A doctor with incurable passion

Dr Taqi Abedi’s love for Urdu literature knows no bounds and can be seen in the 62 books he has written so far

He is a doctor alright but in him dwells a writer. After a busy day in the hospital, he retires into his study during night and loses all track of time. A kind of unwinding for him. That’s Dr Taqi Hassan Abedi for you. A physician whose true calling is writing. With him medicine and literature seem to share a kind of synergy. There is no conflict of interest between his profession and passion. In fact, being a writer has helped Dr Abedi in his work as a physician.

What does it mean to be a doctor and a writer at the same time? “Reading and writing have broadened my perspective of life,” says the Hyderabad-born Canadian physician. Love for literature made him more empathic and caring towards his patients. The most surprising thing is that this doctor-writer has done more for the promotion and propagation of Urdu than any university professor. The sheer number of books written by him – 62 till date – is a pointer to his infatuation with Urdu literature.

Diagnosing ailments of others comes easy to him but his own malady eludes a remedy. He is a doctor with an incurable passion for Urdu. No, it’s not a case of physician heal thyself. He is smitten with the love of Urdu poetry. And his obsession grows by the day. Dr Abedi loves to introduce himself as ‘Peshe se tabeeb, Urdu ka vakeel and adab ka mareez’. The last two attributes stand out like the porcupine’s quills. He never tires of championing the cause of Urdu nor hides his maddening love with literature. While living in dayaar-e-gair (outside the sub-continent), he has done yeomen service to Urdu by introducing its well known as also little known writers to the world. His scholarly works on Mirza Ghalib, Allama Iqbal, Mir Anees, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Altaf Hussain Hali, Amjad, Sayeed Shahidi are matchless. Besides adding a critical body of work to Urdu literature, they offer new vistas of understanding about these poets.

A man of many parts – doctor, poet, critic, author – all rolled into one, Dr Abedi has bagged several awards, including the ‘Life Time Achievement award’ from the Doha-based Urdu language literary organisation, Majlis-e-Frogh-e-Urdu Adab. He has also secured the Fakhre-e-Urdu International award, Urdu Markaz International, Los Angles, Writer of the year award, Eastern News Canada, Award for Distinguished services and contribution to Urdu literature, Aligarh University Alumni, New York, Allama Iqbal Award of Excellence, Canada, besides awards from Sahitiya Academy, UP (Sahitya Akademi??????).

Having obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in medicine from Osmania University, Dr Abedi served in Iran, England, US and is presently working in a hospital at Ontario, Canada. His dalliance with Urdu poetry began right from his student days and it has taken him to different parts of the world where he delivers talks to packed audience. Early in life he was seduced by books and his fascination continues. His library has a staggering 14,000 books, a good number in English and Persian.

Dr Abedi has a great affinity towards Ghalib and Iqbal and is inspired by the latter’s philosophy of action, courage and self-reliance. He says:

Khud roshni phailegee muhabbat ki zameen par
Iqbal aur Rumi ke kutch ashaar suna do

He is known more as an expert in Iqbaliat and Ghalibiat besides being an authority on Anees, Dabeer and Faiz. While his major work comprises critical analysis of these poets, he has also written two books of poetry – Gulshan-e-Roya and Josh-e-Mawadat. Sample some of his verses:

Sahil pe khade ho ke tamasha nahin karte
Hum doobti kashti ka nazara nahin karte
Toofan se lada dete hain jo apna safeena
Sahil ko kabhi apna kinara nahin karte

Sublimity of thought is central to his poetry. He expresses his ideas in the poignant ways of Anees and sometimes adopts the philosophical tone of Iqbal. The following verses mirror the realities of the present times where marauders masquerade as honourable men.

Aaj haivan-sifat pahne hain insani naqab
Aaj har haath main rehti hai tamaddun ki kitab
Bhatke huye manzil pe pahunch jayenge khud hi
Raston se agar rahnumaon ko hata do
Logon main fakhat ayeb nazar aate hain jisko
Iss ko bhi kabhi aiyna khane main bitha do

Dr Abedi’s nazm Husn-e-Mutlaq is one of his most acclaimed poems. Characterised by sensual imagery, it paints a vivid portrait of beauty in all its dimensions. Here, the poet tries to see beauty in everything and from different angles. A mesmerising spell takes hold as one reads this poem.

Husn se dekho to har cheez haseen hoti hai
Husn se hat kar har ek cheez asar khoti hai
Husn ahsas main rehta hai jawani main nahin
Nasha hai khoon main angoor ke pani main nahin
Husn jab jheel main palta hai kanwal banta hai
Husn jab sher main dhalta hai ghazal banta hai

Dr Abedi has penned many naaths in praise of the Prophet of Islam. A popular naath which can be heard at religious gatherings is:

Woh jis ke liye mehfil-e-konain sajee hai
Firdaus-e-bareen jis ke waseelay se banee hai
Woh Hashmee Makkee Madanee ul Arabee hai
Woh mera Nabi mera Nabi mera Nabi hai
Woh mera Nabi hai

Dr Abedi has done encyclopaedic work on Mir Anees, Mirza Dabeer, Mirza Ghalib, Altaf Hussain Hali, Allama Iqbal and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. He has thrown light on many undisclosed aspects of these master bards. His books – Tajzia-e-Yadgar Anees,  Rubayat-e-Dabeer, Kulliyat-e-Ghalib, Inshaallha Khan Insha, Faiz Fahmi, Faiz Shinasi, Iqbal Kay Irfani Zaweye and Choon Marg Ayed – are a must-read for research scholars.

In the last mentioned book, Dr Abedi makes a mention of various ailments that afflicted Allama Iqbal and impacted his life. These details he has extracted from the letters written by the ‘Poet of East’ himself. The doctor in him comes to the aid of Dr Abedi in explaining the diseases.

A strong votary of Urdu, Dr Abedi feels it is the best remedy to unite hearts in the present troubled times. No other Indian language has the capacity to integrate people like Urdu since it is an embodiment of composite cultures. “Urdu is one of the several languages of Muslims but the language itself is not Muslim,” he says.

Urdu is definitely spoken by Muslims but it is more Hindustani in nature, embracing diverse traditions. Therefore, its preservation and propagation is the responsibility of everyone and not just Muslims alone. Quoting TS Eliot, he says any language which has rich classical literature wouldn’t perish. If Urdu dies, it would be an irreparable loss for the country as a whole.

Dr Abedi refers to the beautiful way Bihari Lal Mushtaq, a student of Mirza Ghalib, captured the syncretic culture in this couplet. What is unique about this little known verse is that the numerical value (Abjad notations) of both Jamuna and Zam-Zam are the same – 94.

Hum hain Hindu, tum Musalman donon baham ek hain
Jis tarha aadad Jamuna wo Zam-Zam ek hain
(I’m a Hindu, you a Muslim, together we are one
Like the numerical of Jamuna and Zam Zam are one)

For Dr Abedi, Urdu is not just a lingua franca but a beautiful flower vase representing different faiths. It has the mohabbat (love) of Hyderabad in it, nazakat (elegance) of Lucknow, saqafat (culture) of Delhi, sajawat (embellishment) of Agra, saadat (fortune) of Sindh, zakawat (knowledge) of Bengal and latafat (tenderness) of Kashmir.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in Telangana Today

Dated January 05,2020