THE Government College (GC) University, in its advertisement for admissions “GC University Lahore /153: Epitome of Tradition and Culture” (July 30): has displayed photographs of notable Rivians. These include Dr G. W. Leitner, founder/principal, Sir Gangaram, philanthropist, Sir Thomas Arnold, Allama Iqbal, K.L. Saigal, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Dr Abdul Salam and Dr Hargobind Khorana (both Nobel laureates), Dev Anand et al. However, Shamsul Ulema Muhammad Hussain Azad (1830-1910), a very famous personality in Urdu literature, is surprisingly missing from the list.

Muhammad Husain Azad, a disciple of Zoq Delhvi, the famous rival of Ghalib, a very famous personality in Urdu literature, also adorned the GC’s hall of fame. His father, Molvi Muhammad Baqar was a close friend of Mirza Ghalib. Muhammad Baqar was also a literary figure of that age and he launched first Urdu newspaper of northern India. After 1857, he was imprisoned and hanged on a charge of treason and his properties were confiscated.

Azad moved to Lahore where he came in contact with G. W. Leitner, the Principal of GC and founder of Anjuman-i-Punjab. The Anjuman held public lectures, established a free library and reading room, compiled educational texts and translations in Indian languages, and ultimately established Lahore’s famous Oriental College.

Azad besides joining the education department, where he got a chance to prove his mettle at the urging of DR Leitner, started teaching at the newly-founded (1864) GC, Lahore. He also delivered lectures, later arranged by the Anjuman-i-Punjab where he became a regularly paid lecturer and a year later its secretary. In 1887 Azad established ‘Azad Library’, which earned him praise and the title of ‘Shams ul-ulema’.

The director of the Education Department was a great admirer of his literary works and, under his supervision, Azad wrote the second part of Qasas-ul-Hind. Nairang-i-Khyal and Darbaar-i-Akbari are his other works. But his magnum opus is Aab-i-Hayat (Elixir of Life). During this period, he also visited Kabul, Bokhara and Iran and wrote travelogue.

Muhammad Hussain Azad, after undergoing great personal, health and mental losses, died in Lahore in 1910 at the age of 79.

M. H. Kureshi

Karachi

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2017