The only literary activity we are now left with is what is known as a book launching ceremony. I don`t know if it has really helped in the promotion of interest in book-reading. But I am sure it provides a sense of satisfaction to the writer that love`s labour on his part is not lost.

And that is what has played a great part in popularising such ceremonies. Imagine that within the past week alone I had the opportunity to participate in two such functions. The first was the launching ceremony of Ataul Haq Qasmi`s two newly published books, Ghair Mulki Sayyah ka Safarnama and Wasiat Namay.

The other function which was held the following day, as the launching ceremony of Ghalib Ahmad`s collected poetic works published under the title Rakht-i-hunar. The large gathering in Qasmi`s function spoke of his popularity as a humour writer in addition to his popularity as a columnist. In fact, it seems that in our times writers are expected to be more than being mere writers.

The most meaningful comment at this event came from Prof Suhail Ahmad Khan who said that humour writing should not be taken lightly. Humour writing in literature, he said, is a most serious job for which the writer employs a seemingly non-serious mode of expression to express what is most serious. He cited the example of Akbar Allahabadi whose concerns in the background of conditions after 1857 were very serious.

Truly speaking, humorists are the best social critics. They are in a better position to do their job as compared to other writers who profess to write on social problems with the seriousness that these themes deserve.

Of course, they may be very right in feeling that such subjects ask for solemnity and deep thinking on the part of the writer. But the difficulty is that a writer feeling this way so often tends to and appears to be speaking from a pedestal and his tone is likely to be jarring for the reader. One may well say that humour writing comes, in fact, as a reaction to this kind of seriousness or, to be more exact, affected seriousness.

What is more, a humour writer, as opposed to a serious writer, is likely to be objective in his approach and be humble. He cannot afford to stand on a pedestal and speaking like a reformer.

But achieving objectivity is a hard task for a writer even when he is writing in a humorous way. Ataul Haq has devised a novel way for this purpose. He has created the character of a tourist coming from a foreign land. It is through the eyes of this character, that he makes a survey of his society.

The whole account reads like a series of observations with a mix of seemingly innocent comments by the tourist. We hardly feel that we are being censured for our social behaviour. It is only at the end that we realise that the author has provided a critical survey of our society, highlighted its follies and weaknesses and, ridiculed the frivolous practices.

But Ataul Haq Qasmi is also a leading Urdu columnist. So while discussing his style of humour and satire we may well refer to his columns, but it doesn`t mean that his literary writings should be read in continuation of his columns. At least I did not do so. A columnist writes under the pressure of so many currents and cross-currents — social, political as well as ideological. I don`t see any of those influences at work here.

It is in a different frame of mind that he appears to be writing humour. So there is no reason to confuse the writer with the columnist.

As for Ghalib Ahmad, who after a long absence from the literary scene has re-appeared with his newly published book Rakht-i-hunar, Ghalib appears to me as a peculiar case with his verses.

He is among those writers, who in spite of their talent and quality of writing are not able to make their presence felt properly in the literary world. Either their love for aloofness keeps them away from the literary scene, or perhaps their other concerns in life do not allow them to devote much time to their writing and to assert themselves as writers in an effective way. Ghalib Ahmad appears to possess both these handicaps.

He made a start as a poet in the company of Nasir Kazmi near about the beginning of the 1950s. Fresh from Government College of Lahore with an M.A. degree in Psychology he staged his entry in the tea house, took first lessons of poetry from Nasir Kazmi and Muzaffar Ali Syed, and showed promise as a genuine poet. But soon after he joined the Pakistan Air Force, and the Air Force did not allow him to fly high in the realm of poetry.

In the meantime he also developed a love for aloofness along with his love for poetry. It was only after retiring from the PAF that he came back to Lahore, got his collection published and proved that he has not forsaken poetry. So now unexpectedly he has staged a comeback with a volume of verses.

His previous collection too forms a part of this volume and also the forgotten poet is once more with us.