Death of a Renowned Urdu Literati

Gadaria: by Ashfaque Ahmad ( He will always live; through his books)

It is possible that some of the visitors here may not have come across this remarkable piece of writing. In more ways than one it exceeds a Manto.


Gadaria: by ashfaque Ahmed.

Those who somehow missed this short-story has must have missed an important aspect of life.
This is the story that when I read it, I was not even aware who Ashfaque Ahmad was.

If only this story is taught as a MUST read both in India and in Pakistan then a lot of the ``educated`` discussions which take place on CHOWK and elsewhere would br rendered meaningless and frivolous. It is this kind of learning which is sorely missing from our system of education which produces only robots and clerks , who have cno clue how ignorant they really are.

And that kind of ignorance is really the highest form. No wonder a madressa and a taat-boree student , when he gets a level-playing field, excels and leaves the citi-bank bean-counter and army-general type jahils to relish the duties to be the drooling-dogs of chitti-chumRRee.

I am also One of the many Unknow Orphans ... Left in this world....

after the demise or Our Spritual God father......


Ina lillah eh inna elahay rajaoun

This is the most insipid article from Mr. Gill. Mr. Ashfaq required a more in-depth and a critical appreciation in view of his long literary life, especially his prgramme `Talqeen Shah` on the radio. Being a Punjabi Paindu myself I liked his straightforward paindu style of writing and speaking. He posed to be a soofi intellectual of a sort and some times juxtaposed with Mumtaz Mufti. I was however shocked when I read an article in the Suday Megazine of the Daily Jang a year or so back. The article was about `Touheene Rasalat` in which the writer put a question to Ashfaq as to what punishment would he suggest to a person he finds guilty of Touheen Rasalat. He said,`` He should be killed straightaway without any trial varial``. This was his purport but the wording may be different which I do not rmember exactly. I was shocked to see a man who paraded as a soofi intellectual to fall to the level of Illam Din, a seventeen year old tarkhan (carpenter) who was sentenced to death for murdering a Hindu who had published a collection of Ahadees regarding the family life of the Prophet (PBUH) though he had denied comitting the murder. And this man`s name is mentioned alongside the great Mumtaz Mufti. I remember the addrress of Mufti in a meeting called by him in the then National Centre of Islamabad in early seventies in connection with the Mullah`s objection to his `Safar Nama` Labbak which was then being serialised in Sayyara Digest. Mufti had said, ``I am afraid more of a mad mullah than a mad dog and so I have stopped serialization of the Labbak in the Digest``. Was Ashfaq not a mad mullah inside masquerading as a soofi intellectual. May God bless him.

Freethinker: The leading passage of your feature on AA is very interesting and sweet. It was indeed very sad to hear about his demise. May God rest his soul in peace. Somehow, his stories and plays always had life in them. I cannot say the same about Bano Q`s writings. Thanks for the update. Regards.

Asmaan teri lahed per shabnum-afshani karey
sabza-e-naurasta iss gher ki nagihbaani karey

From the very early age when I started reading Ashfaq and saw his ek mohabbat sau afsanay in plays, I consisdered him my spiritual and intellectual godfather (and Qudsia Bano my spiritual godmother). I am an orphan now.

May God rest his soul.
His work for Literature is an asset for generations to come in Pakistan and aspiration for Literature Lovers around the Globe.

may Allah place him in Janat-e-Fardoos -- Ameen !

It`s sad, very sad when people like Ashfaq Saab leaves us all . Ashfaq Saab`s work in Urdu will always be remembered especially Aik Muhabbat Soo Afsanay and Guria .. some plays which will always be part of everyone of us ( Pakistanis ) - Ashfaq Sahib turned religious 5-6 years back and stopped most of his works but he regularly came on television for his lectures which everyone listens ..
Khudahafiz Ashfaq Sahib -- ( the tea cafe`s in lahore will miss you so will everyone of us )

Safar Dar Safar was pretty impressive. The news made me remember a verse:


Shah Hussain oh kadi wi na marde
jhere marn sajna dey agge

May God rest his soul in the hereafter.

His work lays testament to the extraoridinary literary abilities of the man. Another part of the mostly diminished Urdu Literary scene is gone.

Ina lillah eh inna elahay rajaoun

Since this is about a writer, literati is a plural noun. The singular form literatus is seldom used, but it nonetheless would have been the appropriate choice. Or simply, writer would have sufficed.