Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum ( pnb, , ur, ), (4 August 1899 – 7 Feb 1978) was a 20th-century poet. His pen name was Tabassum ( ur, ).
He is best known for his many poems written for children, as the creator of the ''Tot Batot'' character, and as the translator of many poetical works from mostly
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
into Punjabi and Urdu languages.
Early life and career
Sufi Tabassum was born on 4 August 1899 in
Amritsar
Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...
,
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 ...
, to parents of
Kashmir
Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...
i ancestry. He earned a master's degree in
Persian language
Persian (), also known by its endonym Farsi (, ', ), is a Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian subdivision of the Indo-European languages. Persian is a pluricentric language predominantly spoken and ...
from
Forman Christian College
Forman Christian College is an private liberal arts university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was founded in 1864 and is administered by the Presbyterian Church. The university follows an American-style curriculum.
Founded in 1864 by American ...
(FCC) in
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. ...
, Pakistan. He worked for and remained with
Government College Lahore
The Government College University, Lahore (colloquially known as GCU), is a public research university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Opened as Government College, Lahore, in 1864, it became a university in 2002.
Overview
In 1864, Gov ...
for his entire career, rising to head the Department of Persian Studies in 1943. Tabassum retired from Government College in 1954.
Sufi Tabassum was also closely associated with the members of an informal literary circle called Niazmandan-i-Lahore. This circle's members included Pakistan's noted literary personalities including
Patras Bokhari
Syed Ahmed Shah (Urdu: ), commonly known as Patras Bokhari (October 1, 1898–December 5, 1958), was a Pakistani humorist, writer, broadcaster and diplomat who served as a Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations.
Born in Pes ...
, Abdul Majeed Salik,
Imtiaz Ali Taj
Syed Imtiaz Ali Taj ( ur, ; ; 1900–1970) was an Pakistani dramatist who wrote in the Urdu language. He is remembered above all for his 1922 play ''Anarkali'', based on the life of Anarkali, that was staged hundreds of times and was adapted ...
,
M. D. Taseer
Muhammad Din Taseer (28 February 1902 – 1 December 1950), also known as Deen Muhammad Taseer and popularly known as M. D. Taseer, was a Pakistani Urdu poet, writer, and literary critic. He is considered one of the pioneers of the progressive m ...
,
Chiragh Hasan Hasrat
Chiragh Hasan Hasrat ( ur, Born 1904, Poonch, Kashmir ) was a Poet and Journalist. He began composing poetry when he was still a student at school. He was born in Kashmir but after matriculation he migrated to Pakistan. Early in his career ...
,
Hafeez Jalandhari
Abu Al-Asar Hafeez Jalandhari ( ur, ) (born 14 January 1900 – 21 December 1982) was a Pakistani Urdu-language poet who wrote the lyrics for the National Anthem of Pakistan
,
Abdur Rahman Chughtai
Abdur Rahman Chughtai (21 September 1894 – 17 January 1975) was a painter artist and intellectual from Pakistan, who created his own unique, distinctive painting style influenced by Mughal art, miniature painting, Art Nouveau and Islami ...
and Majeed Malik. Sufi Tabassum also edited the magazine Lail-o-Nahar for a while in addition to working for
Radio Pakistan
Radio Pakistan serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate Radio Pakistan's founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in Pakistan. The network was established on 14 August ...
,
Pakistan Arts Council
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 ...
and
Iqbal Academy
Iqbal Academy Pakistan (Urdu:) is an institute whose purpose is to study, promote, and disseminate the teachings of the poet and philosopher Allama Muhammad Iqbal. It was established by the Government of Pakistan, through the Iqbal Academy Ordin ...
.
In Pakistan, he is considered to be a pioneer in children's poetry. His popular poems for children are ''Totbatot'' and ''Jhoolnay''.
His poetry featured on radio and television
For fifty years, he was actively participating on
Radio Pakistan
Radio Pakistan serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate Radio Pakistan's founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in Pakistan. The network was established on 14 August ...
and
Pakistan Television
Pakistan Television Corporation ( ur, ; reporting name: PTV) is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster. Pakistan entered the television broadcasting age in 1964, with a pilot television station established at Lahore.
Background
Historical co ...
poetry events. His poems were used as the lyrics of several songs sung by
Noor Jehan
Noor Jehan ( Punjabi: ) (born () Allah Rakhi Wasai ; 23 September 1926 – 23 December 2000; sometimes spelled Noorjehan),Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen, ''Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema,'' British Film Institute, Oxford University Pres ...
,
Naseem Begum
Naseem Begum ( ur, ), (24 February 1936 – 29 September 1971) was a popular, and well known Pakistani film playback singer. She was known as ''The Tradegy Queen'' for singing sorrowful and downhearted songs in films.
She rose to promine ...
,
Farida Khanum
Farida Khanum (Urdu language, Urdu: ) is a Pakistani Music of Pakistan#Classical music, classical singer from the city of Kolkata West Bengal, India, West Bengal. She is also known by her honorific title ''Malika-e-Ghazal'' (The Queen of Ghazal) ...
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 ...
Award from 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.Government of Iran
The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran ( fa, نظام جمهوری اسلامی ایران, Neẓām-e jomhūrī-e eslāmi-e Irān, known simply as ''Neẓām'' ( fa, نظام, lit=the system) among its supporters) is the ruling state a ...
.
* He was also awarded 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 (Star of Excellence) 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.Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum's Sitara-i-Imtiaz Award info on rekhta.org website Retrieved 12 April 2019
Works (partial list)
* ''Tot Batot Collection''. Published by
Ferozsons
Ferozsons (Pvt) Limited (also Ferozsons Publishers) ( ur, ) is a Pakistani publishing company in Lahore, Pakistan. Established in 1894, it is Pakistan’s oldest publishing house.
In 1954, the Ferozsons Business Group expanded when one of the ...
(no date),
* ''Ab Sab Hain Tot Batot Mian'', Published by Gulzar Ahmed, 2000
* ''Jhoolnay'' (collection of poems for children), Published by Ferozsons (no date)
* ''Doguna''. Published by Ferozsons (a translation of the works of Hazarat
Amir Khusrow
Abu'l Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrau (1253–1325 AD), better known as Amīr Khusrau was an Indo-Persian Sufi singer, musician, poet and scholar who lived under the Delhi Sultanate. He is an iconic figure in the cultural history of the Indian s ...
)
* ''Sawan Raina Da Sufna'', a translation into Punjabi of
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', unknown publisher
* ''Talmatol'' (collection of poems for children)
* ''Daman-i-Dil''
* ''Kulliyaat-i-Sufi Tabassum'' (Poetry in Urdu language)
* ''Nazraan Kardiyaan Gallaan'' (Poetry in Punjabi language)
* ''Naqsh-i-Iqbal'' (Punjabi translation of
Allama Iqbal
Sir Muhammad Iqbal ( ur, ; 9 November 187721 April 1938), was a South Asian Muslim writer, philosopher, Quote: "In Persian, ... he published six volumes of mainly long poems between 1915 and 1936, ... more or less complete works on philoso ...
's poetry)
Death
Sufi Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum died in Lahore, Pakistan on 7 February 1978.