Farrukh Dhondy
Farrukh Dhondy is an Indian-born British Parsi writer, playwright, screenwriter and left-wing activist who resides in the United Kingdom.
Education
Dhondy was born in 1944 in Poona, India, where he attended The Bishop's School, and obtained a BSc degree from the University of Poona. He won a scholarship to Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he read Natural Sciences before switching to English, earning a BA degree in 1967. After graduating he studied for a master's degree at Leicester University and was later a lecturer at Leicester College of Further Education and Archbishop Temples School, Lambeth, London.Early activism
In Leicester, Dhondy became involved with the Indian Workers' Association and later, in London, with the British Black Panthers, joining the publication Race Today in 1970, along with his close friend Darcus Howe, and former partner Mala Sen, and discovering his calling as a writer.Writing
Dhondy's literary output is extensive, including books for children, textbooks and biographies, as well as plays for theatre and scripts for film and television. He is also a columnist, a biographer, and media executive, having been Commissioning Editor at Channel Four television from 1984 to 1997. During his time with Channel Four, he wrote the comedy series Tandoori Nights for the channel, which concerned the rivalry of two curry-house owners.His children's stories include KBW , a study of a young white boy's response to anti-Bengali racism. In 2011 Dhondy published his translation of selections from the Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi, Rumi: a New Translation. Dhondy also wrote the screenplay for the 2005 Bollywood historical blockbuster Mangal Pandey: The Rising, starring Aamir Khan and Toby Stephens. In 2012, Dhondy scripted a short film called The K File. This film dealt with a fictional take on the judgement of Ajmal Kasab and was directed by Oorvazi Irani. In 2013, Dhondy's play Devdas was premiered in London and was subsequently replayed globally. 2013 also saw the publication of his novel Prophet Of Love. His collection of Rumi translations was published in 2014.
Dhondy was featured by journalist Subi Shah in the political magazine New Internationalist, in its "final page", which led to the resurgence of his lifelong campaign to recruit more BAME talent in the television industry. Shah's article was subsequently reprinted in the New Statesman.
His latest book, Hawk and Hyena, follows the story of Charles Sobhraj. Dhondy appeared on the podcast The Literary City with Ramjee Chandran to talk about his escapades with Charles Sobhraj as well as about his autobiography, Fragments Against My Ruin: A Life. Dhondy was at the 2022 Jaipur Literature Festival, London edition to talk about his books.
Honours and awards
- Children's Rights Workshop Other award: 1977, for East End at Your Feet, and 1979, for Come to Mecca, and Other Stories;
- Collins/Fontana Award for Come to Mecca, and Other Stories;
- Works represented in Children's Fiction in Britain, 1900–1990 exhibition, British Council's Literature Department, 1990;
- Whitbread Award for first novel, 1990, for Bombay Duck.