SYED Masoodul Hasan Tabish Dehlvi (1911-2004), who died 16 years ago on Sept 23, 2004, will be remembered as a classical poet and broadcaster and for the nobility of character.

He was cheerful, warm, generous and kind-hearted. The sophistication of his personality was reflected in his speech, manners and dress. He was a poet par excellence, acclaimed all over the world wherever Urdu is spoken. He was the leading exponent of the classical traditions of ghazal with a blend of romanticism.

Tabish was very careful in his choice of words and couldn’t stand or forgive any slips in this regard. He was keen to find new words and know the depth of their meaning. Urdu Lughat was his favourite book. There was hardly any Urdu, Persian or Arabic dictionary which was not there in his library.

His command over language, lyricism and diction gained recognition in literary circles of Urdu. No wonder he was often referred to as ustad.

As for his role as a broadcaster, let us remember that the fifth and sixth decades of the last century were the golden days of the news section of Radio Pakistan. It was dominated by three stalwarts: Tabish, Shakeel Ahmed and Anwar Behzad.

The qualities which distinguished him from his fellow newsreaders were his command over language, an understanding of the substance of the news and mastery over the art of broadcasting. Correct pronunciation and focus on the right word were the hallmark of his news reading.

In recognition of his services to literature and broadcasting, he received many awards at home and abroad, including Tamgha-i-Imtiaz by the government.

Syed Ahmed Sohail
Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2020