AS the year 1969 was approaching, the lovers of Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib (1797-1869) were preparing for a centennial on a grand scale as Ghalib was one of the great bards that Urdu takes pride in.

Scholars and literary organisations in India, former USSR and some other countries, were planning to pay tribute to Ghalib on his 100th death anniversary. But in Pakistan, there was a lukewarm response to the idea. Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911-1984) was anxious to commemorate Ghalib’s centennial. One of the great admirers of Ghalib was Mirza Zafar-ul-Hasan (1916-1984). A friend of Faiz, broadcaster, connoisseur of fine literary and art works and a writer in his own right, Zafar-ul-Hasan agreed to organise Ghalib’s death centenary in a befitting manner. But Zafar-ul-Hasan had other great ideas, too, rather than arranging for just a gathering or two to celebrate Ghalib and his poetry, for instance, researching Ghalib’s life, his works ; helping researchers and critics working on Ghalib; publishing a magazine on Ghalib; reprinting Ghalib’s Urdu and Persian works; translating Ghalib’s works in other languages and ... and what not!

Realising that what they were dreaming of was not an easy task and it needed help from intellectuals, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Zafar-ul-Hasan chalked out a plan to establish an organisation named after Ghalib and invited writers, poets, journalists and intellectuals to lend a helping hand. The response was overwhelming and almost every corner of Pakistan echoed with ‘ayes’. It was the year 1968, so they had almost a year to prepare to hold a centennial in impressive and elaborate manner. An organisation named Idara-i-Yadgar-i-Ghalib (IYG) was established in 1968. Many well-known writers joined hands and they included, among many others, Peer Hussamuddin Rashdi, Sibte Hasan, Prof Karrar Hussain, Shanul Haq Haqqee, Farman Fatehpuri, Mumtaz Hasan, Muslim Ziai, Amna Majeed Malik, Mukhtar Zaman and Sahar Ansari. Faiz was made president and Zafar-ul-Hasan Secretary.

In January 1969, country’s political turmoil was on its peak. So it was decided to begin the centennial programmes from May 9, 1969. Literary giants like Ghulam Rasool Mahar, Punjab University’s vice chancellor Hameed Ahmed Khan and Pashto Academy’s Maulana Abdul Qadir were among the many celebrities that adorned the opening ceremony, the mushaira and exhibition of Sadequain’s paintings. To raise funds, Ghalib Pencil was launched and many bought it for hundreds of rupees a piece.

It was decided to establish the Ghalib Library where the head office of IYG was to be housed. The Karachi Municipal Corporation gave a piece of land in Nazimabad and Habib Bank funded the entire construction. On Dec 8, 1969, the foundation stone was laid and the library was formally inaugurated in September 1972, though it had been working since 1971. It was a ground plus one storey building. A magazine Ghalib was launched in 1975. About 100 books have been published so far by IYG. So IYG and Ghalib Library have completed 50 years of serving literature. On the ground floor a bank branch worked till 2005 and the then mayor of Karachi Naimatullah Khan asked the KMC to get the entire building renovated. It was handed over to IYG as a library, working on the first floor, was full to the brim and finally got the space to arrange the books properly.

Mirza Sahib built the library from scratch, going from door to door to collect the books donated. Today, Ghalib Library has some 40,000 periodicals and almost as many books, some of them very rare. The collection is a treasure for anyone carrying out research on Ghalib and/or Urdu literature.

Later on, many intellectuals helped run the organisation and only a few of them can be named here, for instance, Mushfiq Khwaja, Moinuddin Aqeel, Fatima Surayya Bajia and Ra’na Farooqi. Now Sabeeh Rahmani is the president and Dr Tanzeem-ul-Firdous is secretary. From day one, all the office-bearers worked on an honorary basis and the library staff is paid a token amount barely sufficient for transportation.

One of the prominent features of Ghalib Library is its literary and cultural gatherings. Though the frequency of these gatherings dwindled considerably after Mirza Sahib’s death, Library still holds mushairas and symposia from time to time. One of the biggest hurdles is lack of funds. Mirza Zafar-ul-Hasan used to comment on its financial issues in a lighter vein and he would quip “Ghalib Library’s financial condition is similar to that of the personality to whom it is dedicated”, as Ghalib’s financial woes are well-known. A meagre grant from the federal government is received every year but it is just not enough to run the affairs. Some members and donors contribute from time to time to keep it afloat.

It was Infaaq Foundation that came to rescue in 2005. One hopes the citizens of Karachi would come forward to save this half-century old cultural institution.

drraufparekh@yahoo.com

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2022