HYDERABAD: Celebrated poet and recipient of the Presidential Award, Syed Imdad Ali Shah Hussaini, was laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard on the outskirts of the late Saturday night. He was 82.

He had been suffering from asthma for long and died during treatment at a private hospital in Karachi on Saturday. The body was brought to Wasai Malook Shah Takkar village of Hyderabad for funeral prayer and burial.

The funeral was attended by Federal Minister Syed Naveed Qamar, Qasim Naveed Qamar, MPAs Aijaz Shah, Karim Soomro, Bedil Masroor, Taj Joyo, Niaz Panhwar, Naseer Mirza, Ishaq Damejo and Zulfikar Halepoto, besides relatives, friends and admirers of the deceased poet.

Hussaini remained admitted to hospital for 16 days though he had been under treatment for six months. His ailment did not allow him to meet his visitors for many weeks.

Syed Imdad Ali Shah was born on March 10,1940 in Takkar where he completed his primary education. He passed his matriculation examination from the historic Noor Mohammad High School before doing his intermediate from Govt Sachal Sarmast College and did his graduation and post-graduation from Sindh University. His grandfather, Ghulam Asadullah Shah Fida, was a scholar and a poet of Sindhi, Persian and Arabic languages. He actively took part in the Khilafat Movement in Sindh.

Hussaini used to listen his poetry from his spouse, Sehar Imdad. He was awarded the Presidential Award in 2003 and also Tamgha-i-Imtiaz. Starting his career in student life he worked as part timer for a project of Sindhi Lok Adab in the Sindhi Dictionary office. He also served as librarian in the Sindhi Adabi Board and became a research fellow in the Institute of Sindhology.

Hussaini served as Sindhi subject specialist in the Sindh Textbook Board (STB). He was tasked with responsibilities editing syllabi for primary to intermediate courses and prose writing for 25 years. He headed a publication, Mehran, as editor between 1977 and 1979.

Hussaini was appointed secretary of the Sindhi Adabi Board in 1992 and then he got retirement from the STB. He remained associated with Mehran and monthly Surtiyoon and worked as chief editor of Gul Phul.

Hussaini was conferred with several other awards, including Sheikh Ayaz Award, Ustad Feroz Gul Memorial Award, Maulvi Abdul Wahid Sindhi Yadgaar Award, Prof Dr Khan Mohammad Pnahwar Award, Manak Moti Tanzeem Award, Talibul Maula Award, Narain Sham Award and Josh Malihabadi Award. He was also part of Sindhi Language Authority’s projects ‘Encyclopedia Sindhiyana’ and ‘Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai’.

Besides poetry, Hussaini contributed to prose literature, drama scrips, short stories and songs. He also produced songs for three Sindhi movies Dharti Lal Kunwar, Hazar Saeen” and Sonhra Saeen.” Imdad also produced Urdu poetry.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, provincial minister Sardar Shah and other ministers and lawmakers have expressed their grief over his death, saying that such literary figures were born in centuries.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in his condolence message said his literary work was an asset, adding that with Hussaini’s death a glorious era of Sindhi poetry had come to an end.

CM Shah said that through his songs and poetry, Hussaini would always be remembered.

Culture Minister Sardar Shah said that Hussaini had reached pinnacle of Sindhi poetry as a brightening star.

Sindh Adabi Board chairman Makhdoom Saeeduzaman Atif said Hussaini proved his loyalty with the motherland.

Qaumi Awami Tehreek chief Ayaz Latif Palijo said that Imdad’s death was a loss to Sindhi literature.

Sindh University vice chancellor Prof Dr Siddique Kalhoro said that Hussaini was also a great translator; his services would never be forgotten.

Anjuman Taraqqi Passand Musanafee’s Dr Syed Jaffar Ahmed expressed his grief over his poet’s death, saying that Hussaini’s death was a great loss to literature. He said the late poet always proved to be a bridge between Urdu- and Sindhi-speaking writers. He said Hussaini created a place among writers of different languages.

Sajjad Zaheer said Hussaini introduced new trends in Sindhi poetry; his death was a loss for Pakistani literature.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2022