‘Adab-e-Latif’ and the Abbottabad memorabilia
By Syed Afsar Sajid
- ‘Adab-e-Latif’ (January-February/March-April 2024) –Editor: MazharSalimMujoka
- ‘Jannat-e-Arzi Abbottabad’ – Author/Compiler: Muhammad JamilAbbasi
‘Adab-e-Latif’
‘Adab-e-Latfi’is a premier Urdu literary journal with an uninterrupted publication history of almost 88 years. It was founded in 1935, by Barkat AliChaudhry, owner of Punjab Book Depot, a leading publishing house of Lahore in those days. ‘Adab-e-Latif’ owed its meteoric rise as a literary journal to, aside fromBarkat AliChaudhry himself, a galaxy of editors with a prestigious literary background, likeTalib Ansari Badayuni, MeerzaAdeeb, QateelShifai, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Ahmad NadeemQasmi,Iftikhar AliChaudhry, SahirLudhianvi, FikrTaunsvi, Arif Abdul Mateen, IntizarHussain, KishwarNaheed, QasimMahmood, Siddiqa Begum, NasirZaidi, and MazharSalimMujokaussain, Kishwar Nahid, Hameed Akhtral.
January-February 2024 issue of the magazine comprises Hamd, Na’at, ghazal(s), critiques, nazm(s), short stories, micro-fiction, translations, and humorous essays. Prominent writers and poets contributing to this issue of the magazine include, among others, NasimSehar, Wajid Amir, SalimKausar, Sehar Ansari, GhulamHussainSajid, GulzarBukhari,Jan Kashmiri, RafiqSandeelvi, Muslim Shamim, JavedAkhtarBhatti, and Tariq Mahmud.
March-April 2024 issue of ‘Adab-e-Latif’ is again an esteemed selective collection of all genres of literature. Noted contributors to the issue are Samina Syed, Syed Meraj Jami, SiminKiran, Amin Kunjahi, Imtiaz Ahmad, Naseer Ahmad Nasir, Mahmood Ahmad Qazi, AsnathKanwal,MumtazHussain, Amjad Ali Shakir, SalahuddinHaider, KhawarEjaz and others. MazharSalimMujoka’s editorship is a salient feature of the twin issues of the journal. He seems to have burnt the proverbial midnight oil to upgrade the quality of the magazine and enlarge its readership besides eliciting the cooperation of a larger number of writers and poets on its panel of subscribers.
‘Jannat-e-Arzi – Abbottabad’
The book is dedicated to renowned poet and litterateur Ejaz Rahim (who himself belongs to Abbottabad and is also a former Commissioner of Abbottabad Division) in token of his services to the people of Hazara. It is like a compendium covering different aspects of the historical, geophysical, demographic, socio-cultural, and infrastructural growth of the entire region that forms part of the all-embracing valley of Hazara.
Muhammad JamilAbbasi, the zestful author/compiler of the book, seems to have taken great pains to collect and collate relevant material, and construct it into a viable, albeit readable, organic entity seeming like a quasi-gazetteer of his native soil (of Abbottabad). The catalogue bears an impressive list of chapters that highlightthe historic-cum-spatial grandeur of the scenic valley from different angles, lending the top slot to late Major James Abbottwho was the founder and first deputy commissioner of Abbottabad, deservingly named after him.
The book is divided into eight chapters with kaleidoscopic narration of events, venues, men, matters, and institutions all bearing on the history and geography of the picturesque valley of Hazara of which Abbottabad is an integral part. Notable sites and locales include therailway station of Havelian, Malikpura, Mirpur, Circle Bakot, NawanShaher, Ayubia National Park, Lower Tanawal, Tehsil Lora, theSarban Valley, and the monumental Karakoram Highway whereas notable men include Ghazi Muhammad Dawood Shah, Dr. Muhammad Naseer Khan, MianNuruddinQureshi, Hakim Abdul Aziz Chishti, Kamran Ahmad Advocate, Khan BahadurJalaluddin Jalal Baba, Mufti Zubair Bin Salahuddin, Prof. Dr. SabirKalorvi, SardarMehtab Ahmad Khan Abbasi, Engr. Dr. Farooque, Muhammad Iqbal Khan Jadoon, Faqira Khan Jadoon, Muhammad Ayub KhanTanoli Advocate, Abdullah Khan Tanoli Advocate, Muhammad Zeb Khan Tanoli Advocate, Noor Ilahi Khan Advocate, Justice Sajjad Ahmad Jan, Justice Qazi Muhammad Farooque, Justice Qazi Muhammad Ghazanfar, Justice Malik ManzoorHussain, SardarBahadur Khan, Mufti Muhammad Idrees, famed poet Sultan Sukoon, Mir WaliullahAdeebAbbottabadi Advocate, Maulana Muhammad Ismail Zabeeh,Niaz Swati, Prof. AyubSabir, Prof. AsifSaqib,Prof. Murtaza Syed et al. However, a few important names connected with the region are missing in the relevant chapters e.g., ace politician Air Marshal ®Asghar Khan, eminent religious scholar/politicianMaulanaGhulamGhousHazarvi, reputed bureaucrat Abdullah, renowned jurist Qazi Muhammad Jamil, and popular poet QateelShifai.
Abbottabad is also known for its prime academic as well as professional institutions like PMA Kakul, Army Burnhall School and College, Abbottabad Public School and Govt. Postgraduate Colleges (both for Men and Women), Ayub Medical College, and a model Cantonment. The author/compiler has also highlighted the literary and cultural organizations of the town besides conducting a brief survey of journalistic activities here alongwith names of some leading journalists and mediamen from the region.Thus the book turns out to be an interesting read about Abbottabad, its people and their rich socio-cultural heritage.
