KARACHI: Boisterous at the start with a feeling of pathos at the end is how one may define Yusfi’s humours writings. He is a critical observer of the social milieu and introduces his characters gleefully with sympathy, leaving you quite often with moistened eyes.
Quite a large number of people had gathered to listen to Mushtaq Ahmad Yusfi at the Karachi Gymkhana on Thursday evening. They thoroughly enjoyed his paper spread over around two hours’ reading. After reading a brief essay, he presented extracts from different writings written earlier. Aniq Ahmad briefly introduced the guest.
Born in August 1923 Yusfi is now 80 and is as creative as ever. An Aligarian, he always topped the list of candidates who stood first. He joined the civil service shortly before Partition and opted for a banking career soon after. Climbing to the top as usual he became chairman of the Pakistan Banking Council and advisor to the BCCI (in England). He published his first book of essays in 1961, titled ‘Chiragh Tal’. Zarguzasht and Aab-i-Gum came later.
Yusfi is innovative, academic and yet smooth, facile and effortless. He has a unique talent of coining new idioms, bending words to his advantage, for example ‘Yakzojia’ for a husband with one wife.
Yusfi was rather bitter while describing the martial law regimes of Ayub and Yahya, and the bureaucrats creeping viciously in the corridors of power, the retired among them even more dangerous. “The record of dictatorship if played in the opposite direction will automatically end up with democracy,” he said. He was critical of pop and rock music, travelogue writers and the self-serving character of the Karachiites.
However, his pieces on Jon Elia and the characterisation of a Pathan friend were most appealing. One cannot describe the beauty of those pieces in a few lines.
In the introduction of the Pathan, there was melancholy and humour. The old man was ravaged by age, but oblivious of his own frailty he was concerned to find his old friend Yusfi, the bank executive “in poor shape.”
After too hours of reading Yusfi was not tired, and the audience too were eager to listen more, but the evening was wound up with a hope for a similar evening to be held in future.
Nasim Gandhi, convener Adbi Committee, welcomed the guests. Zahid Bashir, president Gymkhana, presided over the proceedings.—Hasan Abidi
