DD Director forced artist Jai Kishori suffer till death

Five DDK Srinagar producers die of stress and cardiac arrest in one year

Early Times Report

SRINAGAR, Jan 30: Director Doordarshan Kendra (DDK) Srinagar, Rafeeq Masoodi, traveled all the way from Srinagar to Jammu to deliver payment cheques worth Rs 8 Lakh on residence of a Jammu-based private producer last week. On Masoodi’s direction, Executive Producer Shammi Shair has acquired hundreds of tapes from this freelance producer cum property broker who has helped both the DD officials in purchasing plush houses in Jammu. Fifty-two episodes of his two programme serials at the rate of Rs 40,000 each episode have been telecast in the last few months. However, elderly Kashmiri migrant woman artist-producer Jai Kishori was mercilessly made to suffer for 18 months, with the false argument of non-availability of time and funds, till she died helplessly in Delhi on Friday last.

One among the pioneering theatre, radio and television artists in Jammu & Kashmir, Jai Kishori is the 5^th private producer in the state who has died of acute stress, caused by DD officials, in the last eleven months. Eminent producers and artists who have invariably died due to cardiac arrest in acute stressful conditions since February 2010 include Syed Gulzar Rizvi, Abdul Rasheed Farash, Saleem Khan, Tasleem Khan and now Jai Kishori.

According to informed sources and those close to the bereaved family in Jammu, 70-year-old Jai Kishori had submitted her life’s first 10-episode musical series, titled ‘Hee Thar’, to Masoodi in the middle of 2009. In the last 18 months, she was forced to shuttle between Jammu and Srinagar for at least four times but the series never went on air.

“Every time, Masoodi Sahab asked her to wait and sweared that there was no availability of time and funds. Her payment was never released till she died in total helplessness at a relative’s house in Delhi on Friday”, said a family source. He revealed to Early Times that similar treatment was accorded to DD’s icon Bharti Zaroo whose performance led Bashir Badgami’s legendary serial “Hazaar Daastaan” break all records of popularity in 1980s. Like Kishori, all ten of Zaroo’s programmes are gathering the dust on cupboards at DDK Srinagar.

While Bharti Zaroo rose to zenith of fame with her performance in scores of Radio Kashmir Srinagar and DDK Srinagar plays in 1980s, Kishori was among the first Kashmiri women who came out to perform on theatre in 1970. She also performed in more than 250 of Radio Kashmir Srinagar plays and drama serials including Pushkar Bhan’s phenomenally popular comedy serial “Machaama” till her displacement from Srinagar to Jammu in 1989. In 1972, when DD established its first station in J&K at Srinagar, Kishori had the privilege of being the first Kashmiri woman actor to perform on television. In the last 40 years, she is estimated to have worked in more than 100 television drama episodes to achieve distinction of being arguably the most famous female artist in Jammu & Kashmir.

“Fraternity of drama artists has lost its mother in Mrs Jai Kishori’s death”, Rafeeq Masoodi said in his condolence statement in Jammu yesterday. His crocodile tears trickled only after the artist’s death who lived in penurious conditions but was never supported by either of the premier organs of Prasar Bharti Broadcasting Corporation of India--- Radio Kashmir Srinagar and DDK Srinagar--- she served with her sweat and blood for over 40 years.

On the other hand, Masoodi and Shammi Shair acquired more than 400 programme episodes from the Jammu-based property broker, Kohli. Payment of more than Rs 50 Lakhs is estimated to have been released in different names to Kohli who has shown a number of his relatives, friends and other contacts as facility providers of the in-house productions he has submitted to DDK Srinagar. Sources revealed that five DDK Srinagar officials, namely Rafeeq Masoodi, Ghulam Mohiuddin, Nasir Mansoor, Bashir Qadiri and Mohammad Yusuf Parray, traveled to Jammu to participate in the IMPCC meeting and one of them delivered cheques worth Rs 8 Lakh at Kohli’s residence.

Like Jai Kishori, famous singer and freelance producer, Abdul Rasheed Farash had called on Masoodi a day before his death last year and begged him to release a part of the payment due to him. He was not obliged as the lion’s share of the funds stood reserved for five particular producers, including Kohli, who have been paying 30 to 40 percent of their payments as “commission” to the senior DDK Srinagar officials. Executive Producer of Farash’s submitted programmes, Kausar Parveen, has been shifted from Srinagar after she was found involved in a major embezzlement of musical programmes by CBI last year.

Srinagar-based officials of CBI are now working hard to hush up this scam to exonerate Masoodi who quickly allotted programmes to a private producer having his brother posted as DIG at CBI headquarters in New Delhi.

Support from union Minister of Health, Ghulam Nabi Azad, inability of Omar Abdullah-led coalition government to take cognizance of rampant corruption besides sharing a part of the ill-gotten money with CBI, Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and senior Mandi House and Shastri Bhawan officials in New Delhi are said to be Masoodi’s strength. 

While Masoodi’s mobile phone was continuously switched off, none of the DDK Srinagar officials was available for comment due to holiday on Sunday.

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