of various states of India attended this session. Balraj Sahni was elected as the first president of All India Youth Federation, the youth wing of Communist Party of India. The organisation was a huge success and strong presence of the organisation was noticed by other political groups and the senior communist leaders everywhere. Sahni also dabbled in screenwriting; he wrote the 1951 movie Baazi which starred Dev Anand and was directed by Guru Dutt. He was also a recipient of the Padma Shri Award (1969). Balraj Sahni also wrote in Punjabi and contributed to the Punjabi magazine Preetlari. In the 1950s he inaugurated the Library and Study Centre for the underprivileged in Delhi. His acting in Do Bigha Zameen and Garam Hawa were the highlights of his career. He believed in what is known as neo-realistic cinema. Balraj's brother Bhisham Sahni was a well-known writer who wrote the book Tamas. His son Parikshit Sahni is also an actor. Balraj Sahni died on 13 April 1973 of a massive cardiac arrest, less than a month before his 60th birthday. He had been depressed for some time by the untimely death of his young daughter, Shabnam; she died a year earlier. "Punjabi Kala Kender", founded in 1973 at Bombay by Balraj Sahni, gives away the annual Balraj Sahni Award, also given by the "All India Artists Association". Filmography Works Balraj Sahni: An Autobiography , by Balraj Sahni. Published by Hind Pocket Books. Mera Pakistani Safarnama (Punjabi ), 1960. Mera Russi Safarnama (Punjabi), 1969. Kamey (Labourers) (Punjabi) Ek Safar Ek Daastaan (Punjabi) Gair Jazbaati Diary (Punjabi) References Further reading Balraj Sahni: An Intimate Portrait , by Puran Chandra Joshi. Published by Vikas Pub. House, 1974. Balraj, My Brother (National biography series) , by Bhishma Sahni. National Book Trust, India, 1981.The Non-Conformist – Memories of My Father Balraj Sahni,'' by Parikshat Sahni. Penguin India, 2019 External links Balraj Sahni's Convocation Address at Jawaharlal Nehru University in 1972 Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts 1913 births 1973 deaths Indian male film actors Indian male stage actors Male actors in Hindi cinema BBC newsreaders and journalists Indian People's Theatre Association people Punjabi-language writers Indian autobiographers Indian travel writers Male actors in Punjabi cinema Academic staff of Visva-Bharati University People from Rawalpindi Punjabi people Male actors from Rawalpindi 20th-century Indian male actors People from Sargodha District Government Gordon College alumni