Book & Author
Masood Ahmed Barakati: A Champion of Children’s Urdu Literature
By Dr Ahmed S. Khan
Chicago, IL
“The Child is both a hope and a promise for mankind...the Child is the most powerful being in the world…He is the Creator’s most evident handiwork… children are the teachers of love…the child possesses immersible abilities and unsuspected powers of intelligence…His heart is so sensitive to the need for justice…the child can do a great deal for us…We see the figure of the child who stands before us with his arms held open, beckoning humanity to follow.”
- Maria Montessori
Indeed, Maria Montessori, a prominent educator known for her dynamic pedagogical techniques, had rightly observed that establishing a lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is to keep out of war. Children if properly educated and guided can become fulfilled adults to serve humanity and promote peace. In this regard, by publishing voluminous children’s Urdu literature and Hamdard’s monthly magazine Naunehal, late Hakim Said Sahib (1920-1998) and his close associate late Masood Ahmed BarakatiSahib (1930-2017) have done an amazing work spanned over half a century of educating young minds to become morally and ethically successful and fulfilled adults. Their well-written books and Naunehal magazine have promoted morality, ethics, equality, patriotism, peace, and tolerance in children.
Hakim Said Sahib’s was a tabeeb and a scholar par excellence. He was one of a kind - full of compassion, vision, and intellect. He was an institution builder (HamdardWaqf, Karachi and Dhaka; Hamdard Laboratories, Karachi and Dhaka;Hamdard University campus Madianat-al-Hikmah) for the service and growth of society.
Hakim Said Sahib had great love for children. During his entire career he worked zealously for children’s education, nurturing (tarbiyat) and health. He used various channels to promote children’s intellectual development: Naunehal Assembly (a national meeting allowing children to speak on different topics), International Children’s Conference (a children’s event supported by UNESCO, UNICEF and WHO). HamdardNaunehal (children’s monthly magazine), NaunehalAdab(a division responsible for publication of children’s books), Naunehal Book Club (an association that prompted book reading habit in children), and Hamdard Public School (providing free education to children of rural areas around Madina al-Hikmah).
Hakim Said Sahib was the driving force behind Hamdard’sNaunehal. He believed in character building via nurturing (tarbiyat) of young minds. To achieve this objective, he started publishing children’s monthly magazine Naunehal in 1952, and in 1953 asked his close associate Masood Ahmed BarakatiSahib to assume editorship of the magazine. BarakatiSahib’s hard work made Naunehal the most popular children’s magazine in Pakistan and the Urdu-speaking world. While keeping the price of the magazine very low (few annas) Hakim Sahib had adopted some innovative marketing methods for reaching out to the families and children. In the packages of HamdardTib-e-Unani medicines, subscription coupons for Naunehalwere enclosed. Whenever families bought the medicines, kids would find subscription coupons in the packages, and by mailing the coupons they used to receive monthly issues of Naunehal delivered to their doorsteps. Nowadays Hamdard Foundation Pakistan (HFP) has started posting the digital copies of Naunehal at its website (https://www.hamdard.com.pk/) to provide free access to children all over the globe.
During the 1950s and 1970s, travel by train used to be the main mode of transportation in Pakistan. Prior to a train travel families used to prepare their food tiffin, tea thermos, and acquire reading materials for the long journey. On all railway stations, in addition to tea and food stalls, there were well-stocked book stalls which used to sell a variety of newspapers, magazines and books for adults and children at a very nominal price (few annas). Adults had an array of newspapers, digests, and magazines to choose from: Pakistan Times, Morning News, Dawn, The Sun, Huriyat, Jang, Anjam, Mashriq, Masawat, Jasarat, Imroz, Urdu Digest, Aalami Digest, Zindagi, Akhbar-e-Jahan, and Alkhbar-e-Khawateen. Children had the choice of selecting magazines like Naunehal, BachooN key Dunya, Talim-o-Turbiyat, Phool, Khiloona, and Bhai Jaan. Naunehal was the most popular magazine among the children. The reading habit wassecond nature for most adults and children travelers. Unfortunately, nowadays the books have been replaced by smartphones and the reading habit is not that common and attenuating swiftly.
Historically, in the pre-partition era writers strived to develop children’s literature: BachooNKaAkhbar was launched in 1902 by MunshiAlam from Lahore; Phool(1909-1957) was launched by Maulvi Syed Mumtaz Ali from Lahore; Ghuncha was launched in 1922 from Bijnour, British India; after partition, it was relaunched (1947-1970s) from Karachi; and Payam-e-Taleem was launched in 1926 from Delhi.
