Jawaid Danish 

Since immigrating to Canada from his native India, Jawaid Danish has become well-known in literary circles, especially among theatre lovers, as an ambassador of Eastern values and culture. Having received a B.A.(honours) in English and Drama from Aligarh Muslim University in India, Jawaid became a radio and television personality in Kolkata in 1978, where he received a sponsorship from a newspaper to write a travelogue of Europe and America. In pursuit of this career he travelled widely and his travelogue appeared in Kolkata and Delhi newspapers. It was so popular that it was later published in book form under the title of Wanderlust.

Jawaid comes from an educated middle class family, his father being a government officer and a writer, who taught him the power of pen. His widely travelled experience let him to settle down inCanada, a country where his pen has freedom of expression. He has been a resident of Pickeringsince 1983. He hails from the Sufi school of Islam and believes in three golden words, Acceptance, Tolerance, and Love.

Jawaid met Uzma, daughter of an engineer, who came to Canada in the early 1980s. They were married in 1990. Uzma was educated at Trent University and became a councillor with a community living organisation. Later she became a businesswoman operating her own leather boutique business. She is diligently involved in volunteer programs such as the Literacy Council of Oshawa, the Durham Youth Orchestra, and the Pickering Soccer Club. She is the founder and organiser of a ladies-only swim class in Pickering, and she teaches Urdu as an international languages program. Jawaid and Uzma have two sons Adeel and Ahsan. Adeel is a gifted student, now at UFT pursuing a degree in life sciences. Ahsan is enjoying his elementary school.

Jawaid Danish is a celebrated author of 12 Books in Urdu, including the travelogues, poetry and drama. He prefers to write in Urdu, his mother tongue, but his plays and poems have been translated into English, Swedish, Hindi, Bengali, and Kannadi. The favourite topic of his plays is the problems and pleasures of immigrant families in Canada. Some of the plays from his award winning book Hijrat Ke Tamashey (Plays of Migration) were produced for a 13-episode serial by Omni 2 –T.V. in 2007 and again in 2010. He has received numerous awards and recognition world wide, among them the Pickering Civic Arts Award (2009), South Asian Theatre Festival Award (New Jersey 2008), and the Shiromani Sahitya Award (India 2007).  He receives invitations from different universities of New Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Dacca, Karachi, Sweden and Tokyo, to read his plays and participate in panel discussions, and present

plays in festivals abroad, always proudly representing Pickering and Canada.

Jawaid Danish is the founder and artistic director of Rangmanch-Canada, (a not-for-profit theatrical organisation) in 1996, to promote Indian Theatre in Canada, especially in the east end. He organised the Hindustani Drama Festival in 2002, in which plays and solo acts are performed in ten languages including English and nine different Indian languages: Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Sanskrit. This one-of-a-kind event takes place on a single stage in one evening; it is the only theatre festival of its type to be held in North America and in India. It has been an ongoing success.

Rangmanch-Canada continued its efforts in the west end of Toronto utilising the Living Arts Centre of Mississauga, Burnhamthorpe Library Theatre, and Maja Prentice Theatre and in various Torontocommunity theatres. This year Rangmanch-Canada proudly presented its ninth annual Drama Festival at the Prentice Theatre on 12 November 2011, with the patronage of the Consulate General of India, in Celebrating the Year of India in Canada. Jawaid strongly believes that in this age of chaos and confusion theatre is a great source of comfort and healing. It also bridges the gap between generations and cultures with the result of bringing communities together. His operating slogan is: “Theatre for Peace, Purpose, and Passion.” He supports the building of a Pickering Arts Centre that will provide a local venue for performances and festivals in the east end.

Website:https://soundcloud.com/jawaid-danish/aik-thi-roohi?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=facebook