Nukta-varon nay hum ko sujhaya, khaas bano aur aam raho

Mehfil mehfil suhbat rakho, dunya mein gumnaam raho

(The sages advised me to become special but live like ordinary people;

To benefit from every gathering, yet live in complete obscurity.)

ukhtar Siddiqui, who passed away 50 years ago in Lahore at the age of 53, was a true artist. He was never accorded the recognition and the respect he deserved, but has been immortalised by his artistic output. The strength and universality of his ideas are enough to secure his place him among the early architects of Pakistani literature.

The musicality in Mukhtar Siddiqui’s poetic technique, his interest in classical Indian music and the element of drama distinguish him among his contemporaries.

As a poet, he was not beholden to the past glory. Rather, he was fully aware of the political, social and international movements of his time. He did not view literature as divided and isolated into ideological boxes and was convinced of the universal values within literary themes. He was moved by progressive concerns and was not in the least prejudiced or bigoted. As a craftsman, he experimented with new forms.

The kidnapping survivor in his poem Bazyafta is neither distinguishably Hindu nor Muslim. The men who oppress her, too, have not been identified in communal terms. Instead, the poem is about the crimes against humanity. The poem, among others, is evidence of Mukhtar Siddiqui’s contemporary consciousness as well as his progressive commitment.

His ghazals have a simplicity, refinement and tenderness reminiscent of Mir.

His description of various ragas is a unique achievement.

From Manzil-i-Shab to Seh Harfi, inspired by his veneration of Sulatn Bahu, his poetry went through several stages of artistic evolution. Even while describing the moment of creation, Mukhtar Siddiqui maintains a philosophical perspective.

Mukhtar Siddiqui is also a great writer of literary prose – fiction as well as non-fiction. As a writer of criticism and a translator he boldly coined new words and terms to ensure precise expression. As a critic, he was highly impartial and scholarly. His translations had the quality of a creative writing while accurately capturing the content. He can be regarded as an important interpreter of the neoclassical tradition in Urdu literature.

Mukhtar Siddiqui was born in Sialkot to a religious family. He was named Mukhtar-ul Haq Siddiqui. After his birth in 1919, his father took the family to Gujranwala where they lived in the Hakim Rai neighbourhood.

Mukhtar’s father had a religious disposition that rubbed on to his children, including Mukhtar, and remained a part of his character. He received his early education at home. In 1934, he passed the matriculation examination appearing from the Government High School, Gujranwala. He passed his FA in 1936 and BA in 1938. At Islamia College, Railway Road, Lahore, where he studied for his BA he was the editor of the Urdu section of the college magazine, Crescent.

After finishing his BA, he started looking for a job. For a while, he did whatever work came his way. Eventually, he found a place as a clerk at Radio Pakistan.

In his essay Kacha-Chitha, the artist, Mukhtar Siddiqui, takes over, consigning Mukhtar-ul Haq Siddiqui to the background.

His Meri Rani appeared in the Deccan journal, Sabras, in 1929. His poetry soon came to be associated with conflict between the worker and the capitalist. Mentoring by Seemab Akbarabadi helped him develop his style. Mukhtar Siddiqui soon became an accomplished artist. However, he was never accorded the kind of recognition he deserved. This was to remain a life-long regret.

Lack of appreciation of his great artistic genius was not limited to his life. Even after his death, many critics and researchers have not deemed him worthy of their attention.

In 1956, he joined the evening classes at the Gordon College, Rawalpindi, for a master’s in Urdu. He completed the degree with a first class and was awarded a gold medal by the Punjab University, Lahore. His research thesis in MA was about the poet Mohsin Kakorvi.

Mukhtar Siddiqui was married to Zakia Begum, the daughter of Faiz Rasul, a close friend of his father.

After a while he was promoted and became a program assistant. Later, he left the radio job to join the PTV as a scripts editor. In Rawalpindi, he lived in a two-storey house share with his friend Afzal Parvez, the journalist.

In his essay Kacha-Chitha, Mukhtar describes in a light vein how his wife tried to persuade him to give up art and literature and try to live the life of a ‘regular’ man.

Siddiqui’s wife was perennially ill. This caused them great hardship – economic and otherwise.

Mukhtar Siddiqui attained great heights with his art his true stature was not acknowledged. This, too, caused him great pain.

The lack of appreciation was not limited to his own time. Even after his death, critics and researchers did not deem him worthy of attention as an early architect of Pakistani literature. Even a book about the Halqa-i-Arbab-i-Zauq, where he was a regular, mentions him in passing only.

Urdu Adab Ki Tehreekain by Anwar Sadeed. too, failed to do him justice.

Fortunately for Mukhtar Siddiqui, his art alone is enough to immortalize him.

Mukhtar Siddiqui had cultivated an excellent taste in music. Listening to music and to be delighted by it can be an emotional and spiritual experience for many. Siddiqui, had the knack of describing it in verse.

About the harmony of a tune and the verse he wrote:

Yeh suren rakhti hain aisay kai aalam saqi

Voh bhi hain jo kisi takhleeq ki hadd mein bhi nahin!

Hai voh pehnai lachakti hui sargam saqi

Vus’aten jis ki azal kya hai abad mein bhi nahin

(These notes contain many such states, cupbearer

That are beyond the limits of any creation!

The breadth of the mutation, cupbearer

Is beyond the beginning of time and its end)

Another important aspect of Mukhtar Siddiqui’s art was his deep connection with mysticism.

Mukhtar Siddiqui lived a life of great humility. He was a gentle, tolerant and honest writer.

In 1940, he had joined Miraji and became a member of the Halqa-i-Arbab-i-Zauq. From 1941 to 1948, his poems regularly appeared in the poetic selections of the Halqa.

In 1947, he was elected the secretary of the Halqa. As its secretary he presented important ideas about literature in his preliminary words at every session.

After the Partition, a collection of selected poems from literary journals was compiled by Zaheer Kashmiri, Mukhtar Siddiqui and Qayyum Nazar. This selection included Siddiqui’s poem Bazyafta.

Balraj Komal’s Akeli and Siddiqui’s Bazyafta are accounts of the experience of freedom and its attendant pain.

Mukhtar Siddiqui remained associated with the Halqa till his last days. After his death, a special session was held in his memory. It was attended by Yusuf Kamran, Mirza Adeeb, Zaheer Kashmiri, A Hameed, Sajjad Haider, Ashfaq Ahmad, Ejaz Batalvi, Qayyum Nazar, Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi, Ayub Roomani and Abdul Shakoor Bedil.

He passed away on September 19, 1972, soon after a meeting at PTV where he was reportedly snubbed and insulted.

Mukhtar Siddiqui lies buried in an unmarked grave in Ichhra, Lahore.

The author is a Lahore-based writer, critic, translator and researcher, can be reached at: razanaeem@hotmail.comHe tweets @raza_naeem1979.