November 16, 2012
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 had 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.
arifhussaini@hotmail.com
