KARACHI: A condolence meeting to remember Prof Khawaja Hameedudin Shahid, late editor of monthly Sabras, was held on Saturday, at the Bahaduryar Jung Academy of which the late professor was one of the founders and chairman.

Those who turned up to mourn the death of a merited writer and a noble person included representatives of the Aewan-e-Urdu, the Old Boys Association of Jamia Usmania and the Aligarh Old Boys Association, Faraan Club, the Ahbab Welfare Society and many others.

Mustafa Ali Barelvi, Qutbuddin Aziz, Zakir Ali Khan, Nazer Kamrani, Azher Hasan Siddiqui and Prof Saher Ansari spoke on the life and work of the late professor. Hameedudin Shahid started his career as a writer, critic and researcher under the tutelage of the famous literary figure, Dr Mohiuddin Zore. He came over to Pakistan from Hyderabad (Dn) in the sixties and started the publication of monthly Sabras, a legacy of Dr. Zore.

Later he pioneered the founding of the Bahaduryar Jung Academy and the Anjuman Tulbai Qadeem Jamia Usmania. He was also a member of Faraan Club.

To Zakir Ali Khan he was “Khawja Adeeb Nawaz”, representing the culture of Hyderabad (Dn) of which he was the last symbol.

Syed Hashim Raza, who was in chair, recalled his longtime association with the late professor.

The late professor’s books, ‘Urdu Ka Sciency Adab’, Amjad Hyderabadi, his contribution to the Urdu Dictionary Board and his researches on ‘Deccani Boli’ are valuable part of Urdu literature

some speakers remembered the conference on satirical and humour writings held years ago in Karachi with the efforts of the late professor.

They resolved that his monthly Sabras must not stop its publication and different bodies should come forward to support its regular appearance.

Prof Ansari suggested that a Shahid number of the monthly should be published to bring on record the work and life of a person so modest, humane, generous and committed to social causes.

Poets Anwar Azmi, Rizwan Enayati, Mahmood Ali and others read out their poems written for the occasion. —Hasan Abidi