'QALAM Say Awaz Tak is a highly readable treasure-trove of the history of Urdu broadcasting and various literary genres woven around the unique multidimensional personality of Raza Ali Abidi. Written by Khurram Sohail, the biography traces Abidi’s life and works. Born in 1934 (officially 1936), Abidi moved to Karachi with his family in 1950. After graduating from Islamia College, he worked for 15 years as a little-known journalist before travelling to Europe for a course and subsequently moving to London. Associated with the BBC from 1972 to 2008, Abidi was always an avid reader and had started writing for children’s magazines as a teenager.
During his long stay in London, Abidi interviewed and interacted with numerous personalities from India and Pakistan. They represented all walks of life — politicians, poets, singers, writers and so on. In addition to the broadcasts, the profiles Abidi wrote of such figures, including Mumtaz Mufti, Ahmed Faraz, Muhammad Tufail and Ghalib, narrated in Abidi’s unique style, are a treat for the reader. It is surprising that Abidi is not as prominent outside a limited circle of admirers as he deserves to be.'
From DAWN |
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