Bano Quadsia

Bano Qudsia was born in Firozpur in 1927. She wrote Raja Gidh and Haasil Ghaat. She is married to Ashfaq Ahmed. She has worked as a playwright, and her current occupation is writer.

Bano moved with her family to Lahore during the Partition of India. Her father, a landlord with a Bachelor's degree in agriculture, died when Bano was very young. She attended school in Dharamsala in eastern India before moving to Lahore. Her mother, Mrs. Chattah, was an educationalist, and this inspired the young Bano to develop a keen interest in academics, which turned her into a conscientious student. Her marriage to Ashfaq Ahmed consummated the artist in her, though she says she never discussed any of her works with her husband nor has the writer-spouse ever tried to influence her writings. "We work very independently. Writing a book is like bearing a child and you do not share that with anyone. God is your only confidant. It is also like falling in love. You keep it personal and private.As a student, she wrote for college magazines and other journals. Her memories of her days at Kinnaird College in Lahore, from where she graduated, are still quite vivid. She talks of the literary inspiration that was a hallmark at Kinnaird's campuses during those days. Though her stay at Kinnaird went a long way in sharpening her scholarly skills, Bano felt an incessant need to polish her expressions in Urdu, the only language with which she could reach the minds of the people. So in 1951, she completed her M.A. degree in Urdu from the Government College Lahore with distinction.

She has authored numerous short stories, novelettes, television and radio plays, and stage plays. Her short stories include Baz Gasht, Amar Bail, Doosra Darwaza and Twajju ki Talib. Of her novels, none has received as much recognition as Raja Gidh which centers around the forbidden truth. The plot buildsaround the symbol of a vulture, a bird of prey, that feeds on dead flesh and carcasses. The moral sought implies that indulgence in the forbidden leads to physical and mental degeneration.Some of her best plays include Tamasil, Hawa key Naam, Seharay and Khaleej. The plight of women and other socio-economic issues have often been the subject of her television serials that have inspired families wherever they have been aired. The Graduate Award for Best Playwright was conferred on Bano in 1986, followed by the same award for three consecutive years from 1988 to 1990. In 1986, she was also given the Taj Award for Best Playwright. Rather critical of the deviation of today's woman from her natural role of mother and home keeper, Bano decries what she terms 'a woman's unsolicited and disoriented escape from responsibility.' Interestingly, though, she blames men for plotting a conspiracy to push women out of the house, her only domain. "And women fall easy prey to this trap. Men of the post-industrialization era gave women a taste of luxurious lifestyles and then instigated them to step out of the house and earn that lifestyle. The woman developed a taste for what she thought was freedom for her, but which actually bonded her as a labourer and a breadwinner."She cites the example of the woman who does the dishes in her home. "This woman is more liberated than your modern women, since she does not suffer from any conflicts of the 'self'. Poverty is all that hurts her and she is not caught in a rat race to prove something to herself or carve out an identity for herself. Her existence is identity enough.Bano also feels that what she calls women's 'strength of softness' has been lost in their struggle to prove themselves equal to men. What women take as their weaknesses are in fact their strengths, she believes.

Bano Qudsia planned to co-author a book with her (now late) husband. Her obligations towards her family are much more important for her than her work. "My husband (now late), my three sons and daughter-in-law have all been very kind to me and have always showered their affections on me. So, how can I ever put anything else before them?"

Having lived a fulfilling life, which Bano ascribes to the benevolence of those around her, she kept herself busy caring for her husband. She is now working on her present literary undertaking - a novel which she plans to title Dastan Serai, after her home. "I formally started work on this novel in 1992. Prior to this, I had worked on it during the 1950s. The novel is set against the backdrop of Partition and revolvesaround the theme of intention and motivation. It highlights the importance of intention as the key determinant behind every act.

By Gulraiz Kamal

Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Faiz Ahmed Faiz was born on February 13, 1911, in Sialkot, India, which is now part of Pakistan. He had a privileged childhood as the son of wealthy landowners Sultan Fatima and Sultan Muhammad Khan, who passed away in 1913, shortly after his birth. His father was a prominent lawyer and a member of an elite literary circle which included Allama Iqbal, the national poet of Pakistan.

In 1916, Faiz entered Moulvi Ibrahim Sialkoti, a famous regional school, and was later admitted to the Skotch Mission High School where he studied Urdu, Persian, and Arabic. He received a Bachelor's degree in Arabic, followed by a master's degree in English, from the Government College in Lahore in 1932, and later received a second master's degree in Arabic from the Oriental College in Lahore.After graduating in 1935, Faiz began a teaching career at M.A.O. College in Amritsar and then at Hailey College of Commerce in Lahore.

Faiz's early poems had been conventional, light-hearted treatises on love and beauty, but while in Lahore he began to expand into politics, community, and the thematic interconnectedness he felt was fundamental in both life and poetry. It was also during this period that he married Alys George, a British expatriate and convert to Islam, with whom he had two daughters. In 1942, he left teaching to join the British Indian Army, for which he received a British Empire Medal for his service during World War II. After the partition of India in 1947, Faiz resigned from the army and became the editor of The Pakistan Times, a socialist English-language newspaper.

On March 9, 1951, Faiz was arrested with a group of army officers under the Safety Act, and charged with the failed coup attempt that became known as the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case. He was sentenced to death and spent four years in prison before being released. Two of his poetry collections, Dast-e Saba and Zindan Namah, focus on life in prison, which he considered an opportunity to see the world in a new way. While living in Pakistan after his release, Faiz was appointed to the National Council of the Arts by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's government, and his poems, which had previously been translated into Russian, earned him the Lenin Peace Prize in 1963.

In 1964, Faiz settled in Karachi and was appointed principal of Abdullah Haroon College, while also working as an editor and writer for several distinguished magazines and newspapers. He worked in an honorary capacity for the Department of Information during the 1965 war between India and Pakistan, and wrote stark poems of outrage over the bloodshed between Pakistan, India, and what later became Bangladesh. However, when Bhutto was overthrown by Zia Ul-Haq, Faiz was forced into exile in Beirut, Lebanon. There he edited the magazine Lotus, and continued to write poems in Urdu. He remained in exile until 1982. He died in Lahore in 1984, shortly after receiving a nomination for the Nobel Prize.

Throughout his tumultuous life, Faiz continually wrote and published, becoming the best-selling modern Urdu poet in both India and Pakistan. While his work is written in fairly strict diction, his poems maintain a casual, conversational tone, creating tension between the elite and the common, somewhat in the tradition of Ghalib, the renowned 19th century Urdu poet. