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{{short description|Kashmiri Pandit writer and political activist, Convenor of Panun Kashmir}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Orphan|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Agnishekhar
| honorific_suffix =
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Kuldeep Sumbly
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|5|3|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Srinagar]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = {{Plainlist|
* Kashmiri Pandit activist
* Writer
}}
| years_active = 1990–present
| movement = [[Panun Kashmir]]
| mother =
| spouse = Kshama Kaul
| father =
| relatives =
| honors =
| awards =
| module = {{Infobox writer | embed=yes
| occupation = Author and Poet
| pseudonym = Agnishekhar
| language = {{Plainlist|
* [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]]
* [[Hindi]]
}}
| subject = [[Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus]]
| notable_works = {{Plainlist|
* ''Kisi Bhi Samay'' (1992)
* ''Mujhse Chheen Li Gayi Meri Nadi'' (1996)
* ''Kaal Vriksh Ki Chhaya Mein'' (2002)
* ''Jawahar Tunnel'' (2010)
}}
}}
| website =
}}
'''Kuldeep Sumbly''' (born 3 May 1956), better known by his [[pen name]] '''Agnishekhar''',<ref>''The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics'' (Princeton University Press, 2012), p. 768.</ref> is a [[Kashmiri Pandit]] writer and political activist. He is the founder of Panun Kashmir organization. <ref>Ananya Jahanara Kabir, ''Territory of Desire: Representing the Valley of Kashmir'' (University of Minnesota Press, 2009), p. 160.</ref> As a poet, he has contributed to the development of a [[Hindi poetry]] of exile from a distinctly Kashmiri perspective.<ref>''The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics'', p. 768.</ref> He is a founder of [[Panun Kashmir]] ("Our Kashmir"), a group that advocates for the cultural rights of Pandits and a homeland.<ref>Kabir, ''Territory of Desire'', p. 167.</ref> He views [[History of Kashmir#Early history|pre-Islamic culture]] as a source for contemporary Pandit identity.<ref>Kabir, ''Territory of Desire'', p. 169.</ref>

Agnishekhar is the author of ''Kisi Bhi Samay'' (''At Any Moment''), a collection of poetry published in 1992. The book is organized into two sections: the 49 poems of "Kram" ("Sequence"), and the ten poems of "Visthapit Kashmir" ("Displaced Kashmir") which differ from "Kram" in being labeled by place of composition (always [[Jammu]]) and a date ranging from mid-1990 to early 1991.<ref>Kabir, ''Territory of Desire'', p. 162.</ref> The poem "Mahavipada" ("Great Trouble"), from the "Displaced Kashmir" section, criticizes the camps into which displaced Pandits were settled.<ref>Kabir, ''Territory of Desire'', p. 166–167.</ref>

Agnishekhar also contributed to the screenplay for the "[[Bollywood]]-style" movie ''[[Sheen (film)|Sheen]]'', which uses Pandit displacement as the context of a love story.<ref>Kabir, ''Territory of Desire'', p. 170.</ref>

Athrot is an organization of displaced artists and writers organized its first ever Kashmiri Poetry day on 27th August 2018 and Agnishekar presided over the poetic session<ref>{{Cite web|last=Excelsior|first=Daily|date=2018-10-27|title=Athrot organises Kashmiri poetry day for youngsters|url=https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/athrot-organises-kashmiri-poetry-day-youngsters/|access-date=2021-10-05|website=Jammu Kashmir Latest News {{!}} Tourism {{!}} Breaking News J&K|language=en-US}}</ref>

Mohammed Ayub Betab’s poems in original Kashmiri are translated to Hindi by Agni Shekhar <ref>{{Cite web|title=agnishekar|url=http://lifeandlegends.com/mohammed-ayub-betab-translated-by-agni-shekhar-and-k|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-05|website=lifeandlegends.com}}</ref>

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==See also==
* [[Kashmir conflict]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://neerajsantoshi.blogspot.com/2011/11/snow-still-falls-my-translation-of.html "Snow Still Falls,"] an English translation of a poem by Agnishekhar

[[Category:Hindi-language poets]]
[[Category:Kashmiri poets]]
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]

{{India-writer-stub}}

Agnishekhar - Revision history

>Sunisineast at 14:28, 5 October 2021