Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi ( ur, ) born Ahmad Shah Awan ( ur, ) (20 November 1916 - 10 July 2006) was an

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

literary critic Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. Th ...

, dramatist and short story author. He wrote 50 books on topics such as poetry, fiction, criticism, journalism and art, and was a major figure in contemporary

Urdu literature Urdu literature ( ur, , ) is literature in the Urdu language. While it tends to be dominated by poetry, especially the verse forms of the ''ghazal '' غزل and ''nazm '' نظم, it has expanded into other styles of writing, including that of t ...

. His poetry was distinguished by its

humanism Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

, and his Urdu ''afsana'' (short story) work is considered by some second only to Munshi

Prem Chand Dhanpat Rai Srivastava (31 July 1880 – 8 October 1936), better known by his pen name Premchand (), was an Indian writer famous for his modern Hindustani literature. Premchand was a pioneer of Hindi and Urdu social fiction. He was one of ...

in its depiction of rural culture. He was also editor and publisher of the literary magazine '' Funoon'' for almost half a century. He received awards such as the

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...

in 1968 and

Sitara-e-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and Civil decorations of Pakistan, civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially m ...

in 1980 for his literary work.

Gulzar Sampooran Singh Kalra (born 18 August 1934), known professionally as Gulzar, is an Indian Urdu poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, and film director known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of greatest Urdu poets of this ...

, one of the most influential writers in modern India, called him his mentor and guru.

Personal life

Background

Qasmi was born on November 20, 1916, in the village of

Anga Anga (Sanskrit: ) was an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe of eastern South Asia whose existence is attested during the Iron Age. The members of the Aṅga tribe were called the Āṅgeyas. Counted among the "sixteen great nations" in Buddhist texts ...

in Khushab District,

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, into an

Awan Awan may refer to: Places * Awan (ancient city), a city-state in Elam in the 3rd millennium BCE * Awan (region), a town in Guna district, Madhya Pradesh, India * Awan, Bhulath, a village in Kapurthala district, Punjab, India, Punjab, Pakistan * ...

Jatt Jatt may refer to: * Jat people, a social group of the Indian subcontinent * Jatt, Israel Jatt ( ar, جت; he, גַ'ת) is an Arab local council in the Triangle area of Haifa District in Israel. In it had a population of . History Antiquity ...

family. He graduated from a high school in Campbellpur in 1931, (now renamed

Attock Attock ( Punjabi and Urdu: ), formerly known as Campbellpur (), is a historical city located in the north of Pakistan's Punjab Province, not far from the country's capital Islamabad. It is the headquarters of the Attock District and is 61st larg ...

city in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

), around the time when he wrote his first poem He studied at government college Attock. Later he studied at Sadiq Egerton College in

Bahawalpur Bahawalpur () is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. With inhabitants as of 2017, it is Pakistan's 11th most populous city. Founded in 1748, Bahawalpur was the capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur, ruled by the Abbasi fa ...

. He graduated from the

University of the Punjab, Lahore The University of the Punjab (Urdu, pnb, ), also referred to as Punjab University, is a public, research, coeducational higher education institution located in Lahore, Pakistan. Punjab University is the oldest public university in Pakistan. ...

in 1935. He had a brother, Peerzada Mohammad Bakhsh Qasmi, and a sister. He became an active member of the

Progressive Writers Movement The Progressive Writers' Association or the Progressive Writers' Movement of India or ''Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind'' (( ur, ) or ''Akhil Bhartiya Pragatishil Lekhak Sangh'' (Hindi: अखिल भारतीय प्रगति� ...

as a secretary and was consequently arrested many times during the 1950s and 1970s. He died on 10 July 2006 of complications from

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

Punjab Institute of Cardiology Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), located in Lahore, Pakistan, is a 347-bed tertiary care hospital providing nationwide comprehensive cardiac care services. Services provided This hospital services include cardiac emergency, OPD, diagnostic ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

.A Tribute: Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi (1916–2006)
All Things Pakistan, Published 16 August 2006. Retrieved 26 June 2019

Literary career

Qasmi edited several prominent literary journals, including ''Phool'', ''Tehzeeb-i-Niswaan'', ''Adab-i-Lateef'', ''Savera'', ''Naqoosh'', and his own journal, ''Funoon''. He also worked as the editor of the Urdu daily ''Imroze''. Qasimi contributed weekly columns to national newspapers like ''Rawan Dawan'' and ''

Daily Jang The ''Daily Jang'' ( ur, ) is an Urdu newspaper headquartered in Karachi, Pakistan. It is the oldest newspaper of Pakistan in continuous publication since its foundation in 1939, first published during World War II, hence the name (Jang) translat ...

'' for several decades. His poetry has included both traditional ghazals and modern nazms. Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi was also committed to mentoring and grooming others.

In 1948, he was selected as the secretary-general of the ''Anjuman-e-Taraqqi Pasand Musannifeen'' (

) for

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

. In 1949, he was elected the secretary-general of the organisation for Pakistan. In 1962, Qasmi published his own literary magazine ''Fanoon'', with the support of writers and poets including

Khadija Mastoor Khadija Mastoor ( ur, , translit=K͟hadījah Mastūr; 11 December 192725 July 1982) was a Pakistani short story writer and novelist who worked in Urdu literature. Her novel '' Aangan'' is widely considered a literary masterpiece in Urd ...

Hajra Masroor Hajra Masroor ( ur, ; born 17 January 1930, died 15 September 2012) was a Pakistani writer. Masroor established herself with her short fiction stories, known as afsana in Urdu literature. Her elder sister, Khadija Mastoor was also an acc ...

