Soil during the same period.

An able actor and an ace  drama artist, Ghulam Hassan Kashmiri was engaged  with the drama unit of All India Radio’s Lucknow Station since its inauguration on April 2, 1938.   Hassan Kashmiri had an ability and art of writing and producing  radio plays as well.

Theatre Personality

Apart from Lucknow’s famous theatre personality, Ghulam Hassan Kashmiri had also associated himself with a group called  “Dast-e-Kashmiri Wazirganj’’, formed in early 1900s in Maqbara Alia Begum in Golaganj area. This group used to  mourn the events of Karbala and of Imam Husain and his family in a unique way, which is still popular in Lucknow and is a living tradition.

Throughout history, there have been countless individuals whose remarkable contributions have been overlooked, overshadowed or forgotten. These unsung heroes, often marginalized due to one reason or the other, have made significant impacts on society, yet their stories have remained largely untold. Amongst these unsung heroes is Ghulam Hassan Kashmiri of Lucknow, for the reason that nothing substantial has unfortunately been written about him.

While much is being written on already established personalities of Jammu and Kashmir, it is time to shine a light on these overlooked figures, acknowledging their invaluable contributions and ensuring their place in the annals of history. Kashmir Rechords has decided to find such unsung heroes who have been marginalized but deserve recognition for their resilience and contributions to their communities and beyond.

In our last issues of “ Meet Our Unsung Heroes’’, we tried to highlight the contribution of Vasudev Reh, a far-sighted poet and Kanwal Kishore Jalla, an unsung Ghazal singer from Kashmir who had remained underrepresented in historical records. Today, we have traced out Ghulam Hassan Kashmiri, who had carved a niche for himself in the art of acting and Radio dramas.

Kashmir Rechords appeals to all its esteemed readers, who might know such unsung heroes to contact us with authentic details and send the same on kashmirrechords@gmail.com or support@kashmir-rechords.com. We promise to publish them with due credit to the contributors by amplifying the stories of these unsung heroes. Such stories honour their legacies, inspire future generations, and strive for a more inclusive and accurate understanding of history. It is imperative that we actively preserve the stories of those who have been marginalized, ensuring that their contributions are no longer consigned to the shadows of history.