Mashkoor Hussain Yaad
Mashkoor Hussain Yaad (Urdu: مشکور حسین یاد) (1925-2017) was an Urdu language Pakistani poet, novelist and scholar who authored several books.[1] His works include Azadi Ki Charagh, a memoir of his experiences of Partition in Eastern Punjab.[2] Yaad won the Pride of Performance in 1999 and the Sitara-i-Imtiaz in 2011 for his contributions to literature.
Mashkoor Hussain Yaad | |
---|---|
Born | 1925 |
Died | 2017 91–92) | (aged
Citizenship | British India Pakistan |
Awards | Pride of Performance Sitara-i-Imtiaz |
Biography
Mashkoor Hussain Yaad was born in 1925, in Dabwali, Hisar of East Punjab (now part of Haryana). He went by the pen name "Yaad", and later added this to his name when he became a poet. At a young age, his family moved to Muzaffarnagar District in Uttar Pradesh, where his father became a police officer.
He was married first in 1943. Two weeks after Partition in 1947, his house was attacked and 35 of his family members were killed, including his wife and his three-year-old daughter.[3] Only Yaad and his father survived the attack, and both migrated to Multan, Pakistan.
Yaad died in 2017 at the age of 92 [4] On the occasion of his death, Shehbaz Sharif, the Chief Minister of Punjab at the time, publicly expressed his condolences and said that Yaad's contribution to Urdu literature will be remembered for a long time.[5]
Literary career
Just before he graduated from school, Yaad became editor of the newspaper Pukar. In his capacity as editor, Yaad was able to closely observe India's independence movement and the Pakistan movement. He also met and interviewed leaders of these movements, including Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Jawaharlal Nehru.[6]
In Pakistan, his literary career was re-launched after he became Professor of Urdu at Government College, Lahore and published Azadi Ki Chiragh.
Though not a member of Pakistan's Progressive Writers Association, he was friends with many of its members, especially Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi. Qasmi and Yaad even lived in the same neighborhood in Lahore, Samanabad's Zafar Colony, along with the poet and lyricist Qateel Shifai, also a close friend.
Along with Qasmi and others, Yaad is featured in a recently published compilation of interviews with Pakistan's major literary figures.[7]
Bibliography
Books by Yaad include:[8]
- Bardasht
- Ghalid Botiqa
- Ghalib Ki Taba-e-nukta Joo
- Goongi Nazmein
- Meer Anees ki Shairana Baseerat
- Meer-e-Balonsh
- Mutala-e-Dabeer
- Azadi ki Chiragh
Awards and recognition
- Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan in 1999
- Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) Award by the President of Pakistan in 2011[9]
References
- "Mashkoor Hussain Yaad's funeral today". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- "Azadi Ke Charagh / آزادی کے چراغ". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- "Story Map | www.1947partitionarchive.org". www.1947partitionarchive.org. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- "Rubaru — a compilation of interviews of famous literary personalities". Daily Times. 2019-07-31. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- APP, Fawad Maqsood | (2017-11-12). "CM grieved at Mashkoor Yaad's death". Brecorder. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- "Story Map | www.1947partitionarchive.org". www.1947partitionarchive.org. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
- "Rubaru — a compilation of interviews of famous literary personalities". Daily Times. 2019-07-31. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- "Urdu Books of Mashkoor Husain Yaad". Rekhta. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- "President announces 185 civilian awards". The Express Tribune. 2011-08-14. Retrieved 2020-08-21.