Dr Qamar Rais, one of the architects of the post-Sajjad Zaheer phase of the Progressive Movement, passed away in Delhi on April 28. He was 77. A writer known throughout the Urdu speaking world as a prominent critic, poet and educationist he was regarded by Faiz Ahmed Faiz as one of the five critics he most admired. He was author of more than 20 books.
Among the books which will keep his memories and contribution alive were 'Munshi Prem Chand Ka Tanqidi Mutalla' (his Ph.D Thesis) adjudged as the first critical study of Munshi Prem Chand's short stories, Talash Aur Tawazun, Tarjuma Ka Fun Aur Riwayat, Ratan Nath Sarshar, Beeswin Sadi Ka Afsanvi Adab, Uzbekistan: Inqilab se Inqilab Tak, Impact of 17 October Revolution on Indian Literature, Drama, Sajjad Zaheer, Ali Sardar Jafri, Taraqqui Pasand Tehrik: Ek Makhzan, Taraqqui Pasand Adab Ke Maymar having evaluation of 167 writers etc.
Born in Shahjahanpur (UP) in 1932, he got higher education in Lucknow. He did his Ph.D on Munshi Prem Chand's short-story writing from Aligarh University and soon after joined the Urdu Department of Delhi University in 1959. He retired from the same department in a few years back.
The significance of his service to Progressive Movement lies in the altogether different milieus when Sajjad Zaheer and he assumed the leadership of the Progressive Movement. At the time of Sajjad Zaheer's assumption of the office of Secretary-general, the luminaries of the 'thirties were alive' and he had the advantage of working with them. In the case of Dr Qamar Rais, the situation was a bit different. The big names were gradually bowing out and at the time of his death new faces carry the mantle of the Movement.
Actually it has been easier for the advocates of Literature for Literature School of Thought to remain outside the social and political ambits. They are not accountable to the society and could live in their arcadia. Qamar Rais's struggle was to win converts to the ideology of interaction between writers and the society so that they could play an important role in changing with the changes taking place in the society.
As believers in social change for the better, the literature produced by the progressives has to drive out the 'ghosts' inhabiting the Ivory Tower worldview. The economic and political hegemonists of the World need not have any worries from the writers whose mindset doesn't have to contend with the hegemonists.
Rather they complement each other. It is for this reason that the progressive writers have to be a world apart from the inhabitants of Ivory Tower. Dr Qamar Rais conducted the PWA affairs with maximum possible 'glasnost'. He was for the artistic cannons of literature besides the demands of socially and politically alive world view.
He was not wrong to think that all the great writers of the world have a world-view. It is quite another matter that they are pro-active or portrayers of contemporary realities. In both cases the readers' eyes will remain open to the irreversible bond between life and letters. So long there is some bond there is some progress for the better. The moment readers are aware of what they are missing and why they are missing they start believing in seeking some improvement in their lives.
He realised the danger that quite a few moderns were not moderns but modernists (Those who are escapists). He organised an all India seminar in 1972 on the topic 'Asri Agahi Aur Hamara Adab' to discuss the implications of a world-view, which doesn't care about the impact of social and political distortions on human life.
It was clearly a message that the progressives should analyse the contemporary problems in a broader perspective. Sajjad Zaheer hailed Dr Qamar Rais's suggestion in his lecture that the progressive should pay attention to the artistic cannons of literature and write profusely.
He brought out a journal in 1979 taking cue from the theme of the seminar. It was entitled "Asri Agahi". This writer has had a long association with Dr Qamar Rais. What a fine fellow he was. A person gifted with organisational skill is seldom a good writer. He thinks that he was providing platform to the writers and there is no need for him to be on the platform.
The more this tendency settles in, the more becomes a bit short tempered, annoying all those for whom the events are being organised. Dr Qamar Rais was different. He was very creative and never thought of lording over the other stake-holders of an event. He kept his cool and therefore he radiated an unusual aura of warm, friendly feelings.
I have seen him at the Karachi and Lucknow PWA golden jubilee conference. Being one who was associated with the London, Karachi and Lucknow PWA golden jubilee conference I can vouchsafe for the great efforts that Qamar Rais made. He lent his help to the events whole heartedly.
He was the brain behind the Prem Chand Centaury Celebration in April 1980 throughout India. I saw Qamar Rais in a dark mood as well. It was at Lucknow golden jubilee conference when Hindi writers of the PWA became adamant in not accepting Urdu and Hindi's stature as Hindustani having two scripts of the language.
The Hindi writers regarded Urdu as the creator of Pakistan as its status as the national language of the Muslims of India figured in the All India Muslim League Election Manifestos in 1936-37 and 1946. No one can deny the fact but the Indian Muslims couldn't be the citizens of Pakistan by any cannons of International Law and hence the sins of parents couldn't visit their offsprings by any principle of law.
Dr Qamar Rais and I saw writers like Ali Sardar Jafri, S. Sibte Hasan, Syed Ali Jawwad Zaidi, Maulana Ishaq Sambhi, whip of the CPI in the Indian Parliament, in a disgusting mood in 1936 conference over the somersault. These 'rebels' knew fully well that Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru had promised that both of them would be the national Languages of India after independence.
Dr Qamar Rais was a great lover of Urdu. He thought that progressive shouldn't come in the way of this belief as every one had a right to education in his tongue. He made Urdu popular in Uzbekistan where he served for 13 years as a professor at Tashkent University. Dr Qamar Rais also lent his support to the holding of 60th anniversary of PWA in Allahabad in 1995. He brought out monthly periodical 'Naya Safar' to provide a platform to the progressive writers of Urdu.
In the end I would like to say besides being a front ranking progressive critic, he was a good poet as well. His collection of poetry 'Sham-i-Nauroz' is one of the best collections of Urdu poetry to be published recently. He asked me to write the preface of this collection and this makes me and him united in this book as we were in life. His last articles on Iqbal Haider and Parwin Sher appeared in 'Insha' (Calcutta) and 'Akadmi', Delhi, in the month of his death. I know that he had promised these writers that he would offer his comments on their poetry.
He kept the promise. He kept his promise also with Dr Muhammad Hasan, a fortnight before his death but he couldn't keep his promise with me to visit Pakistan very soon. Perhaps he never thought of his ultimate appointment with death. He should have known that death of a friend takes away a chunk of life from the friends left alive and a bit of his friends has also died with him.
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