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Farrukh DhondyBritish writer, playwright, screenwriter and left-wing activist
Date of Birth: .
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Early Activism
- Writing Career
- Later Career
- Awards and Honors
- Collins/Fontana Award for "Come To Mecca and Other Stories";
- Whitbread First Novel Award, 1990, for "The Bombay Duck."
Early Life and Education
Dhoondy was born in Pune, India in 1944. He attended Bishop's School and earned a BSc degree from the University of Pune in 1964. He received a scholarship to Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he initially studied natural sciences but later switched to English, earning a BA in 1967. After graduating, he obtained an MA from the University of Leicester and became a lecturer at Leicester College of Further Education and Archbishop Temple's School in Lambeth, London.
Early Activism
While in Leicester, Dhoondy became involved with the Indian Workers' Association and later, in London, with the British Black Panthers. He joined the editorial board of Race Today in 1970 with his close friend Darcus Howe and former partner Mala Sen, and began to realize his calling as a writer.
Writing Career
Dhoondy's literary output is extensive, encompassing children's books, textbooks, and biographies, as well as plays for the theater and screenplays for film and television. He is also a columnist, biographer (C.L.R. James; 2001), and media executive, having served as an editor for Channel Four from 1984 to 1997. Among his works for Channel Four was the comedy series "Tandoori Nights" (1985-87), which satirized the rivalry between two curry house owners.
His children's stories include KBW ("Keep Britain White"), which explores a white boy's reaction to anti-Bengali racism. In 2011, Dhoondy published his translation of excerpts from Rumi, the Sufi poet, as "Rumi: A New Translation."
Dhoondy wrote the screenplay for the 2005 Bollywood historical blockbuster "Mangal Pandey: The Rising," starring Aamir Khan and Toby Stephens. In 2012, Dhoondy wrote the screenplay for the short film "The K File," a fictionalized account of Ajmal Kasab's trial, directed by Urvasi Irani.
Later Career
Dhoondy's play "Devdas" premiered in London in 2013 and subsequently toured internationally. Also published in 2013 was his novel "The Prophet of Love" (HarperCollins). His collection of Rumi translations was published in 2014 and received a 4.5-star rating on Goodreads.
Dhoondy received high-profile recognition in the esteemed political journal New Internationalist on its prestigious "Back Page," which reignited his long-standing campaign for increased BAME talent at the BBC, an article that was subsequently reprinted in the New Statesman and the Voice newspaper.
His latest book, "The Serpent and the Hyena," tells the story of Charles Sobhraj. Dhoondy appeared on the "Literary City" podcast with Ramji Chandran to discuss his escapades with Charles Sobhraj, as well as his autobiography, "Fragments of My Ruin: A Life." Dhoondy was most recently a guest at the 2022 Jaipur Literature Festival London to discuss his books.
Awards and Honors
Workshop of Children's RightsOther Awards: 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";
Books Featured in "Children's Fiction in Britain," an Exhibition 1900-1990, The British Council Literature Department, 1990;
