His pen made satire popular among the masses. For the lean frame that he carried, he had a body of work that could be called voluminous. With KP Saxena’s death, a legend passed away and an era in Hindi literature came to a close.
Ailing for the past few months, 81-year-old Kalika Prasad, better known as KP among his friends, died due cardiac arrest at 8.40 am on Thursday. Suffering from tongue cancer, he had developed parallel health problems of congestion and respiration. The city would pay last homage to the litterateur who will be cremated on Friday morning. Born in Bareilly on April 13, 1932, KP Saxena worked as a lecturer for a few years at the Christian College where he taught Botany and thereafter joined the Railways and retired as a station master.
The man with an incredible way with words, has written not only for books but also scripts for television and films. Few know that he has written several books on botany, the subject that he taught in the college.
Well-known film director Ashutosh Gowariker chose him to write the script for lagaan after he remembered a story written by the author in a magazine. What followed was history and the eminent writer went on to do the hit movie Jodha Akbar.
On the television, his Bibi Natiyon Wali is still a rage and among the plays Gaj, Foot Inch’ is still staged. “I keep on writing till I get the correct sentence. I sometimes end up with several crumpled sheets at my feet but I have to get the sentence correct. For Jodha Akbar, I had to wrack my brains for three types of nuances in the language which included Urdu-Farsi for the court, Awadhi for the general public and Hindi for the Hindu royalty. On top of it, Ashutosh had categorically stated that he wanted something which he could understand,” he once said while talking to ‘The Pioneer’.
KP Saxena got a nomination for the popular award for the film. He also was little disappointed when Ashutosh Gowarikar did not take him for his movie ‘What’s Your Rashee’.
Co-writers and litterateurs mourned his death. Yogesh Parveen said that he had an association with him for a long time. “I have been associated with him for years and also wrote the songs for his Bibi Natiyon Wali. The humour that he creates in his satire can be equated with that of Sharad Joshi which actually tickled the funny bone of the common man. He would speak things in such a wrapped manner and that was the novelty of his writing,” he said.
Writer Gopal Chaturvedi said that an era ended with Saxena. “He was the first writer who brought laughter to satire. When he spoke, he spoke extempore without any script. After Sri lal Shukal, he was the best writer in humour,” he said.
