D.Litt.
Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...
( HC), SI, HI ( ur, – , 4 September 1923 – 20 June 2018) born in Tonk,
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
1923, was a Pakistani satire and humour writer who wrote in
Urdu
Urdu (;"Urdu" '' Yousufi also served as the head of several national and international governmental and financial institutions. He received the
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 ...
Award in 1999 and the
Hilal-i-Imtiaz
The ''Hilaal-e-Imtiaz'' (; ), also spelled and transliterated as Hilāl-e-Imtiyāz, is the second-highest (in the hierarchy of "Hilal") civilian award and honour given to both civilians and military officers of the Pakistan Armed Forces by the ...
Award in 2002, the highest literary honour given by the
Government of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the four provinces, two autonomous territorie ...
.
Early life and career
Yusufi was born in a learned family of
Jaipur
Jaipur (; Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Jaipur is also known ...
, Rajasthan, on 4 September 1923. From his paternal side, he was
Pashtun
Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...
of the
Yusufzai
The Yusufzai or Yousafzai ( ps, یوسفزی, ), also referred to as the Esapzai (, ) are one of the largest tribes of ethnic Pashtuns. They are natively based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, to which they migrated to from Suliman mountains dur ...
clan, while from his maternal side he was a
Rajput
Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...
of the
Rathore
The Rathore is a Rajput clan found in Northern India.
Subclans
Jodhana, Vadhel, Jaitawat, Kumpawat, Champawat, Meratiya, Udawat, Karamsot etc. are the branches or subclans of Rathore Rajputs. Coverage
This article discusses the "Kanauji ...
clan. His father, Abdul Karim Khan Yusufi, was chairman of the
Jaipur
Jaipur (; Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Jaipur is also known ...
Municipality, and later Speaker of the Jaipur Legislative Assembly. Yusufi completed his early education in Rajputana and earned BA from
Agra
Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra i ...
LL.B
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
, his family migrated to
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
, Pakistan.
He joined
Muslim Commercial Bank
MCB Bank Limited () is a Pakistani multinational commercial bank which is based in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The majority of shares are owned by Pakistani conglomerate Nishat Group and Malaysian bank Maybank. The bank has a network of 1,600 br ...
in 1950, became deputy general manager. Mushtaq Ahmad Yusufi joined Allied Bank Ltd in 1965 as managing director. In 1974, he became
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
of United Bank Ltd. In 1977, he became chairman of the Pakistan Banking Council.
He was awarded Quaid-i-Azam Memorial Medal for distinguished services in banking.
Works
His Urdu novel ''Aab-e-Gum'' was translated in English as 'Mirages of the Mind' by Matt Reeck and Aftab Ahmad.
Other famous Urdu books of his are Chiragh Talay (چراغ تلے), Khakam Badahan (خاکم بدہن), Zarguzasht (زرگزشت), Sham e Shair Yaran (شام شعر یاراں).
Considering the standard of previous works of Yousafi, Sham e Shair Yaran turned out to be a great disappointment for many Yousafi lovers. Mr Yusufi himself mentioned that he was not satisfied yet with the book but due to his frail health, everyone insisted on having it published on as is basis.
Contemporary comments
Ibn-e-Insha, himself an Urdu satirist and humorist, wrote about Mushtaq Ahmad Yusufi: "...if ever we could give a name to the literary humour of our time, then the only name that comes to mind is that of Yusufi!"
Another scholar, Dr Zaheer Fatehpuri, wrote, "We are living in the 'Yousufi era' of Urdu literary humour..." The Yousufi era started in 1961 when Yousufi's first book ''Chiragh Talay'' was published. So far 11 editions of this book have appeared. It has a foreword titled 'Pehla pathhar' written by the author himself plus 12 satirical and humorous articles. In 2008, he was living in Karachi and often appeared on TV programmes as well as seminars. His fifth book ''Shaam-e-Shair-e-Yaaran'' (2014) was launched at the
Arts Council of Pakistan
The Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi is a council for the promotion of arts and culture in Pakistan, and one of the busiest in terms of organizing events. It is the country's oldest NGO (non-government organization) for the promotion and develo ...
in
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
in 2014 at a ceremony presided over by a well-known writer Zehra Nigah who said at the event, "Neither Yousufi sahib nor any of his books will ever get old". Another distinguished writer from Pakistan, Iftikhar Arif, also spoke on this occasion. A major English-language daily newspaper in Karachi called him "a wordsmith par excellence".
Death
On 20 June 2018, after a protracted illness he died in
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
aged 94. On 21 June 2018, he was laid to rest after his funeral prayer was offered in Sultan masjid in DHA, Karachi.
Awards and recognition
*
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 ...
Hilal-i-Imtiaz
The ''Hilaal-e-Imtiaz'' (; ), also spelled and transliterated as Hilāl-e-Imtiyāz, is the second-highest (in the hierarchy of "Hilal") civilian award and honour given to both civilians and military officers of the Pakistan Armed Forces by the ...
Adamjee Literary Award Adamjee Literary Award, also known as Adamjee Prize, is a literary award bestowed by the government of Pakistan. It is presented by the president. The award seeks to recognize those people who have made "meritorious contribution" to the literature ...
for 'Best Book'http://novelsandfictionstories.blogspot.com/2009/07/mushtaq-ahmad-yusufi.html, Adamjee Award for 'Best Book' for Mushtaq Ahmad Yusufi. Retrieved 16 November 2016