Farooq Qaiser | |
|---|---|
| فاروق قیصر | |
 Farooq Qaiser with his puppetUncle Sargam | |
| Born | Farooq Qaiser 31 October 1945[1][2] |
| Died | 14 May 2021 (aged 75)[3] Islamabad, Pakistan |
| Occupation(s) | TV director, journalist,puppeteer,writer,columnist,cartoonist |
| Known for | Uncle Sargam(creator) |
| Awards | Pride of Performance award by thePresident of Pakistan (1993) Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) award by the President of Pakistan (2021) |
Farooq Qaiser (Punjabi,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 characterUncle Sargam, introduced in 1976 in children's television showKaliyan.[1] Farooq was also a cartoonist, newspaper columnist and wrote for the newspaperDaily Nai Baat in Lahore and under the pen name "Meethay Karelay" (English: "Sweet bitter gourd").[4]
Farooq Qaiser was born on 31 October 1945 in aMuslim family inSialkot,Punjab.[1][2] He spent his early childhood inPeshawar andKohat,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In 1970, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts from theNational College of Arts (NCA),Lahore.[2] In 1976, he received a master's degree in Graphic Arts fromBucharest, Romania, and also trained for puppetry there.[5] He also received his master's degree in Mass Communication in 1999 from theUniversity of Southern California, School for Communication and Journalism,United States.[6][7]
Qaiser started his career in the early 1970s after graduating from theNational College of Arts, Lahore, with a short documentary in the English language. In 1971, his teacherSalima Hashmi got him involved in her children's television puppet showAkkar Bakkar.[1][4] In that show, he worked withShoaib Hashmi,Muneeza Hashmi andFaiz Ahmad Faiz on the scripts and puppets.[6] The show was intended to be Pakistan's version of the American entertainment and educational showSesame Street.[8] His first assignment on the show was to create a local version of theBig Bird, after which he went on to create many other characters for the program.[8]
In 1976, Qaiser directed and wrote his own puppet showKaliyan (Flower Buds) which was broadcast on the national television network,Pakistan Television (PTV). He created his own fictionalpuppet characters for the show, includingUncle Sargam,Haiga andMaasi Museebte. He also was the voice of Uncle Sargam.[5] He created the character Uncle Sargam in resemblance of his teacher Molnar from Romania.[5][6] The character went on to be a household name in Pakistan for many decades.[7] 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".[8]
Some of his other television shows includedPutli Tamasha andSargam Time.[7] Qaiser also worked at the Lahore-based Urdu daily newspaperDaily Nai Baat as a cartoonist.[9] He was also a newspaper columnist at the same newspaper and wrote under the pen nameMeethay Karelay. He taught for sometime at theFatima Jinnah Women University inRawalpindi.[1]
He served on the board of governors at theNational Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa), inIslamabad, Pakistan, in 2015.[10] He was a recipient of the PresidentialPride of Performance in 1993.[7] He also served in India as a member ofUNESCO, providing educational services for two years.[7]
Qaiser was married and had a son. He died on 14 May 2021, inIslamabad from a heart attack.[2][11][7]