Farooq Qaiser (Urdu: فاروق قیصر; 31 October 1945 – 14 May 2021) was a Pakistani artist, newspaper columnist, TV show director, puppeteer, script writer, and voice actor. He was known as the creator of the fictional puppet character Uncle Sargam introduced in 1976 in children's television show Kaliyan. Farooq was also a cartoonist, newspaper columnist and wrote for the newspaper Daily Nai Baat in Lahore and under the pen name "Meethay Karelay" (English: "Sweet Bitter Melon").
Farooq Qaiser | |
|---|---|
 Farooq Qaiser with his puppet Uncle Sargam | |
| Born | Farooq Qaiser 31 October 1945 |
| Died | 14 May 2021 (aged 75)[1] |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Occupation(s) | TV director, journalist, puppeteer, writer, columnist and cartoonist. |
| Known for | Uncle Sargam (creator) |
Early life and education
Farooq Qaiser was born on 31 October 1945 in a Muslim family in Sialkot, Punjab. He spent his early childhood in Peshawar and Kohat, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. In 1970, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts from the National College of Arts (NCA), Lahore. Later he received a master's degree in Graphic Arts from Bucharest, Romania in 1976 and also trained for puppetry there.[2] He also received his master's degree in Mass Communication in 1999 from the University of Southern California, School for Communication and Journalism, United States.[3][4]
Career
Farooq Qaiser started his career in the early 1970s after graduating from the National College of Arts, Lahore, with a short documentary in the English language. In 1971, his teacher Salima Hashmi got him involved in her children's television puppet show Akkar Bakkar. In that show, he worked with Shoaib Hashmi, Muneeza Hashmi and Faiz Ahmad Faiz on the scripts and puppets.[3] The show was intended to be Pakistan's version of the American entertainment and educational show Sesame Street.[5] His first assignment on the show was to create a local version of the Big Bird, after which he went on to create many other characters for the program.[5]
In 1976, Qaiser directed and wrote his own puppet show Kaliyan which was broadcast on the national television network, Pakistan Television (PTV). He created his own fictional puppet characters for that show including Uncle Sargam, Haiga and Maasi Museebte. He also was the voice of Uncle Sargam in that show.[2] He created the character 'Uncle Sargam' in resemblance of his teacher Mohan Lal from Romania.[2][3] The character went on to being a popular household name in Pakistan for many decades.[4] Speaking about the character, Qaiser said, "he has the same insecurities and fears of every middle class Pakistani. He could say things that a common man wanted to express but could not say".[5]
Some of his other television shows included Putli Tamasha and Sargam Time.[4] Qaiser also worked at the Lahore based Urdu daily newspaper Daily Nai Baat as a cartoonist.[6] He was also a newspaper columnist at the same newspaper and wrote under the pen name, Meethay Karelay. He taught for sometime at the Fatima Jinnah Women University in Rawalpindi.[7]
He served on the Board of Governors at the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage, (Lok Virsa) in Islamabad, Pakistan in 2015.[8]He was a recipient of the Presidential Pride of Performance in 1993.[4] He also served in India as a member of UNESCO providing educational services for two years.[4]
Personal life
Qaiser was married and had two daughters and a son. He died on 14 May 2021 in Islamabad from a severe heart attack.[9][10][4]
Interviews
Farooq Qaiser was interviewd by a renowend BookMag "Kidzine International" in Jan 2010. Kidzine International gave him the title of "Friend of Kids" which he admired the most and consider it as an award. Here are some glimpses of his intetview
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Kidzine International title Page
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Kidzine International Team
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Syed Farooq Qaiser Interview Page 1
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Syed Farooq Qaiser Interview Page 2
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Syed Farooq Qaiser Interview Page 3
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Syed Farooq Qaiser with his Team
Syed Farooq Qaiser was also a family man and love his children the most. He asked Kidzine International to published about his grand daughter Syeda Zehra Ali who lives in America
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Syeda Zehra Ali Grand-daughter of Syed Farooq Qaiser
Works
Books
- Hor Puchho
- Kaalam Galoch
- Meethay Karelay
- Meray Piyaray Allah Mian
Characters
- Uncle Sargam
- Masi Museebatay
- Haiga
- Sharmeeli
- Rola
Television shows
- Kaliyan (1976) – Pakistan Television
- Daak Time (1993) – NTM
- Sargam Sargam (1995) – Pakistan Television
- Siyasi Kaliyan (2010) – Dawn News
- Sargam Back Home (2016– continue) – Pakistan Television
Awards and recognition
- Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan in 1993[3]
References
- ^ "Writer, actor Farooq Qaiser of 'Uncle Sargam' fame passes away". dunyanews.tv. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ a b c "Paying tribute: After decades, Uncle Sargam remains darling of the crowd". The Express Tribune (newspaper). 17 June 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "The story of a proud puppeteer". Dawn (newspaper). 5 December 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Arshad, Qasim (14 May 2021). "Farooq Qaiser, the man behind Uncle Sargam, passes away at 75". Dawn. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d Shuaib, Haroon (28 December 2020). "Man and Muppet: Farooq Qaiser and Uncle Sargam". Youlin Magazine. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Cartoons by Farooq Qaiser". naibaat.pk website. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ "Farooq Qaiser". World Encyclopedia of Puppetry Arts. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ Farooq Qaiser (member, Board of Governors-Lok Virsa in 2015), Islamabad The Nation (Pakistani newspaper), Published 11 November 2015, Retrieved 25 April 2018
- ^ "Farooq Qaiser aka Uncle Sargam passes away". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ "Iconic puppeteer 'Uncle Sargam' passes away". The Express Tribune. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.