Written by: Muhammad Suhayb
Posted on: February 13, 2023 | 
| 中文
Amjad Islam Amjad
It was last year in April that I was writing the text for an invitation for a TV show featuring the famed poet and scholar, Iftikhar Arif. As Arif sahab’s poems have transformed the historicity of Imam Husain’s sacrifice in Karbala into a universal metaphor, my boss and I were trying to bring ‘that’ element into the text. After failing to get a word close to Hussainiat and Karbalaiat, asking for help from a ‘literary giant’ was the only option left. A person who had a writing background, knew poetry well, possessed scholarly qualities and was aware of television requirements was to be consulted; only one man had all these qualities, Amjad Islam Amjad, and we resorted to him to bail us out.
(L to R) Shabbar Zaidi, Amjad Islam Amjad and Iftikhar Arif
Contact was made and the problem was explained. He came with the best possible solution in no time, and the words he suggested fit the already compiled text like a glove. The entire concept was enhanced and we finally penned down something better. Being a poet, playwright, educationist, scholar, travel writer and columnist, he was a man of letters and had a superb command over the language.
Amjad Islam and Anwar Masood
Amjad Islam was born on 9th August 1944 in Lahore to a family of traders from Sialkot. He loved cricket and at Islamia College, he was seen as a prospective player for the national team. Even his classmate, the fast bowler Asif Masood, went on to represent Pakistan for a good nine years in Test cricket. Amjad was known to be quite cheerful in the cricket field and for his on-field banters with the opposition. His wit and humour from his playing days stayed with him throughout his life. He got a scholarship for his M.A. in Urdu from the Punjab University, and after graduating became a lecturer at the MAO College, but continued to translate poetry from other languages into Urdu. His skill with poetry began in his teens, and he developed into a world class poet, while his other literary works came to be recognized when he was still in his twenties. Being the editor of his school magazine ‘Nishan-e-Manzil’, and University magazine ‘Mehvar’, he was set on his way to be a writer.
Young Amjad Islam Amjad
Amjad Islam, who also used Amjad as his takhallus (pen name), had his first poem published in Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi’s magazine Fanoos in January 1966. He started to write one-off TV plays by the end of the decade, and by the time his comedy serial Ya-Naseeb Clinic was aired in 1974, he had become a well-known writer. Amjad Islam Amjad’s first poetry collection came out the same year, while he won a Graduate Award for his play Khwab Jaagte Hain in 1975. Amjad Islam Amjad became a household name after the success of drama serial ‘Waris’, aired in 1979. Breaking the norms of the day, ‘Waris’ was about the struggle against the class system. The character of Chaudhary Hashmat gave a new lease of life to actor Mehboob Alam, who used to play small roles in films and dramas. Owing to its Marxist theme, the entire serial was translated into Chinese language and was telecast more than once in China. Waris’ strengthened the claim of military dictator Zia-ul-Haq, who wanted to present politicians and feudal lords as ‘bad guys’ in the media. In those days, Bollywood films had found their way in homes of major cities in Pakistan, inspiring young minds with hard-hitting dialogues from Kader Khan and Salim-Javed. Amjad joined the league of extraordinary writers at Pakistan Television (PTV), who brought the audience back to the fold. Waris was followed by Dehleez (1981), where Mehboob Alam played the role of an urban goon, Ustad Rafiq, who carried a falcon on his arm. A symbol of majesty and power, the bird was televised long before Amitabh Bachchan as Iqbal made Allah Rakha famous in Coolie (1983). Samandar, Raat, Waqt, Din and Fishaar also became famous for their plots and selection of actors. Amjad Islam Amjad’s characters, the issues he selected and the dialogues he penned, showed his understanding of Pakistan’s social issues.
(L to R) Ata ul Haq Qasmi, Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi and Amjad Islam Amjad
Amjad Islam Amjad also ventured into feature films, and the success of Nadeem-Shabnam starrer Qurbani, is mostly credited to the courtroom scenes that he had penned. He won two Nigar Awards for his writing skills: one for Pervez Malik’s Qurbani (1981), and the other for Ilyas Kashmiri’s Choron ki Baraat (1987). The last film he wrote a script for was Nadeem-Atiqa Odho-Javed Shaikh starrer Jo Darr Gya Woh Marr Gya (1995). The multicast film was a success, but Amjad decided to move back to his roots and he wrote dramas for television till 2006, with Sher Dil being his last. Despite a temporary break from TV, he continued writing books: travelogues, poetry, novels and songs for children. He authored seventy books and was the subject of ten books.
Amjad Islam reciting a poem at Jashn-e-Rekhta
Amjad Islam Amjad was also loved across the border as well, as veteran poets Gulzar and Javed Akhtar were his personal friends. Being a renowned poet, he had Malika Tarannum Noor Jehan, Malika-e-Ghazal Farida Khanam and Iqbal Bano, Ghulam Ali, Hamid Ali Khan, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Abida Parveen render his ghazals. Even the ghazal maestro, Jagjit Singh, also sang Kalam-e-Amjad.
For the last 15 years of his life, he was writing weekly columns for a newspaper. He was awarded with The Pride of Performance Award (1987), Sitara-e-Imtiaz (1988) and Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (1998), among a long list of many national and international awards.
Amjad Islam Amjad and Parveen Shakir with their host (left) in Toronto, Canada
After living a life to the full, Amjad Islam Amjad died days after visiting the revered holy sites of Makkah and Madinah. On 10th February 2023, a legend passed away, but he will not be forgotten. As he once himself said:
اگر کبھی میری یاد آئے . تو چاند راتوں کی نرم دلگیر روشنی میں . کسی ستارے کو دیکھ لینا
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