Ahmad Kamal Faridi (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Ibn-e-Safi Ibn-e-Safi (26 July 1928 – 26 July 1980) (also spelled as Ibne Safi) ( ur, ) was the pen name of Asrar Ahmad ( ur, ), a fiction writer, novelist and poet of Urdu from Pakistan. The word Ibn-e-Safi is an Persian expression which litera ...

as the lead character of the

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

spy novel Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intelligenc ...

series ''

Jasoosi Dunya Jasoosi Dunya (Urdu: جاسوسى دنيا) is a popular series of Urdu detective stories created by Ibne-Safi. Its first novel, ''Dilaer Mujrim'' (دلير مجرم) was published in March 1952. In the following 27 years, Ibn-e-Safi wrote 127 bo ...

'' (''The Spy World'').

Character

Chip off the Old Block

Faridi is the only son of Nawab Azeezuddin Khan. His father is an

aristocrat The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...

, famous for his adventurous nature. Faridi is often regarded as a copy of his father in looks and instincts. Safi had mentioned several of ''Nawab Sahab's'' friends who come in contact with Faridi. Little detail is given on the rest of Faridi's family.

Rectitude of character

The main attraction in his face is his eyes. He appears to be a sleepy, lazy, careless businessman. However, those eyes are very deceiving. Behind them is the most alert mind of the century. Few people are able to talk to him while looking into his eyes. Faridi's character has a multitude of inspiring qualities. He's a man of principles. He believes in leading life by strict rules, controlled emotions, and objectivity. His abstinence from drugs, non-conjugal sex, and uncontrolled desires shows his strong character. He emotionally remains unmoved in respect to the fairer sex. Other strong traits include respect of law, nationalism, observation, common sense, and optimism. He is strong and powerful like a lion, but is as swift as lightning. Because of his composed, impassive and subdued emotional nature, Hameed, his closest partner and assistant, dubs him as "Father Hardstone".

Matters of heart

Colonel Hardstone was once seriously involved with Nawab Rasheeduz Zaman's daughter Ghazala. The

romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

did not last long. Faridi never liked talking about his affair with Ghizala and always kept his emotions contained. Soon, he realised that his life could not afford to have a strong emotion such as love, which could eventually become his greatest weakness in solving mysteries and catching culprits. The fact that he does not choose to fall in love with a member of the opposite sex does not mean that he cannot love or is not affected by it. Rajkumari Tara in ''Zahreela Admi'' (زہریلا آدمی) was one of the unfortunate girls who lost her life for Faridi. The account of her devastating destruction left Faridi trembling and astounded.

Peculiar hobbies

Faridi is also unique in selecting hobbies. His major interests include reading and domesticating dogs and snakes. Science, specifically

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

projects, is another diversion that he indulges in during his spare time. He seems to know several languages and is found reading books in different languages, including German. Many breeds of dogs can be found in his enormous doghouse. He seems to possess some famous species of dogs, such as the African Yellow

Dingo The dingo (''Canis familiaris'', ''Canis familiaris dingo'', ''Canis dingo'', or ''Canis lupus dingo'') is an ancient (Basal (phylogenetics), basal) lineage of dog found in Australia (continent), Australia. Its taxonomic classification is de ...

German Shepherd The German Shepherd or Alsatian is a German breed of working dog of medium to large size. The breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz using various traditional German herding dogs from 1899. It was originally bred as a herding dog, for he ...

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...

Bloodhound The bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar and, since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in French it is called, ''l ...

, etc. He takes the same approach with pet snakes.

Black mamba The black mamba (''Dendroaspis polylepis'') is a species of highly venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae. It is native to parts of sub-Saharan Africa. First formally described by Albert Günther in 1864, it is the second-longest ...

and

Indian cobra The Indian cobra (''Naja naja''), also known as the spectacled cobra, Asian cobra, or binocellate cobra, is a species of cobra found in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan, and a member of the "big four" species that are ...

are some of the more dangerous kinds that he can handle with ease due to his training with the reptiles. One of the most distinguished arts that he has mastered is to incapacitate snakes by grabbing them by the tail and jolting them.

Residence

Faridi lives in a lavish

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

of gigantic proportion. His residence encompasses a backyard of several acres. Many rooms including bedrooms, living room, dining room, library, laboratory, museum, and servant quarters have been mentioned in his novels specifically. A front porch for parking and a huge garage for his cars is also part of the same residence. His mansion also has secret underground cellars.

Automobiles

Faridi drives models of several state-of-art auto brands of their time, namely

Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln ...

, and Austin

Mini The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...

(a British Leyland car). In addition to his regular means of conveyance, Faridi's garage carries several vehicles for different occasions. For example, in ''Jungle Ki Aag'' (جنگل کی آگ), Faridi preps up a

Jeep Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Moto ...

with machine guns and other arms. On several occasions, he repaints one of his many

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...

s for concealment before going on a specific mission. Faridi also owns a boat that was used once or twice to chase down criminals.

From Inspector to "Colonel"

The title "

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

" is honorary, much-awaited title that he reluctantly accepted after he caught a very contemptible character, Gerald Shastri, in ''Maut Ki Chataan'' (موت کی چٹان). Hameed also received his honorary "Captain" title at the same time. Faridi also possesses a "special permission" from the President to interfere in any matter that required his attention. Many of his colleagues and even senior officers envy him because of the endowments that he receives either by inheritance or by travail.

Wealth

Colonel Faridi's wealth is "inconceivable". The reader slowly realises Faridi's great wealth, an aspect of his character that makes him so mystical. From owning expensive vehicles, Ibne-Safi eventually takes Faridi to a level that is just unprecedented – an owner of an independent state as referred in ''Zahreela Admi'' (زہریلا آدمی) and ''Bechara/bechari'' (بیچارہ/بیچاری).

Black Force organisation

Faridi is also the head of a secret crime-fighting organisation called the "Black Force". As opposed to other superheroes, most members of his team know who their boss is. They usually refer to Faridi as Colonel Hardstone. On the other hand, members of Black Force usually hide their identity so much so that even Hameed gets irritated by it since he thinks he is the closest companion of "Father Hardstone". Black Force is also an international organisation and its members are found all over the world. These members are usually recognised by code names such as B11, B2, etc.