Dogri Writer and Filmmaker Ved Rahi Dies at 93

Veteran Dogri and Hindi writer, screenwriter and filmmaker Ved Rahi died at his residence in Maharashtra’s Thane district on 1 November 2026, aged 93. His last rites were scheduled at Thane’s Kopari cremation ground that afternoon.

Writing and awards

Born in Jammu on 22 May 1933, Rahi was the son of Lala Mulk Raj Saraf, who established the first newspaper in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in 1924. Rahi’s Dogri short-story collection Aale received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1983. He also received the Maharashtra Gaurav Award, the Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan Award and the Kusumagraj Rashtriya Sahitya Puraskar.

Film and television work

Rahi directed the Doordarshan serial Gul Gulshan Gulfam and the 2001 Hindi film Veer Savarkar, a biopic of the revolutionary. His career included writing stories, screenplays and dialogues for about 25 Hindi feature films and directing five films. The Sahitya Akademi expressed grief over his death and recognised his contribution to Indian literature and modern Dogri literature.

Important Facts for Exams

• Cross-language translations: Rahi’s works crossed language boundaries: Lal Ded appeared in two Sindhi translations, while Aale was translated into Kashmiri as Lakhakar Yin Vaapas; both received translation prizes.
• Kashmir-set television: Rahi’s Gul Gulshan Gulfaam was among the first serials based in Kashmir to portray a Kashmiri family, and ran for 45 episodes.
• Constitutional status of Dogri: The 92nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003, added Dogri to the Constitution’s Eighth Schedule alongside Bodo, Maithili and Santali.
• Dogri scripts: Dogri has historically been written in Takri, particularly its Dogra variant, while Devanagari is now its principal standard script.