Google Doodle on 1 November is celebrating the 78th birthday of the famous Pakistani puppeteer Farooq Qaiser, best known for creating fictional puppet character Uncle Sargam which won hearts of many kids and adults.
Born in 1945 in Punjab's Sialkot area, Farooq Qaiser was also a famous artist, writer, and voice actor. As per Goggle Doodle, today's artwork features Uncle Sargam and his companion, Masi Museebtay who are regarded as Pakistan's legendary puppet duo.
-Qaisar was first introduced to the world of puppetry while pursuing his Fine Art studies at the National College of Arts in Lahore. During that time, he was invited as a show writer and puppet maker for the children's television series Akka Bakkar (1971).
-Apart from studying Fine Arts, Qaiser had also attended the University of Bucharest for his bachelor’s in graphic design and the University of Southern California for a master’s in mass communications, Google Doodle states.
-Then in 1976, he started creating his own children’s show, which finally led to a Pakistani Television (PTV) broadcasting opportunity. It wasn’t long before Kaliyan (which translates to flower bud) found its way onto family TV screens across the nation, as per Google Doodle.
-Qaiser's show brilliantly balanced humor and satire to teach valuable life lessons to its young audience. Uncle Sargam, the main character, was also charming and relatable enough that even parents enjoyed watching the show with their kids.
-He has also received recognition for his contribution in educating and entertaining the people of Pakistan through television.
-In terms of honours, he has been awarded the Presidential Pride of Performance in 1993, the title of “Master Puppeteer” from UNICEF in 1997, and the PTV Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.
-Apart from his stint in puppetry, he was a cartoonist and columnist for the Urdu newspaper Daily Nai Baat and also taught at Rawalpindi's Fatima Jinnah Women's University. In addition to this, Qaiser co-founded Pakistani branch of Union Internationale de la Marionnette (UNIMA) and also served as its long-time vice president.
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