Ahmed Faraz Syed Ahmad Shah (), better known by his pen name Ahmed Faraz, ( 12 January 1931 – 25 August 2008) was a Pakistani Urdu poet, scriptwriter and became the founding Director General (later Chairman) of Pakistan Academy of Letters. He wrote ...

Amjad Islam Amjad Amjad Islam Amjad, PP, Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Urdu: امجد اسلام امجد) (born 4 August 1944) is an Urdu poet, drama writer and lyricist from Pakistan. The author of more than 40 books in a career spanning 50 years,Ally Adnan (September ...

Ata ul Haq Qasmi Ata ul Haq Qasmi ( Punjabi, ur, ) is a Pakistani Urdu-language newspaper columnist, playwright and poet. He has written around twenty books and many articles on different subjects for the leading newspapers of Pakistan.

, and

Munnu Bhai Muneer Ahmed Qureshi (6 February 1933 – 19 January 2018), better known as Munnu Bhai, was a Pakistani newspaper journalist, columnist, poet and a writer. He was awarded the Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan in 2007 for his ...

. Qasmi was the mentor of the poet Parveen Shakir. In 1974, he was appointed secretary-general of ''Majlis-Taraqee-Adab'', a literary body established by the government of

West Pakistan West Pakistan ( ur, , translit=Mag̱ẖribī Pākistān, ; bn, পশ্চিম পাকিস্তান, translit=Pôścim Pakistan) was one of the two Provincial exclaves created during the One Unit Scheme in 1955 in Pakistan. It was d ...

in 1958. In December 2011, Professor Fateh Muhammad Malik and noted columnist

arranged a seminar on the life and achievements of Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi at the

International Islamic University, Islamabad , motto_lang = Arabic , mottoeng = "All those endowed with knowledge have the All-Knowing above them" , established = , closed = , type = Public , affiliation = ...

. His literary work has been appreciated and admired by Urdu writers, poets, and critics, although there is also criticism of his literary work and of his personality. Fateh Muhammad Malik is a long-time friend of Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi. In his book about the life and personality of Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi called 'Nadeem Shanasi', he gives the impression that it is evident from Qasmi's letters to him that Qasmi had a buried disliking for Faiz and perhaps considered himself a poet greater than Faiz. "The letters also reveal that Qasmi had a narcissistic personality and an inflated ego when it came to his contemporaries. He consciously or unconsciously tried to belittle Faiz, though without much effect." Some people in literary circles of Pakistan also think that there were some envy and rivalry among Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi,

Wazir Agha Wazir Agha ( ur, ) was a Pakistani Urdu language writer, poet, critic and essayist. He has written many poetry and prose books. He was also editor and publisher of the literary magazine "Auraq" for many decades. He introduced many theories in U ...

and

Munir Niazi Munir Ahmed Niazi, ( pa, ) (9 April 1923– 26 December 2006) was an Punjabi and Urdu poet from Pakistan. He also wrote for newspapers, magazines and radio. In 1960, he established a publication institute, ''Al-Misal''. He was later asso ...

An example of his poetry, with translation

Bibliography

Poetry * ''Jalal-o-Jamal'' * ''Shola-i-Gul'' * ''Kisht-i-Wafa'' * ''Dasht-e-wafa'' * ''Dawam'' * ''Muheet'' * ''Loh-e-khaak'' * ''Baseet'' * ''Jamal'' * ''Arz-o-sama'' Short stories * ''Afsaanay'' (40 best short stories selected by Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi himself)Profile and Afsanay by Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi on goodreads.com website
Retrieved 26 June 2019 * ''Chopaal'' (1939) * ''Gandasa'' was also a source of inspiration for the legendary character

Maula Jatt ''Maula Jatt'' ( pnb, ), is a 1979 Pakistani Punjabi language action, musical film directed by Younis Malik and produced by ''Sarwar Bhatti''. The film is an unofficial sequel to the 1975's ''Wehshi Jatt'', starring Sultan Rahi as Maula Jat ...

* ''Sannata'' * ''Kapaas ka Phool'' * ''Aabley'' * ''Tuloo-O-Gharoob'' * ''Sailab-o-Gardab'' * ''Anchal'' * ''ghar se ghar tak'' * ''Nila-pathar'' * ''Dawam-dar-o-deewar'' * ''Bazar-e-hayat'' * ''Aas-paas'' * ''Jhoota'' * ''Bhoot'' * Jalebis

Awards and recognition

Award by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Sitara-i-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...

(Star of Excellence) Award by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Pakistan Academy of Letters The Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) ( ur, ) is a national academy with its main focus on Pakistani literature and related fields. It is the largest and the most prestigious learned society of its kind in Pakistan, with activities throughout th ...

Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi's obituary and profile
''Dawn'' (Pakistan), Published 11 July 2006. Retrieved 26 June 2019 * Islamabad 7th Avenue named after Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi.CDA approves renaming of 7th Avenue
''Dawn'' (Pakistan), Published 25 February 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2019

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Qasimi, Ahmad Nadeem 1916 births 2006 deaths Respiratory disease deaths in Pakistan Deaths from asthma People from Khushab District Poets from Lahore Urdu-language poets from Pakistan Linguists from Pakistan Urdu-language non-fiction writers Linguists of Urdu Urdu critics Pakistani television writers Pakistani male journalists Pakistani novelists Pakistani dramatists and playwrights Pakistani male short story writers Pakistani literary critics Recipients of the Pride of Performance Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Punjabi people People of British India Urdu-language writers from British India 21st-century Urdu-language writers 20th-century Urdu-language writers 20th-century Pakistani poets 21st-century Pakistani novelists 20th-century Pakistani novelists 20th-century Pakistani short story writers 20th-century Pakistani male writers Male television writers 20th-century linguists 20th-century Pakistani philosophers 20th-century screenwriters Hashemite people Alids Awan Alvis