KARACHI: Eminent scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, who passed away on Sunday morning in Islamabad at the age of 85, studied and specialised in metallurgical engineering. But like many men and women of his generation, he did not have a one-dimensional personality: he had a profound interest in Urdu literature, particularly in poetry.

Dr Khan was born in Bhopal, undivided India, in 1936. The Madhya Pradesh capital has produced quite a few top-notch Urdu poets. One of them was Mohsin Bhopali who saw the light of day in the same town four years before Dr Khan and breathed his last in the Sindh capital in 2007. Like the scientist, he immigrated to Pakistan, settled in Karachi, and earned a decent name in the world of letters. It should not surprise anyone to know that in June 2018, when the complete works of Mohsin Bhopali (Kulliyaat-i-Mohsin Bhopali) was launched at the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi, Dr Khan was the event’s chief guest.

‘There’s an element of protest in his poetry as a reaction to the kind of situations that he had to face in life’

The other significant book whose launch Dr Khan presided over was Dr Prof Pirzada Qasim’s collection of poems Bey Musafat Safar. It took place in early March 2020. On the occasion, he talked in detail about the city of Karachi, its rich history of holding mushairas and the beauty of the Urdu language.

His fascination with literature had also manifested in him being a poet. Not many people know about it. But he wrote couplets in Urdu, and the poets who knew him suggest that if collected and compiled, they could make for a pretty valuable book.

Talking to Dawn on Monday, Dr Prof Pirzada Qasim said, “Indeed he loved poetry. He himself was a sha’ir [poet]. He did not write with the kind of consistency that a poet does, but wrote enough [to merit a book]. He was like that from the very beginning. I remember if he was invited to a lunch or dinner, he would often say to the host that once done with the eating, it would be nice if a sheri mehfil (session on poetry) was held.

“Also, he put together all the verses that he was fond of and published them. He was a man of diverse qualities — scientist, poet, cultured — an exemplary person,” Dr Qasim said.

Prof Sahar Ansair endorsed Dr Qasim’s comments. He said, “Dr Qadeer published a book titled Nawadiraat in which he had all the ash’aar that he had memorised. He used to write a column Umeed-i-Sahar for an Urdu newspaper, and was a poet, too. One of his verses that these days being discussed on social media is:

Guzar to khair gai hai teri hayaat Qadeer

Sitam zareef magar Kufion mein guzri hai

[You’ve somehow spent your life, Qadeer But it’s spent among the Kufis]

“The fact that he was born in Bhopal contributed to his love of poetry. He was impressed with some of the poets of the city such as Asad Bhopali and Sheri Bhopali. As for his own poetry, there’s an element of protest in it — protest as a reaction to the kind of situations that he had to face in life,” Prof Ansari added.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2021