“For people it was like migrating from Makkah to Madinah in the way of Islam. Hardly affected, by their poverty or resourceless condition, they were simply overjoyed by the bliss of living in an independent Islamic country,” uttered Nasreen Shagufta, famous radio TV artist, commentator, radio host, newsreader and educationist, while recalling her childhood memories of migrating to Pakistan in a ship in 1951.
Born in Lucknow, India, in November 1947, Shagufta feels proud to share her birth year with her beloved country. However, she denounces celebrating only a day for this country which was achieved after great sacrifices of our forefathers. “We sing songs, hoist flags, deliver speeches on TV radio, and on 15th August, we crush the same flags and buntings under our feet in clear disregard to the vision with which this country was created,” she noted with concern.
Her family came here in late 1951, just after the death of Liaquat Ali Khan, the first PM of Pakistan. “As a child of 4-5 years, I remember people were crying on roads. Even I saw my father, a man of very strong nerves, crying for the first time in my life. But the tragedy had struck the country just in its formative years.”
The only memory she has of India is of a small house where they lived. “My father was a graduate of Aligarh University and was a fine debater. He worked with the Quaid-i-Azam and Muslim League in the Pakistan Movement.” The passion and devotion to work for Pakistan was exemplary at that time. “My father would keep two pens in his pocket. Official pen was used for official work only while the other one with his own ink was for his personal use,” she recalled.
Reminiscing about her ship journey to Pakistan, she said: “It was a huge ship with so many people around me, sleeping, praying or crying. I would jump here and there or see the ocean in people’s laps from the deck. They would catch fish, cook it and give it to me. I don’t know how much time passed when someone yelled “we have reached Karachi” and my father lifted me in his lap and we watched the city coming closer. Before we reached Karachi, I saw people were offering prayers or lying in prostration. I don’t remember whether it was Zuhar or Asar or late morning. My paternal aunt received us and took us to her home at Pakistan Chowk.
“Our first house was in Malir Cantt where my father was a headmaster in a school. The house was given to him by a friend. After his transfer from there, he served at various places as a headmaster including NJV School and Kotwal building. The government never gave him any residence but he never complained. Once I heard my father telling someone ‘I bow before Allah in gratitude for giving me this independent country. We would live in two rooms of the office of our father and would go to school from there.” Later first Administrator Karachi Hashim Raza helped her father to acquire a house in Aamil Colony, Gurumandir Karachi. “Now a petrol pump is constructed at the place where we lived,” she recalled.
“One of the radio Directors Badr-i- Alam used to study in Malir School. Later he would come to my house to teach me English. After the death of my father, he reminded me of my childhood in Malir and how as a young boy he cared for me in my infancy. I received so much love from people.
She got her early education from Jacob line school, the best school of the time, where girls from elite families including the daughters of Mahmud Husain Khan, academic, educationist, politician and a stalwart of Pakistan Movement, used to study. She joined radio as a child artist in 1956, where she was introduced in a children program by Ibne Insha who was a friend of her father. Her father was deputy director of schools in Karachi at that time. Later she became an artist of school broadcast, a program initiated by her father. While he was about to be elevated to the post of Chairman intermediate board, he had a fatal heart attack.
“I was hardly 12-13 years old and was studying in 8th grade. I continued school broadcast program after his death to run the house. Here I met Anita Apa who taught me English and would also correct my Urdu. I also met famous film star Mohammad Ali who would come to radio Pakistan Karachi from Hyderabad to do his program, Zeba Begum, Shabnum and personalities like Fazl Ahmad Karim Fazli. After school broadcast her next destination was documentaries, where she had a brush with Mushtaq Gazdar in whose documentaries she worked. “Documentaries and narrations became my forte for which I received certificates from Sri Lanka, Mauritius, as best voice and best commentators. Similarly my special documentaries used to be aired from Urdu service of China radio. They also gave me a certificate, which never reached me.” Arts council of Karachi also honored her with the best commentator’s award.
Nasreen Shagufta has many famous programs to her credit, including Fauji Bhayiyon ka program, “Urdu Tasveeri Khabarnama” (70s,), which was started by Abdul Wahid and renowned names like Hasan Shaheed Mirza, Ghazala Rafiq, Talat Hussain worked in it.
For Nasreen 1965 war was the actual show of patriotism and love by the nation. “I had just joined the Women college, Karachi. We would pack chanay (gram), socks, sweaters and gloves for our Fauji Bhai. Women gave their jewelry and household items, in war fund. People used to be on the streets and roads, despite strict curfew and complete blackout in the city. My mother would ask us to hide in a trench, but we would prefer to watch air shelling on the sky in Gurumandir area. We saw Keamari burning in front of our eyes and we all would pray for the victory of Pakistan. On radio, veteran singers like Shehnaz Begum, Salaeem Gilani, Shaukat Ali, Nighat Seema sang heartwarming songs for our armed forced. But when ceasefire was announced people started crying, because they wanted our army to teach a lesson to India,” she added.
Nasreen insists on character building of children. “Once my father was in a meeting, when I insisted on meeting him. The chowkidar sitting outside his office refused to let me in. On this I slapped him with full force. Hearing the voice, my father came out and asked me why I was standing there and I told him that I wanted to see him and chowkidar didn’t allow me. In utter embarrassment, my father scolded me on slapping the old man who to him was of his father’s age. Chowkidar was pleading from my father not to say anything to me, but my father asked me to apologize from him, which I refused. On this he gave me a silent look, and said, ‘Ok, if you don’t do it, I will do it on your behalf. And the next moment I saw my father joining his hands and apologizing from the chowkidar. I was drenched in embarrassment and started crying. But that was part of my character building, as my father was a disciplined person. After that I never misbehaved with any low grade employee in my life. Today, such a character building is missing. In our house, no servant ever served food etc to guest, only family members did that. This was again a teaching,” she maintained.
“My father and I had a very huge social circle. Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani, first Governor of West Pakistan, was a close friend of my father. I have good childhood memories of going to their house and me and my sister eating and playing with Gurmani Uncle. We would also go to Sindh Club with him and socialize with top dignitaries. Life was simple, no one had any pride for their wealth or position. I never felt inferior to them. Ibna Insha gave me his book “Billo ka basta” and made me memorize that poem.
Few years before my father’s death, we shifted to a flat on Pakistan Chowk, from his office at Burns Road. My mother enjoyed immense respect among veteran educationists like Begum Mashkoor Ahmed, Begum Bashiruddin. Musarrat Jabeen, Dr Fareeda Aleem. “They would call my mother Begum Sahiba or Mrs Niaz Ahmed. After the death of my father my mother who had studied till intermediate, was given a teaching job in his place in a school on Burns Road.
When Nasreen Shagufta came in 9th grade, she was given a job of a junior clerk in the education department. “I would play there. Mrs Fareeda Aleem and Mrs Bashiruddin would teach me so that I at least could complete my matriculation. My salary was Rs 100 while my mother would earn Rs 120 and we both would run the house.”
After matriculation, she got admission in Government College for Women. “I had the honour of being taught by Fareeda Naseem. Mrs Shanul Haq Haqqi, Bismillah Niaz Ahmed, and Ghulam Apa. Dr Ismail taught me psychology in MEd. Besides teaching, they did my character building and imbued moral values.”
Shagufta’s first commercial program was with director Zafar Hussain in 1965, the year commercial service was started on radio. “I worked with renowned names like Jaidi (Rang hee rang Jedi k Sang), Alamgir, Moin Akhtar (Shagoofay). Commercials like “Do aspro khayiye aur sehatyab hojayeey” or chanda battery cell, gave her much fame in 1969, as radio’s commercial voice. “Interestingly, the photo of my eyes was used in the commercial of Hashmi Surma, my first commercial. My broad smile with straight teeth, was used on Macleans toothpaste’s commercial for many years. I was never paid for these, though I received much scolding from my mother on this daring act,” she shared with a hearty laugh.
Reminiscing the tragic incident of 1971, she said in utter sadness, “Contrary to 65 war, there was a dreadful silence all around in 1971. We only knew that situation was critical in the East Pakistan. Our Bengali news readers were put off air. On 16th December, I was at the sets of a PTV play “Shahabuddin Ghauri,” by Kanwar Aftab, in which I, Zaheen Tahira and other girls were playing the role of Hindu girls, who were running here and there for a refuge to avoid wrath, as Shahbuddin Ghauri was entering India as a conqueror. Immediately, recording was stopped as we were told that Dhaka has been occupied and our army was in Dhaka. Fear gripped all of us on that December day. The falling tree leaves, cool breeze, all were mourning the tragedy. The silent tell-tale faces of people were a witness to their broken hearts. There were news that people were having heart attacks, but the inevitable had happened.”
She says that the post war election period and beyond seems to have vanished from the memory as depression and fear haunted people for a long time. “In 78-79 I married two of my sisters. Later I got married, which lasted only for a few months and I came back. It was my hard luck, because I rejected many people earlier as I wanted to marry a person of high intellect. My love for poetry and fine literature never made me settle to a mediocre marriage relation. It was my father’s desire too, who wanted me to be an ambassador. But my son is a blessing from Allah.”
On the present state of affairs, she says things have changed and no one can turn the clocks. “We are living in an unsecure Pakistan now. Infested with lawlessness, illiteracy, crimes against women and minorities, corruption, theft, murder, this is not the Pakistan we fought for.
The initial slogan of people “Ban k rahe ga Pakistan” could not turn into “Sanwaar k rahengay Pakistan”, as the zeal to build Pakistan dwindled with time, May Allah save Pakistan,” she concluded.
-The author is a staff member and serving as Editor Supplements & Special Reports. She can be reached at: sheheronline@gmail.com
