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MUJTABA Husain was a prominent Indian humorist of Urdu. But his biographical details are often intermixed with his namesake Prof Mujtaba Husain, a Pakistani critic of Urdu. We can pardon a student for such confusions, but what to say of some websites that intermingle the life sketches of both the personalities, leaving one wondering how could a Pakistani critic be awarded Padma Shiri — one of the highest civilian awards — by the government of India. This comedy of errors simply tells the fact how online information, even while using artificial intelligence (AI), can go awry. As mentioned in these columns on a couple of occasions, some pieces of online information on Urdu language and literature can be ridiculously incorrect.
Prof Mujtaba Husain was a Pakistani poet, critic, short story writer and academic. But it seemed that somehow he, like many other writers and poets of Urdu, was slipping from our collective memory. Now Dr Hilal Naqvi has come up with something that may help us remember the erudite critic: a bulky volume that preserves Mujtaba Husain’s entire critical works.
In his intro Hilal Naqvi writes: “It has always been a desire of mine to collect the entire critical works of my teacher and mentor Prof Mujtaba Husain. When the second edition of his book Neem Rukh, a collection of critical essays, appeared in 1986, he was visibly dejected due to typos. I suggested that his three critical works be compiled in one volume and offered my services to proofread the manuscript. But he had settled in Quetta and his brief visits to Karachi were just not enough to work the plan. And then his death in an accident in 1989 destroyed every plan”.
Three collections of Mujtaba Husain’s essays are included in this complete anthology of his critical works, namely: Tehzeeb-o-Tehreer (1959), Adab-o-Aagahi (1964) and Neem Rukh (1978 and 1986). Hilal Naqvi has done a wonderful job by procuring almost all of Mujtaba Hsian’s articles that were published in literary magazines but were not made part of any published collections. The 1200-page book, published by Atlantis Publications, Karachi, also includes the book reviews and forewords by Mujtaba Husain as well as his interview, discussions at symposia and editorial notes.
Known for his critical acumen, hugely vast reading and a command over Urdu poetry, Prof Syed Mujtaba Husain Zaidi was born on July 1, 1921, in Sanjarpur, district of Jaunpur, UP, British India. Albeit his year of birth has also been varyingly mentioned as 1920 and 1922, Syed Mujtaba Husain’s tombstone, photographed and reproduced by Prof Muhammad Aslam in his book Khuftagaan-i-Karachi, shows the year of birth as 1921. But in his interview included in the book Mujtaba Husain is quoted as saying it was 1920.
Mujtaba Husain did his MA from Allahabad University in 1945. He was already being published in prestigious literary magazines such as Nigar, Lucknow. Soon he established a publishing house, named Sangam, in collaboration with the renowned poet Firaq Gorakhpuri. But the publishing house went bust and he had to join education department in Bombay. In 1948, Mujtaba Husain migrated to Pakistan and settled in Karachi. Here he would teach at a school and write for literary periodicals. As wrote Prof Sahar Ansari in one of his articles, in the late 1950s, Aazar Zooby, the renowned artist, used to publish Sha’oor, an illustrated Urdu monthly from Karachi and Mujtaba Husain was the co-editor. But then, as put by Sahar Sahib, the nation did not need any Sha’oor (consciousness) so the magazine ceased its publication.
After a stint at Chinese embassy as information officer, Mujtaba Husain joined Karachi’s National College. With the establishment of Siraj-ud-daula College in Karachi in 1965, he became head of its Urdu department. When Prof Karrar Husain became Balochistan University’s vice chancellor, he asked Mujtaba Husain to head university’s Urdu department, a post he held from 1973 till his death.
Mujtaba Husain was a critic who had progressive leanings, but he was ever so thoughtful of cultural nuances and would see literature in its historical and cultural perspective. His criticism is often termed as based on scientific analysis but at the same time he took care of traditions, classics and societal values into account while analysing literature. Another undercurrent that sometimes reached the surface and irritated some poets, including senior writers and poets, is Mujtaba Husain’s truthfulness. Call it outspokenness or irreverence, but Mujtaba Husain never minced his words and earned the wrath of some seniors, such as, N. M. Rashid. Mujtaba Husain insisted on having his own interpretation even at the cost of being called iconoclast.
Prof Syed Mujtaba Husain died in a road accident on April 1, 1989, in Lahore where he had gone to attend a conference. He was buried at Karachi.
Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2025