The major difference between present, pre-, and post- partition eras is that in the past prominent Urdu writes like Mirza Adeeb, Imtiaz Ali Taj, Qurat-ul-Ain Hyder, SoofiTabassum and Intizaar Hussain also wrote children’s literature, but in the present era majority of the mainstream writers do not contribute to children’s literature. The vacuum thus created is filled by borrowed children’s English literature that provides good entertainment but fails to teach local and national norms viz a viz Urdu language, culture, and religious values.
Masood Sahib had rendered valuable services for Urdu language, especially for children’s literature. He helped shape the minds of millions of children during his more than 64-year tenure as editor of Naunehal. The magazine provided young minds with new information and stories embedded with moral and ethical lessons. Many children in Pakistan who grew up during the past seven decades cherished the memories of reading Naunehal. On the first day of every month, children all over Pakistan anxiously awaited the new issue of Naunehal. Children used to read and discuss its contents in schools among their friends.
Masood Ahmed Barkati was born on August 15, 1933, in Tonk, Rajasthan, British India. After partition, he migrated to Pakistan. He was the younger brother of Hakim Mehmood Ahmed Barkati, a prominent researcher and an able scholar. In the early 1950s he joined Hamdard and served the institution in different capacities until his demise on December 10, 2017 in Karachi.
Masood Sahib championed children’s literature and instilled in them a lifelong love of reading. Masood Sahib excelled in educating children and nurturing their young minds with ethical and moral values. He edited children’s magazine HamdardNaunehal continuously for more than 64 years --- without missing a single issue --- which speaks volumes for his dedication for grooming and nurturing young minds. Masood Sahib was a prolific writer of children’s literature and authored twenty books which include AaKhariLamhay (1988), Crore Patti Faqeer (1988), NannahSuraghRasaaN (1988), AndulasKaNajoomi(1989), NannahaSayyah (1989), Teen Bandooqchi (1993), Woo Bhi Kaya Din Thay (1997), Glossary of Medical Terms (1999), Mard-e-Davesh (1999), AadabiMaqalaat-e-Saeed (2000), Payari see PahaReeLarkey (2002), NardoliKa Adam Khor (2006) and HazarroNKhawaheesheeN.
Masood Sahib was a very simple and humble person, he lived in a very small house covering 120 square yards for his entire life; he never took credit for his success, rather dedicated his success to Hakeem Said Sahib, the founder of Naunehal, who entrusted Masood Sahib as the editor of Naunehal to produce quality Urdu literature for children. Every piece he wrote - a story, a poem, an editorial - furnished ethical and moral lessons for children and impressed the importance of loving their country and culture. Naunehal’s format remained almost the same for the past six decades; it included JagoJagao, an editorial written by Hakeem Muhammad Said; PahliBaat, an editorial and words of wisdom written by Masood Ahmed Barakati, followed by stories, poems, moral quotes, illustrations, facts, jokes, riddles, travelogues, and story competitions. He also groomed and trained many young writers who became successful journalists in later life.
During most of his tenure as editor of Naunehal, Urdu word processing software and technologies did not exist and everything was handwritten, from writing of the story to composing of text by khattatsfor publication in the printed form. It was a laborious work, but every month Masood Sahib succeeded in bringing out a high quality issue of Naunehal in terms of getup and contents. And every year he used to also bring out a voluminous special issue of Naunehal.
Masood BarkatiSahibsaid that Hakim Said paid special attention to Naunehal, reading every draft before publication. “He used to say that today’s children will be tomorrow’s leaders.” BarakatiSahib recalled that once during a meeting an associate suggested that since HamdardFoundation is losing money on children’s magazine Naunehal, the magazine should be discontinued. Hakim Saeed disagreed. He said that we are investing in the future of our children, we can tolerate the loss for the sake of our children’s future.
Present era Urdu writers ought to focus their energies on fulfilling the intellectual needs of younger minds by developing much needed children’s Urdu literature. They can emulate the examples of Masood Ahmed BarakatiSahib and Hakim Said Sahib. Indeed, the nations which invest in developing the minds of their youth reap benefits in future!
(Dr Ahmed S. Khan - dr.a.s.khan@ieee.org - is a Fulbright Specialist Scholar, 2017-2022. Professor Khan has 35 years of experience in Higher Education as professor of Electrical Engineering. He is the author of many academic papers, technical and non-technical books, and a series of books on Science, Technology & Society (STS); his most recent books are Mashriq-o-Mugrib Ki MumtazShaksiaat ( Prominent Personalities of the East and the West), and Nanotechnology: Ethical and Social Implications.)
