Mein apnay hast ki

tanhaiyon mein rota hoon

Yeh muskurata hua shakhs hai mera

humzaad

[I weep in the solitudes of my existence

This smiling person is my alter ego]

he achievements of Amjad Islam Amjad, an eminent poet, playwright, translator, critic and columnist who passed away in Lahore on February 10, are everlasting. His speech was effortless and attractive and there was clarity in his thought. He introduced a younger generation to the best values and great personalities of the past.

Amjad was born in Lahore on August 4, 1944. He belonged to a family of artisans who had settled in Lahore after migrating from Sialkot in 1930. He was the eldest among three brothers and four sisters. He matriculated from Muslim Model School in 1961 and later studied at Islamia College, Railway Road, and Islamia College, Civil Lines. He received a scholarship for getting good marks in Urdu in his BA and was admitted to Oriental College. In 1967, he passed the MA Urdu examination from Oriental College with distinction. In his student days, he was an excellent cricketer.

One of his maternal aunts, who was visually challenged, had a key role in nourishing his creativity. She told him many stories. As a child, Amjad listened to these stories with great interest and would narrate them to his classmates the next day. In sixth grade, a teacher named him ‘the storytelling machine.’ During his ninth grade, he was appointed the editor of the school magazine. While at college, Amjad wrote both poetry and prose.

While studying for his MA in Urdu, Amjad attended a mushaira at Punjab University in connection with the September 1965 war. During the event, Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi, approached Amjad and asked him if he could provide the poem he had just recited for inclusion in Funoon. This request was a turning point for Amjad. It gave him the confidence to pursue a writing career.

His Urdu poetry was always more important to him than his other work. He once said that writing plays, columns, travelogues and criticism etc., had never “come in the way” of his poetry. He had established himself as a poet even before he completed his studies. The poem Havaa-i-Shahr-i-Vafa Shi’aran, published in Nusrat and then edited by Hanif Ramay, became very popular. He soon became the voice of the youth.

His poem Mohabbat Ki Aik Nazm, too, was very popular among the youth; many memorised it despite its length. It begins thus:

Agar kabhi meri yaad aaye/ Toe chand raton ki narm dilgeer roshni mein/ Kisi sitaray koe dekh laina

[Should you ever remember me/ Look at a star/ In the soft, melancholy glow/ Of a moonlit night)

Amjad’s poetry was now regularly published in Funoon and other literary journals. His first collection, Barzakh (Purgatory), was published in 1974.

His success soon extended beyond literary circles, as he also gained recognition for his plays, some of which became popular across Pakistan. During the airing of Athar Shah Khan’s play Lakhon Mein Teen on PTV, Amjad discussed a few points about drama with him. Impressed by Amjad’s critical insight, Athar Shah Khan suggested that he, too, should write a play. Amjad took this encouragement to heart and offered several scripts to the PTV. In 1973, his play Akhri Khwab was produced and aired from the Rawalpindi station.

In 1974, a series titled Havva started from the Rawalpindi station, for which Amjad wrote two plays titled Barzakh and Mom Ki Guriya. When Kunwar Khalid Aftab was posted to Lahore, Amjad wrote a special play for March 23, Khwaab Jagtay Hain, in 1975. Further on, his serial Waris became a milestonein the history of Pakistani TV dramas.

Amjad’s column writing began with Imroze in 1984. Some of his columns narrated his travels and circumstances; others were about his ideas on society. He would also introduce his readers to less-known achievers in various fields. He would also share his memories of eminent people who had passed away.

He had a cheerful personality, and most people enjoyed his conversations. It was routine for him to be the life of any party he joined. Last year on March 23, he began his column with the following lines: “Those of us born in the fifth decade of the last century are witnesses to the fact that despite the many problems we faced, our society was cheerful. Most people entertained vain hopes, and the kind of things they said, they heard back.” In his last column, published on February 5, he narrated the story of his travel to Hijaz and the performance of an umrah.

Amjad Islam Amjad was appointed lecturer at MAO College in 1968. In 1997, he retired as an associate professor from the same institution. After his teaching career was over, he served as a director of the Urdu Science Board and the project director of the Children’s Library, Lahore. Many collections of his poetry have been published. Aks and Kaalay Logon Ki Roshan Nazmein consist ofpoetry translations. Naye Puranay is a work of criticism. Four of his travelogues and six collections of columns have also been published. The most memorable of his TV plays include Waris, Raat, Dehleez, Samandar, Fishaar, Din, Agar, Inkar and Aendhan. He wrote the screenplay for four films: Haq Mehr, Nijaat, Choron Ki Barat and Jo Dar Gaya, Voh Mar Gaya and the dialogues of two films: Qurbani and Salakhain. The government of Pakistan awarded him the Sitara-i-Imtiaz and Pride of Performance for his services.

I first met Amjad in Karachi in the early 2000s when I was a junior officer at the State Bank of Pakistan. He had come to recite his poetry at an event at Karachi Gymkhana. Later there were many such occasions. From my interaction with him, I can describe him as imaginative, humble and cheerful.

Last year, he very gracefully permitted me to translate his tribute to the late Lata Mangeshkar. Its refrain was: Sur ki rani chali gayi [the queen of melody has departed].

I recall his insight on life and death:

Zindagi ka hi nahin

thoar, thikana maloom

Maut toa tae hae keh

kis vaqt, kahan aani hai

[All the uncertainty is associated with living; death, of course, is pre-destined.]

Rest in peace, Amjad sahib.

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