In Memoriam – Sadequain’s 33 rd Death Anniversary
By Salman Ahmad, PhD
San Diego, CA
Sadequain breathed his last at 2:10 AM on February 10, 1987 at OMI Clinic in Karachi. It was a national loss. Sadequain, arguably an embodiment of the spirit of Picasso, grandeur of Michelangelo, poetic prowess of Omar Khayyam, and calligraphic skills of Yaqoot was no more.
In his lifetime he was a household name. The government of Pakistan had named three institutions in his name in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. It was a distinction not accorded to many.
In his lifetime Sadequain was recognized and praised by the media in all five continents. Not many Pakistanis can make this claim. French newspaper Le Monde quoted “Sadequain’s multiplicity is reminiscent of Picasso.” UAE newspaper Khaleej Times declared him responsible for the “renaissance of calligraphic art.” Indian professor of Urdu literature, DrFaridParbati, stated in his book titled Tanqeed-e-Rubai that Sadequain was the most important modern-day poet of Urdu Rubai.
By appearance an ordinary man, thin and frail in structure, tall and mighty in stature, but simple and unassuming by nature, his life was a journey of joy, fascinating like fiction, and intriguing like a legend. A simple sartorial image, the shunning of pomp and show and consumerism and the assertion of limited wants defined Sadequain’s persona.
Born in the Indian city of Amroha in 1930, Sadequain migrated to Pakistan in1948. After short stints at Sakrand Agriculture College and Radio Pakistan in Karachi, he delved into his prime passion of painting by the year 1951.
Sadequain was prolific and innovative, two mutually exclusive traits. He painted relentlessly for almost 40 years — from the early 1950s until February 10, 1987 — when he passed away at the age of 57 in Karachi. He painted by some estimates more than 15,000 pieces of art comprising of murals, paintings, drawings, and calligraphies. He introduced awe-inspiring mural art to the country and painted more than 45 gigantic murals in his life which are spread over Pakistan, India, the Middle East, Europe, and North America.
He did not produce ordinary paintings to earn a living but painted monuments, introduced mural art to the nation, and donated most to institutions and individuals. His monumental murals of herculean proportions were in most cases donated by him to institutions such as State Bank of Pakistan, Frere Hall, Lahore Museum, Punjab University, Punjab Public Library, Pakistan National Council of Arts, Aligarh Muslim University, Banaras Hindu University, National Geophysical Research Institute in Hyderabad Deccan, and many more. Most of them require restoration now.
Called “The Speaker of Truth” by Daily Perth of Australia, Sadequain said, “ People ask why I don't paint flowers, butterflies and landscapes. I tell them that I seek the truth and I am after reality. I am not inspired by someone posing against the backdrop of roses-in-a-vase, or pink curtains. What inspires me is a person who has gone hungry for hours and is struggling for survival. The expression that lights his face at the end of the day when he has finally found some scraps, that is what touches me. I am a painter of the expression of reality.”
Sadequain’s art, whether complex or simple, it performs magically with the complexity of a well-orchestrated symphony; it represents poetry of color, harmony of rhythm, and the power of a tempest.
Among Sadequain’s significant works are the paintings based on the mystic poetry of Ghalib, Iqbal, and Faiz. These mystic expressions portray the exalted state that transcends within each of us. The rare collection of paintings based on the visions of the greatest poets of the Urdu language reminds us that by renouncing the seduction and eschewing the allurement of material entrapments can help levitate mankind to an exalted state. This collection of paintings constitutes a singularly unique achievement by an artist.
Sadequain’s interpretation of Iqbal
Pablo Picasso said that a true artist “paints not what he sees, but what he feels.” Sadequain’s sumptuous collection of paintings represent his perceptions, in which he draws inspiration from the ancient wisdom of Sufi traditions, which for centuries have represented some of mankind’s purest instincts. As archetypal expressions of mystic vision, these paintings transcend our latent susceptibilities. They hold a beacon to the path of enlightenment, guide through the gateway of spiritual freedom, and provide a conduit to transpersonal truth.
Sadequain summed up his life story in the following two quatrains:
Tasveerwohlaya jo banakarmangi
Han doostikuchaurbarhakarmangi
Sab koyehbatanaykehkhareediusnay
Thorisimusawwirko pila karmangi
Pretender begged for the painting freshly done
Oh yes, hypocrite posed and nagged for more
To lie that he purchased the painting for cash
Boozed the painter and begged for more
Kismatmeriqatray say gohartakna hui
Meri, meraygahak pay nazartakna hui
Yaroon nay is andaaz say bechamujhko
Mein bikgayaaurmujhkokhabartakna hui
My drudgery didn’t bear fruit for me
Was not vigilant of the mugger
Embezzlers hatched thievery in a manner such
I was robbed unaware of pretentious heister
On the fateful night of February 10, 1987, while Sadequain was in the middle of working on the largest calligraphic mural in the world at Frere Hall, he passed away leaving behind the unfinished mural. Credit to the authorities that the unfinished mural adorns the ceiling of the historic building and is considered one of the main artistic attraction in the country.
Sadequain was buried at Sakhi Hasan graveyard in Nazimabad, Karachi.
