KARACHI, Nov 10: Poet and writer Shahid Naqvi, who died on Saturday night in his Clifton house, was laid to rest in Sakhi Hasan graveyard here on Sunday afternoon.
He was 67.
Shahid Naqvi, also known as Syed Shahid Ali Shah, was born in Lucknow in 1935. He completed his school and early college education in Lucknow, and years after partition, migrated to his ancestral Lahore. Here, he obtained an MA, followed by a degree in law, from the University of the Punjab, and joined the legal section of Packages Ltd soon afterwards. Later on, he moved to Karachi and finally retired as general manager, legal, PIA, in 1995.
He leaves behind his wife, three sons, Dr Safdar Naqvi (UK), Shabbar Naqvi (PIA), Ali Naqvi (test cricketer), and three daughters. He was also the elder brother of Syed Qambar Ali Shah, former senior producer, PTV.
A poet and writer drenched deep in the Progressive Writers tradition, Shahid Naqvi was author of eight books: Aftab-i-Asr: marsia (1964), Soghat (1986) and Peshkash (1999): poetry collections, Tarikh-i-Imambara Syeda Mubarak Begum, Lahore (2000), Azadari: cultural and literary perspectives on Muharram rituals (2002), Azmat-i-Bashar: marsia collection (2002), Bedar Shuaain: A tribute to the founders of the Progressive Writers’ Movement (2002) and Lucknow Tehzib Ka Akhri Manzarnama. The last book is under publication.
Shahid Naqvi had been keeping indifferent health for the past several years. His last years were spent in hectic efforts to collect material for the books he had long planned to write. Frequenting libraries in the UK and Pakistan and interviewing people to generate research material on a number of subjects, he managed to publish six of his books in the last three years.
The latest fruit of his untiring labour is Bedar Shuaain featuring profiles of noted founder-members of the Progressive Writers’ Movement of the 1930s, which hit the bookstores on Nov 5, four days before he breathed his last.
Another monumental and the most authoritative work yet on the subject, Azadari, was launched in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad earlier this year. His last book on the waning days of the Oudh culture is now under publication, and will be released by his family posthumously.
Quran Khwani and a Majlis-i-Soyem (ladies and gents) for the departed soul are being held at the Defence Imambargah at 3pm on Monday. — Murtaza Razvi
