by Sheikh Gh. Muhammad
Four autumns have passed since Professor Aziz Hajini left this world, yet the void he created in the cultural landscape of Jammu and Kashmir remains immeasurable. As we mark his fourth death anniversary on September 12, we are not merely remembering a bureaucrat or an academic, we are remembering a force of nature. His brief yet dazzling tenure as Secretary of the J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages (JKAACL) was nothing short of a renaissance. To speak of Hajini Saeb is to speak of a mission lived with relentless passion. When he assumed charge on June 27, 2015, the Academy, like many institutions, stood in need of direction.
Artists and writers longed for a catalyst. In Hajini, they discovered not just an administrator but a fellow traveller, an acclaimed Kashmiri writer, critic, and scholar who understood their heartbeat. He did not simply manage the Academy; he infused it with his own soul. His vision was immediate, clear, and transformative. He recognised that an institution’s true strength lies in its foundation. One of his earliest and most historic acts was to restore the constitutional sanctity of the JKAACL. After an astonishing thirty-five years, he convened the General Council, the very heart of its democratic functioning. This was not a mere formality; it was a bold statement of intent. Policy decisions were made, voices were amplified, and the Academy once again became a collective enterprise, for the people, by the people.
Yet Hajini was a man of both grand vision and practical action. He breathed new life into the physical spaces of culture. The iconic Tagore Hall in Srinagar and Abhinav Theatre in Jammu were revived as vibrant centres of creativity. Most symbolically, the Kitab Ghar, the treasured repository of literature devastated by the 2014 floods, was painstakingly Page 2 of 2 restored and reopened to the public in November 2015. In saving this house of books, he was safeguarding the very memory of a people. His tenure was a golden era of unprecedented activity. Cultural programmes multiplied across the region at a scale never witnessed before. But to reduce his legacy to numbers would be an injustice. It was the depth, diversity, and inclusivity of these initiatives that truly defined his mission. He carried culture to the margins, organising the first-ever conference on the Shina language in the remote valley of Gurez, validating and empowering a community often left on the periphery of cultural discourse.
He invested in the future, gathering seven hundred young writers in Jammu for a landmark conference, ensuring the literary flame was passed to the next generation. He orchestrated Festivals of Literature, Art, and Culture on an unprecedented scale, and staged three international theatre festivals that not only brought the world to Kashmir but also took Kashmir to the world. Under his leadership, the Academy emerged as a cultural ambassador, organising J&K festivals in Kerala, Telangana, Delhi, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu. This was cultural diplomacy at its finest, showcasing the richness of Kashmiri heritage beyond its geographical boundaries.
The crowning moment of this recognition came when the Jhanki of J&K, meticulously crafted under his guidance, won the second position in the 2019 Republic Day Parade in New Delhi, a moment of immense pride for the entire region. For Hajini, culture was not a luxury; it was the very fabric of identity, resilience, and joy. In a land often burdened by conflict, he wielded art, theatre, and literature as tools of healing and expression. He created spaces where a painter could find a canvas, a playwright a stage, and a poet an audience. Under his stewardship, the Arts Academy truly became academic, artistic, and cultural in its fullest sense. Professor Aziz Hajini departed this world on September 12, 2021, at his home in Kursoo Rajbagh.
Yet the structures he restored, the initiatives he launched, and the spirit he ignited remain firmly in place. He was a rare confluence of intellectual vision and pragmatic action. He proved that with integrity and commitment, even the most entrenched institutions can be reborn. As we remember him today, we remember the man who rekindled our cultural soul. His life was a testament to the power of mission-driven leadership. “May his legacy continue to inspire generations, and may his soul rest in Jannat-ul-Firdous.” Ameen
Author is Retd. DIET Principal, Senior Member, Halqa-e-Adab Sonawari.
