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Punjabi scholar Dr Akhtar Hussain passes away
LAHORE - Eminent scholar Dr
Syed Akhtar Hussain Akhtar died of a heart attack on Tuesday. He was 73.
Dr Akhtar Hussain was born
on May 3, 1937, in a small village in district Dir and Pashto was his
mother tongue. But once he shifted to Lahore, he took on Punjabi and
excelled in it to an extent that he did his doctorate in the language.
His topic was ‘Var’, which in Punjabi poetry is a heroic ode or
ballad that generally narrates legends such as stories of Punjabi folk
heroes or historical events. Examples of odes and
ballads include narrating the feats of Dulha Bhatti and Raja Rasalu,
whereas examples of the historical incidents can include Najabat's Nadar
Shah Di Var which describes the invasion of India by Nadir Shah in 1739.
The Var has also been used to evoke the mood of devotion or sacrifice,
as in Guru Gobind Singh's Chandi di Var, or to narrate the mystical
experience of a Pir, Bhagat or Guru. His PhD thesis was over 800 pages
long. He was also associated with
the education department in fact by 1997, he had retired from the
Government Sacred Heart Cathedral School, as headmaster. There are some
books to his name, including ‘Khilray Moti’, ‘Dill Diyaan Peeran’,
‘Fun Tay Funkaar’, and ‘Punjab Ki Lok Rasmaein’. The most remarkable of his
literary achievements has been the publication of Punjabi magazine
‘Lehraan’ over the last 45 years. He first started publication of
the monthly magazine with the active cooperation and patronage of the
late Dr Faqir Muhammad Faqir, the editor and publisher of the first ever
Punjabi magazine brought out after creation of Pakistan. Lehraan was
first published around 46 years ago and continues its publication quite
regularly. He is regarded as one of
the pioneers of the Punjabi language movement. Dr Akhtar Hussain’s
articles included in the book are about people, their literary
contribution and their activities for the promotion of the language. Dr
Faqir, in Hussain’s view was the greatest source of inspiration for
carrying on the publication of the magazine which now is the oldest
Punjabi magazine. Dr Akhtar Hussain was laid
to rest after Isha prayers on Tuesday at his house 7/54, Soddi Waal
Quarters, Multan Road.
Pakistan Today By: Staff Report |
Published: March 16, 2011 ========================================================= |
