Rawalpindi
‘Yaad Karay Gi Dunya Mushahir Adab and Mustafa Zaidi’, is a compact book on persona and work of eminent modernist poet, Mustafa Zaidi. The book is a research work cum compilation of Syed Nusrat Zaidi, a prominent poet, on life and work of Syed Mustafa Zaidi.
Mustafa Zaidi was born on October 16, 1930 in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh (UP), India to Lakhte Hasnain and Binte Haider. His father was a senior official in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the UP Province, with roots in Meman Saadat, a village in district Bijnor.
In his work, Nusrat Zaidi, has compiled prefaces of other prominent writers like Josh Malihabadi, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Ahsan Danish, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi, Dr Syed Shabihul Hassan, Sibt-e-Hasan, Ibn-e-Insha, Qateel Shifai Mohsin Bohpali and many other stalwarts of the world of poetry and literature on the life and work of Mustafa Zaidi.
Syed Nusrat Zaidi has tried to encompass the entire lifespan of Mustafa Zaidi, in a few crisp and short phrases in which he described that right from his childhood, Mustafa Zaidi, was a brilliant student and an ardent fan of reading.
After finishing his matriculation at a time when the subcontinent was going through a turbulent political and literary environment, Mustafa Zaidi started his journey in the world of poetry. In his initial work, Mustafa Zaidi who was a disciple of another maestro, Josh Malihabadi had a stamp of Josh's strong words. For some time he associated himself with Firaq Gorakhpuri, but despite spending time in the company of these stalwarts, Mustafa Zaidi established his own unique style in poetry which was quite prominent in the early stages of his life.
His first volume was published when he was in his teens. Mustafa Zaidi was straightforward and bold poet who had a deep insight of Urdu and English literature.
He finished his intermediate in 1947, BA in 1950 in flying colours, advanced studies in English literature in 1952 from Government College Lahore, a brief period spent teaching at Islamia College Karachi and Peshawar University and entered the civil service of Pakistan through the competitive examination in 1954. After completing his training from United Kingdom in 1956, he returned to Pakistan after his journey of Europe and Middle East. In 1957, he was married to Vera Fawn, a woman of German descent and they had two children Mujtaba (1958) and daughter Ismat (1960).
Mustafa Zaidi first served as deputy commissioner of Sialkot followed by the same posting in Dera Ghazi Khan and Layyah. He served as Deputy Secretary Education in Lahore for a brief period of time and then as deputy commissioner in Jhelum, Nawab Shah, Khairpur, Sahiwal and Lahore.
The government bestowed him with Quaid-i-Azam Medal for his meritorious services. In 1968 he returned to London for training under Nefield Scholarship.
In 1969 he served as Secretary Basic Democracy and Social Welfare, which was also his last post in public service and in December 1969 he was suspended from his duties; and later was removed from public service in May 1970.
On October 12, 1070 he was mysteriously murdered in Karachi and literary world lost a great mind, poet and a great friend and last but not the least a great human being.
His published works include:
Zangeerein (1949)
Roshni (1950)
Shehr-e-Azar (City of Idol Worshippers) (1958)
Mauj Meri Sadaf Sadaf (1960)
Gareban (1964)
Qaba-e-Saaz (1967)
Koh-e-Nida (1971) (published posthumously)
Mustafa Zaidi was a progressive Urdu poet and Syed Nusrat Zaidi through his work of compilation has encompassed the persona and work of Mustafa Zaidi, who was a modernist Urdu poet of exceptional expressive style. The book is considered to be a fine edition to the Urdu literature.
