KARACHI: A PhD thesis of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) written on distinguished Pakistani short story writer and poet Asad Mohammad Khan will be published by the Anjuman Taraqqi-i-Urdu, announced the organisation’s honorary secretary Dr Fatima Hasan here on Saturday. She added that his collection of lyrics and poems will also be published by the Anjuman “soon, within this year”.
She was speaking at a literary sitting held in the honour of Asad Mohammad Khan in the Anjuman’s office in Gulshan-i-Iqbal.
Noted poet and critic Prof Sahar Ansari remarked that the AMU thesis was more a matter of honour than the Pride of Performance award, which Asad sahib has long deserved for his literary achievements but has not yet been given.
‘Characterisation is Asad Mohammad Khan’s forte’
He said Asad sahib had a distinct style of writing. To prove his claim, Prof Ansari narrated an event where he was asked to identify the writer from part of a prose whose title was not disclosed. “Without any hesitation, I said that was Asad sahib’s style,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Asad sahib read out excerpts from a few of his short stories, particularly ‘Basauday ki Maryam’ and ‘Mayeedada’, where he described the two characters quite vividly. He has a total of eight collections of short stories and a collection of lyrics, poems and geet titled Rukay huay sawan. Born in India’s famous city of Bhopal in 1932, his geet are replete with Hindi words and his short stories also reflect the culture of that region. They were five brothers and five sisters.
He said during his employment with PTV, he had penned some 400 to 450 lyrical poems and some 40 to 45 had been published in his poetry collection. His short story collections are titled: Khirki bhar aasman, Burj-i-Khamoshan, Ghussay ki Fasl, Narbada, Tukron main kahi gai kahani, Sahpahr ki kahanian, Ek tukra and Yadain — Guzrai sadi ke dost. Ghussay ki Fasl has been translated and published by the Oxford University Press under the title Harvest of Anger.
Later he answered questions asked by the audience.
He was also asked to recite some of his verses. In that context his lyrics Mauj barhay ya aandhi ayay and Anokha ladla khelan ko maangay chaand, initially popularised by Shahnaz Begum and Bilqees Khanum, respectively, echoed at the gathering.
Asad sahib, in his mid 80s, looked and sounded in good health. He said he continued to write short stories, “though not as much as before”.
Earlier, Fatima Hasan said characterisation was Asad sahib’s forte. In that connection she mentioned the Pathan and Baloch characters that appeared alive in his stories. She said, she believed, Asad sahib was influenced by Charles Dickens and Guy de Maupassant. “Being influenced by [a] writer of the same genre is just natural, but Asad sahib has maintained his individuality.”
Zulqarnain Jamil, head of the Anjuman, recalled how Asad sahib and his father, Jamiluddin Aali, had developed a camaraderie and met off and on. Towards the end of the programme, an attendee abruptly asked: “Would you please reveal a relationship you might have kept secret so far?” Young ones and those young at heart in the audience were amused by the question and seemed curious to know the answer. “Well,” he said looking at his wife who was sitting in the front row, “Love is not something that can be kept secret.”
Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2017