Fond memories of a literary giant

Karachi

I have very fond memories of eminent critic, scholar, translator and senior journalist Dr Mohammad Ali Siddiqui, who wrote a literary column every week in Dawn under the pen name, Ariel.

I was introduced to him by my friend (late) Dr Qamar Abbas Nadeem in the early 1970s when we established Young Writers Forum. Dr Nadeem was also an excellent short story writer.

In those days Siddiqui Saheb was Assistant Editor, daily Hurriyat, Dawn Group’s Urdu newspaper, and lived near Rizvia Society in a lower middle class locality. Previously, he was associated with the British Information Department. I had joined the Soviet Press & Information Department, Karachi, in those days.

Very often we would meet at Dr Nadeem’s residence and at his house too. He was a bookworm and told us about great personalities such as Nehru, Gandhi, Jinnah, Premchand, Krishan Chandar, Bedi, Manto, Prof Mumtaz Husain, Prof Majnoon Gorakhpuri, Balzac, Kierkegaard and Kafka.

Once I wrote an article and went to Hurrriyat’s office and requested him to publish it. He published it but advised me very politely, “Shahid, aesey saada Urdu likho ke panwari ke bhi samjh mein ajaey.” That was great advice!

He would also patronise us in our literary pursuits under the umbrella of Young Writers’ Forum. His literary columns in Dawn are in fact cultural history in Pakistan and were read with keen interest by everybody, including men of letters, critics, journalists and students.

In fact, that treasure could be used as research material by the students of Mass Communications at our universities.

Never shy to learn he thereafter did his doctorate from the University of Karachi and started teaching at the Pakistan Study Centre, University of Karachi.

He also contributed to monthly magazine “Pakistani Adab” in the 1980s edited by eminent anthropologist and historian (late) Syed Sibte Hasan.

Sometimes his remark in his weekly column would irk poets, writers and critics. For instance, once he remarked about out literary giant Faiz Ahmed Faiz that when he wrote poetry a collection of Pablo Neruda was under his pillow. The remark was unfair but Faiz was such a tolerant person that he ignored it.

After getting retired from the Pakistan Study Centre, he joined a private sector university and became its dean.

He was also a champion of human rights and often invited by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) office in Karachi to read papers.

Amongst his contemporaries were noted poet, academic and critic Prof Saher Ansari, revolutionary poet Hasan Hameedi, noted critic Syed Mazhar Jameel, Anwar Ahsan Siddiqui, etc.

Once he told me that when revolutionary poet Habib Jalib issued a statement against genocide in former East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1971 and his life was threatened, poet Munir Niazi, who was apolitical, protected Jalib in Lahore.

During his long literary career, Ariel was equally respected abroad whether it was India, the United States of America or Canada, and attended literary conferences and seminars there.

But lately he had been irritated by the plethora of information needed in visa applications of western countries.

“I will prefer not to travel than to fill these visa forms,” he told a meeting at the HRCP office in Karachi, where he read a paper.

He hailed from Amroha, one of the most fertile areas in India, and was a fan of noted Urdu poet Joan Eliya, maestro Sadequain, noted Urdu short story writer, broadcaster and columnist Zahida Hina.

The new generation of writers, poets and critics felt pride if he wrote something on the flaps of their books. He inspired at least two generations of our writers, poets, critics and artists.

Posted in: Karachi News