Grande Dame’ of Urdu literature mourned

Grande Dame’ of Urdu literature mournedPublished: Tuesday, 28 August, 2007, 12:37 AM Doha Time

Haider ... great lossStaff Reporter
LOCAL Urdu literary figures have expressed profound grief over the death of Qurratulain Haider - one of the most celebrated Urdu novelists and short story writers, as well as an academic and a journalist- according to an official of the Majlis Frogh-e-Urdu Adab.
Popularly known as ‘Annia Appa’ among her peers and admirers, Haider passed away in India on August 21 after a protracted lung disease. She was 81.
A condolence meeting held at Shezan Hotel, was attended by members of board of patrons and management committee of Majlis along with many local literary figures.
“Qurratulain Haider was one of the most eminent Urdu fiction writers. She was widely regarded as the ‘Grande Dame’ of Urdu literature. Her death is indeed a great loss not only for Urdu, but also for the world literature. She instilled in Urdu fiction a new sensibility and brought into its fold, strands of thought and imagination hitherto unexplored,” said Mohamed Atiq, chairman, board of patrons, Majlis Frogh-e-Urdu Adab. 
Haider was the winner of the second Aalmi Frogh-e-Urdu Adab Award (from India) in 1997, instituted by Majlis Frogh-e-Urdu Adab, Doha a year earlier. She received the Jnanpith Award in 1989 for her novel ‘Aakhir-e-Shab ka Hamsafar’.
The acclaimed writer received the Sahitya Akademi Award, Soviet Land in 1967, Nehru Award in 1969 and Ghalib award in 1985.
She was conferred Padma Shri by the Indian government for her outstanding contribution to Urdu literature and in 2005 she was honoured with the Padma Bhushan - the third highest civilian award by the Indian government, for her contribution to Urdu literature and education.




THe NEWS



By By Perwez Abdullah


Karachi

The laurels continue to be bestowed upon Qurratulain Hyder, the Urdu novelist and the short story writer who died on August 21 in India. This time the condolence meeting was organised by Anjuman Taraqqi-e-Urdu Pakistan at Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST) on Sunday.

The sombre-looking admirers of the ‘Aini Baji’ were there in large numbers to listen to the eulogies for the novelist who created her own language and immortalised the characters that are fresh in the minds of the readers and ushered Urdu language in the august assembly of the international languages.

Dr Farman Fatehpuri, Dr Mumtaz Ahmed Khan and Aftab Ahmed Khan were there to pay tribute and enlighten the person of the intrinsic qualities of the departed soul who was a ‘One woman army’ among the bustling crowd of others who towered upon her contemporaries and gave a new meaning to symbolism and chartered new courses in the literary world. Jamiluddin Aali, despite his illness, was there and the socialite and educationist Syed Azfar Rizvi conducted the programmes in his own inimitable style.

Dr Farman Fatehpuri pointed out that there were writers and poets who were prolific in their work but could not maintain their standard. Allama Iqbal and Qurratulain Hyder are the two literary giants who achieved this rare distinction that they retained their highest standards despite producing large number of literary gems in the shape of poetry and Verse. “Ainee had her own distinctive language. It was so different from other works that if a page from her novel or short story is put in random and a person with a literary taste is told to name the author will undoubtedly does so”, Dr Farman gauged the linguistic prowess of the novelist. He also pointed out that though Ainee was the offspring of a literary father Syed Sajjad Hyder Yeldaram who was one of the three proponents of Urdu short stories, the others being Munshi Prem Chand and Niaz Fatehpuri and her mother Nazar Zehra Yaldaram was a literary genius in her own right, she developed her own distinctive prose style.

Jamiluddin Aali was very out coming in his portrayal of Ainee who was her neighbour in Garden Road area during her stay in Karachi. “She was very sensitive, an egoist, strong-willed and straightforward person who misbehaved with her suitors who asked for her hand in marriage”, he seems to jolt the audience with his remarks but he said that he wanted to talk about the author not her work. “She had a Masters in English Literature but was equally at home in French and Persian literature. She was one of the very few writers who researched before commencing her work. She visited libraries in Rampur to research for he novel ‘Chandni Begum’ and she was not a back biter”, Aali commented.

An epitaph on the grave of Qurratulain Hyder aptly expresses her view of the world:

Har Cheez tumhe lauta di hai,

Hum ley key nahin kuch saath chale,

Phir dosh na dena aiy logo,

Hamein dekh lo Khaali haath chale.

(Sahir Ludhianvi)













< /br>














< /br>