Obaidullah Baig’s death is indeed a national loss. He was a multitalented and multifaceted personality, having an insatiable curiosity and boundless love for learning. He proved his mettle in different capacities, demonstrating his tremendous talent and rich potential.

He was a great intellectual, an eminent scholar, a novelist, a popular TV host and a media expert. He also made his mark as a documentary-maker regarding environmental issues, showing his deep interest in the field.

In an appreciation of his remarkable achievements and contributions, he was conferred upon the Pride of Performance Award in 2009. He was also honoured with PTV’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Teamed with Quresh Pur, Iftikhar Arif and later with Ghazi Salahuddin, Obaidullah Baig earned great fame through the PTV programme ‘Kasauti’, which gave him celebrity status.

His intelligent, intellect and immense knowledge was profusely exhibited in this extremely popular and engrossing programme. It was a treat to watch him successfully identify the object or a person asked in just 20 questions.

‘Kasauti’ helped thousands of people to increase their general knowledge and develop genuine interest in history and literature. Indeed, it was an informative and healthy programme.

Our national and private media is requested to promote more and more such programmes to educate our youth and help them groom their personalities, inculcating in them the love for learning.

Despite having many feathers in his cap, he never bragged about his achievements. He was humble, decent and a down-to-earth person. In fact, such cultured, refined and civilised persons are hard to find in this age of mediocrity and hypocrisy. We have lost a giant. He was our true asset.

May the departed soul rest in peace!

KHADIM HUSSAIN SUBHPOTOHyderabad