A Treat of Mujtaba’s
Wit and Humor
A treasure trove of humor and
satire is now available to lovers of Urdu literature
residing in North America. It is a selection of
Mujtaba Hussain’s 76 columns spread over 374
pages of excellent wit, humor and satire.
This is the fourth anthology of Mujtaba’s
writings brought out by Hasan Chishti of Chicago
who is in own right an eminent Urdu poet and writer.
The earlier volumes comprise selections from the
writings of Mujtaba Hussain (in two parts), pen
pictures of well-known figures drawn by Mujtaba,
and Mujtaba’s travel accounts.
Mujtaba, 70, is such a prolific writer that before
these four anthologies brought out under the aegis
of Hasan Chishti, thirteen volumes carrying his
writings had already been published. All of these
seventeen publications carry his humorous writings
on a variety of subjects. But, he has not deviated
from the genre of wit and satire. And, there is
not a single writing of his that fails to qualify
as a piece of high quality Urdu literature. His
style is simple, racy and free of literary pretensions.
The reader finds himself fully immersed in what
Mujtaba has to say; for, he has so much to say and
most of it is novel in contents or presented through
a novel angle. Writing such a high caliber column
every day for over 15 years is a super human task.
Mujtaba has performed this literary miracle.
His exceptional merit and genius was recognized
by numerous literary societies in the sub-continent
and abroad. He has to his credit a string of some
ten awards conferred on him by various societies
known for their high standards and tough selection
procedures. Some of these awards included cash payments
too, making them much coveted for a host of aspirants.
Mujtaba was born and brought up in Hyderabad Deccan
in a family known for its devotion to Urdu and Farsi
literature. His father, a District Officer in Nizam’s
government, had a deep interest in Farsi and Urdu
literature. His eldest brother, Mahboob Hussain
Jigar, was the co-founder and Joint Editor of daily
Siaset – a much valued daily still in publication
. His contribution towards the promotion of Urdu
journalism and literature is widely acknowledged.
Ibrahim Jalees, the well-known satirist and editor
of daily Masawat, Karachi and some other papers
of Pakistan, was also an elder brother, some ten
years senior to Mujtaba. His satire, Chalees crore
Bikhari, was published when Jalees was still in
his early twenties; yet, it was soon accepted as
a part of abiding Urdu literature and satire.
On his selection as a member of the National Council
of Educational Research and Training. Mujtaba shifted
to New Delhi and has only recently returned to Hyderabad
after spending some 33 years in the federal capital.
On my visit to Hyderabad during the winter last
year I spent a memorable day in his company.
I had already read several of his writings including
the book entitled “Mira Column”. But,
none of the 76 columns in the new book, being reviewed
here, had appeared in the earlier publication. His
prolific pen had produced over 500 columns, a repertoire
vast enough for Mr. Hasan Chishti to pick and choose.
The only other writer that I knew who was equally
prolific was Shaukat Thanavi. He was gifted with
versatile talents. He was editing a daily paper,
writing dramas and skits, and acting out as Qaziji
and lending his voice to some other characters in
his own radio skits “Qaziji ke ghar”.
Mujtaba did not cross the parameters of witty and
humorous columns. But, his erudition, his command
on Farsi, Urdu and English literature, his clear
comprehension of the economic and political trends
in South Asia, his close contacts with eminent writers,
artists, poets and socio-political figures puts
him at par with Shaukat Thanavi. The contents of
his columns reflect this. You enjoy his wit and
satire while learning something new from his writings.
You keep marveling at his subtlety of intellect.
Like a polished diplomat, he communicates his views
on unsavory social and political developments without
offending the susceptibilities of his targets. His
inherent nobility does not admit of his saying something
bitter without sugar-quoting it first as a harmless,
well-meaning and witty observation.
Many of his columns deal with personal experiences.
But, he has kept under severe control his ego. As
a matter of fact, his greatness as a writer has
turned him into an extremely humble person. He enjoys
laughing at his own follies and encouraging his
readers to laugh with him. Some research scholars
have earned their PhD degrees by writing their theses
on his writings. You never hear him mention this.
He feels embarrassed if some one mentions this in
a gathering of his contemporary writers.
(If this column has excited your interest in the
exceptionally witty writings of Mujtaba, you may
like to contact Mr. Hasan Chishti at Hasan10@aol.com
and get copies from him. arifhussaini@hotmail.com)
