March
10, 2006
Mujtaba’s
New Book and Urdu Magazine ‘Al Aqreba’
Mujtaba Hussain, the eminent
Urdu writer, wit and humorist, honored me by a visit
during my two-week visit to Hyderabad, India, early
this year. He honored me further by presenting to
me a copy of his book “Aap Ki Tareef”
that had just come out of the press. As if this
was not enough, he brought with him another prominent
humorist, writer, and actor, Himayatullah, to completely
overwhelm me with his kindness and consideration.
Mujtaba is a familiar name even for those who have
but a fringe interest in Urdu literature. And, for
the students of Urdu literature, he is by any measure
a front rank humor writer of modern times. A prolific
writer, the total volume of his writings exceeds
that of any of his peers in his genre. Quantity-wise
he is no doubt the front-runner and quality-wise
he is not behind any other.
Shaukat Thanavi was another humorist in any knowledge
who could write as fast and in such quantity. He
could conceive the theme, flow of the story, dialogues
of various characters in his serial and satirical
radio drama “Qaziji kay Ghar” only a
couple of hours before broadcast. And, he would
play the central character of Qaziji himself. On
occasions he wouldn’t have even the script.
The latest book of Mujtaba, “Aap Ki Tareef”
is a compilation of the profiles crafted by him
of prominent Urdu poets and writers. These are the
accounts of his personal encounters with these luminaries
over the past half a century. The sketches are so
vividly and masterly drawn that the reader gains
the feeling of the presence of the subject while
going through Mujtaba’s account. It is the
genius of Mujtaba to turn a stranger into a familiar
figure for his reader.
The book carries profiles of 55 literati, half of
them on or after the demise of the concerned person,
the other half about the living literary figures.
Even the pieces written in memory of the dead, do
not read like the traditional obituaries. They neither
depress the reader like ‘marsias’ (odes
to the dead), nor do they poke fun at the frailties
of the dead. Mujtaba maintains a delicate balance
between informing, entertaining and educating the
reader and offering tributes to the qualities of
head and heart of his subject.
In an earlier column about Mujtaba, I had said:
A consistent quality that I noticed in his writings
is his anecdotal style. His sketches too fit into
he genre of short story. This technique holds the
attention of the reader while the subtle blend of
wit and humor into the story adds further to its
taste and texture.
His profiles remind one of an observation of Mark
Twain: “There has never been an uninteresting
life. Such a thing is impossibility. Inside of the
dullest exterior there is a drama, a comedy, a tragedy.”
Mujtaba’s incisive insight picks it up, his
racy pen draws the sketch and his impish brush gives
it colorful touches of humor. He has been doing
this for over thirty years. The total of his sketches
must be over a hundred. First compilation under
the title “Aadmi Nama” appeared in 1981.
Then came “So Hai Wuh Bhi Aadmi” six
years later. Hasan Chishti, a prominent poet and
writer himself, has compiled Mujtaba’s selected
columns in four volumes. These carried some more
sketches. The profiles in the book under review
are mostly those not included in the earlier anthologies.
Mujtaba has given to Urdu literature a treasure
trove of material on modern day Urdu writers. His
service is no less valuable than that of Muhammad
Husain Azad through his “Aab-e-Hayat”.
However, it goes to the credit of Mujtaba that he
has taken no liberty with facts to add color to
his narrative. He stands out in this respect. Also,
one marvels at the number of friends he has developed
in the Urdu literary circles of South Asia and of
South Asians abroad. He has drawn their sketches
and the reader keeps drawing a sketch of Mujtaba
in his mind while going through them. The picture
that emerges is that of a monument to humor and
wit, to sincerity and humility, to immeasurable
greatness and as much modesty, to an exceptional
devotion to Urdu literature. May his prolific pen
become more productive with each passing day.
QUARTERLY AL-AQREBA. I have received in the mail
a copy of Qurterly “Al-AQREBA” published
from Islamabad. This Jan-March, 2006 issue marks
the first anniversary of a magazine that struck
me as a potpourri of researched articles, literary
and creative writings, short stories and selected
poems of contemporary bards. The magazine is being
brought out by a Foundation headed by a retired
civil servant, Syed Mansur Aquil. He has wisely
elected to devote his post-retirement time to the
production of this labor of love instead of letting
it pass in a reverie of the past. A labor of love
hardly seeks a reward. The labor is a reward by
itself. I am sure Mr. Aquil is enjoying the fruits
of his efforts. The letters towards the end of the
magazine reflect this.
{For more information about this worthwhile periodical,
please contact its representative in the US, Mr.
Owais Jafrey at (206) 361-8094}
arifhussaini@hotmail.com March 3, 2006
