world of journalism. No where in the world in any language has there been a column which continued uninterrupted for so long.

When he was writing film reviews, some producer commented that it is easy to criticise a script but is tough to write one. He took up the challenge and started writing scripts and screenplays for films. Later, he felt that the producers and directors for whom he was writing did not do justice with his stories. He then decided to produce and direct his own films. These films did not become box office hits but quite a few of them bagged national and international awards. His film NeechaNagar won Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival. Dharti Ke Lal was a film that he made for IndianPeople’s Theatre Association. This and the film Shehar Aur Sapna won the Presidents Gold Medal.

As a screenwriter, Khwaja Ahmad Abbas is considered one of the pioneers of Indian parallel or neo-realistic cinema. He was a man who practiced what he wrote in his writings. When he was awarded the president’s Gold Medal for his film, he took the entire crew to Delhi in the award ceremony and distributed the award money of One Lac rupees equally among all the unit members. He wrote Bobby for Raj Kapoor , film which became a super duper hit. In this film too he did not miss his mission. He tried to preach that one must be willing to change. The parents of the hero Rishi Kapoor in the film initially do