The seven-episode documentary series Madhosh Balhami: The Poet of Perseverance draws attention to the tragedy of Madhosh Balhami, who has ...
The seven-episode documentary series Madhosh Balhami: The Poet of Perseverance draws attention to the tragedy of Madhosh Balhami, who has been recognised only after his lifetime’s literary output has ceased to exist. “People write for personal satisfaction or to reach out to everyone or both, Balhami found the former but never the latter,” said Gowhar Farooq, the co-creator of the series along with Irfan Dar.
On March 15, 2018, three militants took shelter in Balhami’s house in Balhama village near Srinagar after firing on the security officer of a Bharatiya Janata Party leader. Balhami escaped with his family. The ensuing gunfight between the militants and security forces lasted until the three were dead, and Balhami’s house went up in flames. His poetry, which he had written over the last 30 years, turned to ashes.
Immediately afterwards, Balhami, a saffron farmer never known beyond the boundaries of his village, began receiving media attention. This drew Farooq and Dar to Balhama to embark on the documentary series in 2019. Two episodes have been released on Facebook and YouTube so far. The rest will be rolled out over the next five weeks.
Fifty-four-year-old Balhami, born Ghulam Muhammad Bhat, began writing poetry from the age of 20 after his parents died. Initially, he...
