It has been 12 years since we lost Rasheed Sabir, he was born on January 10, 1945, in Jati, now part of Sajawal district. His father named him Abdul Rasheed son of Abdullah Mandro. Rasheed Sabir came from a religious family with a history of producing learned scholars.
He received his early education at the village madrasa “Al-Faez.” After acquiring knowledge in jurisprudence and hadith, he obtained a Maulvi Fazil degree from Oriental College in Hyderabad and became an Arabic teacher at Noor Mohammad High School. During this time, he also earned BA and MA degrees from Sindh University. In addition to Sindhi, he was proficient in Urdu, Arabic, and Persian.
Rasheed Sabir authored two books on Islamic studies, which were included in the BA and MA teaching curricula.
He also translated the book “Safa al-Dhamir” into Sindhi under the title “Maatyotn Malir.”
His other works include “From Maulvi Abdul Rashid Mandro to Rashid Sabir,” which features reflections on his life by various personalities, and “Rashid Sabir Ja Choond Radio Drama,” a collection of his unique and popular radio dramas.
His third book, “Rasheed Sabir Ja TV Drama,” has recently been published.
After the 1965 Indo-Pak war, when the repatriation of prisoners of war began, he wrote the memorable drama “Neet Phuttandi Bakh” for Radio Pakistan Hyderabad.
He wrote nearly 300 dramas for radio, covering a wide range of topics. He also authored numerous documentaries, religious programs, sketches, and speeches. He was the scriptwriter for the humorous radio program “Guldashtu.” Rashid Sabir received the Best Writer Award from Radio Pakistan in 2001-2002. After his passing, he was nominated twice for the Presidential Award by Radio Pakistan Karachi.
He collaborated with renowned producers such as Syed Manzoor Naqvi, Nasir Mirza, Sheikh Ibrahim, Arshad Awan, Mumtaz Awan, Nasir Somro, Nisar Memon, Kothar Barro, Gul Hasan Qureshi, Jahangir Qureshi, Mumtaz Sheikh Agha Muhammad Ali, Khalil Channa, and Noorullah Bughiyo.
On PTV, he wrote questions and answers for the general knowledge program “Vainjhar aur Parkh.”
He also contributed to documentaries like “Waah Sawaah,” “Haal Ahwal,” and wrote numerous dramas for “Natak Rang.” He worked with notable actors like Aijaz Aleem , Bidel Masroor, Muhammad Bakhsh Samejo, Haroon Rand, Zulfiqar Naqvi, Samee Baloch, Manzoor Qureshi, Manzoor Magsi, Iqbal Saeed Ansari, Faiz Bughiyo, Iqbal Ahmed, Badal Jamali, Naeem Baloch, Hussain Khanzada, Maqbool Shujra, Haroon Jamali, Fida Somro, Altaf Somro, and Sultana Siddiqui.
He also created dramas for KTN and Sindh TV, working with Noor Jokhio on KTN and Dr. Abdul Kareem Rajpar on Sindh TV. His private channel dramas include “Sahel Se Door,” directed by Talat Hussain for the first time, “Mera Kya Qusoor,” “Zindagi Ka Zehr,” “Chaudhaween Ki Raat” on TV One, “Aina,” and others.
In 1979, he laid the foundation for Sindhi theater with the play “Floor Number One” in Karachi.
He wrote numerous stage plays, including “Jane Na Paaye,” “Ek Anar Do Beemaar,” “Ghoot An Mot,” “Qarz Marz Farz,” “Audi Pacha,” “Shaadi Ya Taaddi,” “Shaadi Shanwari,” “Dilgir Daman Gir,” “Mix Plate,” “Khatti Ayi Khair San,” and “Shaadi Ya Barbari.” He also played a positive role in the development of Sindhi films.
In 1984, he represented Sindhi films at a film meeting called by President Zia-ul-Haq and secured tax exemption for Sindhi films.
He wrote and acted in Sindhi films like “Ghato Ghar Na Aaya,” “Tufan,” “Phal Machhi,” “Barsat Ji Raat,” “Sahna Sain,” “Ho Jamalo,” “Qidi,” “M heran Jamoti,” and the Urdu film “Aakhri Goli Ki Kahaniyan.”
Rasheed Sabir was not only a writer but also a unique voice actor, actor, and director. He received numerous awards from private institutions.
