With Hameed Akhtar's exit from the literary scene it dawns all of a sudden that the list of writers and journalist who attained reputation in the pre-independence times is fast shrinking. Only a few veterans remain in our midst but they are living off the well-deserved reputation and not adding anything to the aggregate of their achievements.
What makes this statement all the more sad is that most of those who have stepped into their shoes lack that vigour and euphoria, which their preceding generation had. They have rather dismal memories of post-independence days characterised by a sense of lost opportunities by the post 1958 governments. They are plaintive of bad governance, mismanagement of resources and lack of character of the generation after generation which is bereft of the sense of loss as well what a time to live and ruminate over their youthful dreams turned into night mares.
I am writing these lines after the passing away of a role model for young writers and journalists that Hameed Akhtar was. He was 87 when he bid us adieu with books like 'Kal Kothri, 'La Makan', 'Roedad-e-Anjuman', 'Aashnaiyan Kiya Kiya' and his biography etc. He wrote his vibrant column in Express for eight years and said adieu to his readers a few days before his death on October 17 saying that he won't be on the scene after October. And truly he kept his word. At the time of his death he was Secretary General of the Progressive Writers Association- His four year stint began in 2007 after PWA's Multan session. He lived to head Faiz Centennial celebrations in 2011, an event which turned into historic celebrations in more than 109 cities. No Urdu poet - Ghalib and Allama Iqbal - could have such celebrations. Perhaps it was an indication of his belief that no one could deny the masses right to rule over themselves. The official monogram of the centennial celebration was aptly titled "Raj Karega Khalq-e-Khuda". Isn't it a wonderful coincidence that Faiz's centennial year is the year of "Occupy Wall Street Movement" as well?
Hameed Akhtar's real name was Syed Akhtar. He dropped Syed and Ali from his name and became Hameed Akhtar. Zoe Ansari, whose real name was Zaheer-ul-Hasan Zaidi also underwent a similar change of heart.
Hameed Akhtar has described his childhood in his autobiographical writings. His childhood days saw poverty at its worst and the way he toiled during his youth to eke out a living and raise his family in an ideal manner reminds as of Maxim Gorky's memoirs. He rose to be a role model by becoming a successful journalist and writer and the proud father of his children. Of all his children, Saba Hameed, a well-known TV actress was the apple of his eye. Perhaps but his love for Saba was no less than her love for the common masses and the ideology he believed in. His best friends were Sahir Ludhianvi, Krishan Chandar and Ibne Insha and be looked upon Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Sajjad Zaheer and Sibte Hasan as his mentors.
His book "Kal Kothri", the narrative of his jail life, eclipses his career as a short story writer. He tried his luck in film industry and wrote dialogues for some films besides producing a film. But he didn't succeed in filmdom and journalism became his life long profession. He became one of those journalists whose services cannot be forgotten.
Dr Raj Bahadur Gor
Dr Raj Bahadur Gor also passed away in October, his death can be taken as the death of a great lover of Urdu language. Born in Hyderabad Deccan Dr Gor wrote six books, 'Adabi Mutaley', 'Adabi Jaeze' and 'Adabi Tanazur' besides a biography in English of his friend Makhdum Mohiuddin. Makhdum Mohiuddin shares the silky and melodious tradition of revolutionary poetry with Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Faiz has written a beautiful Nazm on Makhdum and one can measure the depth of his feelings for Makhdum.
Likewise Dr Raj Bahadur Gor who passed his MBBS from Osmania University but feel attracted towards trade unionism so much that he preferred his trade union activities to a cosy medical practice. Jailed many a time for his support to the Telangana Movement he became a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1952 to 1962.
Dr Gor was a life member of Anjuman Taraqqi-i-Urdu (Hindi). On his 75th birthday Dr Jagan Nath Azad threw light on Dr Gor's satire and wit. Dr Gor didn't want to drag Urdu into politics and always thought that Urdu's mystic poetry made Indian Islam distinctively softer than other versions. He was in tune with Sajjad Zaheer on the soft face of Islam that mysticism is. Dr Gor regarded that mysticism in Deccani Urdu poetry as well as in Northern India's Urdu poetry had enriched Indo-Muslim culture.
Professor Alle Ahmed Suroor was also appreciative of Dr Gor's contribution to Urdu's progressive literature. He says that his love for Makhdum bordered on Ishq. Dr Gor's indulgence for Makhdum could be measured by the fact that his house was named after a phrase used in Makhdum's poetry. Malik Ram, Dr Qamar Rais, humorist Mujtaba Hussain and poet-critic Riffat Sarosh had hailed him as a unique personality.
Muslim Shamim's valuable contribution Poet - critic Muslim Shamim has made a commendable headway in carving for himself a safe niche in progressive criticism. His books 'Nazriat Ka Tasadum' and 'Fikr-o-Fun Ke Jazeeray' have been warmly received.
I have commended 'Fikr-o-Fun' in this column sometime back and it is 'Firk-o-Fun Ke Jazeeray' that is before me. He has discussed some important personalities of our literary serve such as Shad Azimabadi, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Kaifi Aazmi, Professor Ahmed Ali, Shaikh Ayaz, Haider Bux Jatoi, Akhtar Sheerani, Khalid Aliq, Hasan Abidi and Syed Mazhar Jamil etc.
Muslim Shamim is, as a matter of fact, a very warm hearted and indulgent about senior writers who have contributed to our socio-political scene. Naturally he takes a very generous view of the merits of all those writers who have been neglected for want of certain tendentious attitudes of some writers. He likes to make amends and wants to go out of the way to applaud all those whose studies require a balanced approach.
For example his advocacy of Professor Ahmed Ali whose role in the progressive movement is a bit controversial. Ahmed Ali had resigned from the PWA in 1938 after an interesting controversy.
Muslim Shamim may be having second thoughts about his opinion since he is presently the Convenor of the Platinum Jubilee of the PWA, and hence may not be supporting Professor Ahmed Ali's thesis regarding the primary of Art over realistic depiction of human life.
I believe that his article on Haider Bux Jatoi needs attention of all who have read and appreciated his poem "Jeay Sindh". In his poem he has been quite conscious of the fact that the urban population of Sindh, most of them new Sindhis, would prove to be the helping hands for Sindh's cause - a point which is not taken into account by quite a few nationalists. They don't realise that the unity of Sindh demands that any attempt at creating a wedge between the urban and rural Sindh couldn't promote Sindh's cause.
His articles on Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Kaifi Aazmi, Makhdum Mohiuddin and Shaikh Ayaz have been well-written. Shad Azimabadi also gets proper attention to this important poet of Urdu in the year of Bihar's centennial celebrations, Khalid Alig deserves to be known on a big scale. He is no less important than Habib Jalib. In fact he is, in certain aspects, bigger poet than him especially from the point of language. It is often forgotten that the poetry of protest doesn't need political platforms as a matter of rules. No less respect for Khalid Alig if he didn't join a political party.
His assessment of Hasan Abidi could be a bit more generous. His article on Syed Mazhar Jameel is a friend's tribute to a friend and hence it is as generous as it could be. However, it is fair to comment that our writings have to be far more generous for all those writers who have been mostly neglected and hence a bit of exaggeration to make up for the neglect should be taken with a pinch of salt.
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