 He was born in Kashmiri Brahmin (a group well known for their proficiency in Persian and Urdu) family.His father, Pandit Bej Nath Dhar, a trader who immigrated from Kashmir to Lucknow, died when Sarshar was four years old; thereafter Sarshar was brought up by his mother.Sarshar was initially schooled in the traditional way by learning Arabic and Persian at a local "maktab" (primary school).