Amjad Islam Amjad

It is hard to editorialise the obituary of a romantic poet like Amjad Islam Amjad, who invented and ruled his realm of progressive romantic poetry and made it hard for the contemporary to even copy him.  This editorial in dull prose may be poetic justice to the well-known poet, writer, playwright, and columnist Amjad Islam Amjad, who passed away on Friday. He was 78. It is customary to write that another era of Urdu literature ended with his death, but he was more than an era: he was the soul of literary gatherings. He wrote more than 40 books, which included translations, columns, travelogue, plays and poetry. When his plays were aired on PTV, there was pin-drop silence on the roads. Not only in Pakistan but also in India, his plays were watched with such enthusiasm that the streets were deserted. Wherever he was in a gathering, he used to make everyone around him laugh. He was highly recognised for his wit and humour. His columns were full of life and upbeat. His plays and writings helped him shape a generation. He received numerous domestic and international honours for his creative contributions. He held executive positions in several government organizations, including the Children’s Library Complex, the Urdu Science Board, and the Punjab Arts Council. The negative aspect of his existence is this. He obtained these positions through lobbying and praising the government.