Last week deprived Punjabi language and literature of two major activists -- one in Lahore and the other in Chakwal. Dr Syed Akhtar Husain Akhtar came from the Kadergram area of Swat to Lahore during the One Unit time. Though his mother tongue was Pushto, his father belonged to Sialkot district. Here in Lahore he discovered that he could continue higher studies privately and Punjabi could facilitate his determination. The man from Chakwal was Prof Anwar Beg Awan, elder brother of known journalist and former resident editor of daily Jang Rawalpindi the late Shorish Malik, also a Punjabi poet. Awan died at the age of 91 and Akhtar was 74.

Akhtar saw the prospects of Punjabi teaching then quite bright therefore he opened his account and started a private institution, the Modern Punjabi College, in the Old Anarkali area. Akhtar had learnt some practical lessons from Chaudhary Muhammad Afzal, manager of the Anglo-Punjabi College located on Temple Road. Afzal was the son of prominent Punjabi poet and scholar Maula Bukhsh Kushta. He was publisher of his father’s books. That experience helped him edit and publish all those books which were part of the curricula of Punjabi, Punjabi Alim and Punjabi Fazil. There was a good response from students of his college and other private candidates.

Afzal had worked as a journalist also therefore he initiated publication of a college magazine in Punjabi namely Punj Darya and his every student was supposed to subscribe to the magazine to make the publication feasible. In magazine affairs, senior writer Abdul Majeed Bhatti served as the joint editor. This was a good magazine and second in Pakistan after the closure of monthly Punjabi, the first ever Punjabi monthly published in Pakistan by Dr Faqir Muhammad under the patronage of prominent writer, scholar and editor Abdul Majeed Salik. The Anglo-Punjabi College and its magazine Punj Darya were doing good business when Afzal died. The vacuum was mostly filled by Akhtar’s Modern Punjabi College and its magazine, monthly Lehran, first published in March 1965. Akhtar wanted the senior writer and editor Dr Faqir Muhammad to be the editor but latter’s blessings were with the paper and Akhtar did this job under the guidance of Dr Faqir and senior Punjabi writers Abdul Hameed Amar, Hakeem Sher Muhammad Nasir and Advocate Khizar Tameemi. Its first title was designed by painter Muhammad Haneef Ramey and for many months it was calligraphed by poet and teacher Tanveer Bukhari and Akhtar’s colleague SST teacher Abdur Rahman Chaudhary. Office affairs were also being looked after by students like Husain A. Shad, now a well-known short story writer who also contributed many plays to Pakistan TV and is now working on his biography. Students of the college were also supposed to subscribe to the magazine.

Apart from that there were other volunteers who also extended financial help and they included M.S. Naz, Asghar Malik, Ahmad Saleem, late Prof Sarfraz Qazi, Parveen Shah Din, Younis Ahqar, Ghufran Syed, Manzoor Wazirabadi, Dr Shahbaz Malik, Tanveer Zahoor, Qadar Aafaqi, Jameel Ahmad Pal, Mukhtar Mash’hadi, Aashiq Raheel, Iqbal Salahuddin, Azhar Chaudhari, Nadir Jajvi, Qayyum Qureshi and Hakeem Muhammad Azeem.

During this period Akhtar wrote articles in Punjabi and also published a collection of his articles mainly related to the topics included in the curricula. After “Khilray Moti” he published collection of his poetry, “Dil Dian Peerran”. In the meantime, private educational institutions were nationalised and Punjabi College and monthly Lehran were on the road. Akhtar was serving in the education department and was selected for an educational scholarship abroad. Monthly Lehran was heading towards its end. But during this period his mother fell ill and died after sometime. He could not avail the scholarship and that helped him continue the publication of his magazine. Anyhow, Akhtar’s determination never failed Lehran and even its last issue under his editorship was published in the first week of March this year.

Akhtar served as head of high schools at different stations but he continued his studies and did masters in Urdu and Punjabi and continued writing poetry and research articles of which three collections have been published. He did his doctorate on Var poetry of Punjab from the University of the Punjab which first time brought the poetry written in Gurmukhi script on struggle of Punjabis for freedom and justice because it covered the poetry published in Gurmukhi script, usually ignored in the research work done in Punjab. His other pride book is related to fieldwork on customs and traditions of Punjab. He was an active person who in spite of being heart patient, tried to attend every Punjabi activity and was last seen only two days before his death at the Punjabi Institute where the Silver Jubilee of Masud Khadarposh Trust was celebrated (Sunday, March 13).

Akhtar’s contribution and commitment with Punjabi will be remembered forever.

Awan joined the Punjabi writers much late but with more enthusiasm with his work on Punjabi poet of Chakwal area Shah Murad who also contributed to Urdu ghazal in Aurangzeb’s time. That way he was senior to founding father of Urdu ghazal Wali Deccani.

Born in 1920 in Bhon, a prosperous town of Chakwal, he served in army, revenue department and education department. He retired as a professor from Islamabad College. His main research work is the literature and culture of Dhani area, an important part of Potohar. His book “Dhan Malooki” was published by the Lok Virsa, Islamabad. He also edited the poetry of Shah Murad and contributed many research articles on Punjabi language, literature and culture, which need to be collected and published in book form. For many years Anwar made it a point to attend all Punjabi conferences held on Urs of Shah Hussain in Lahore.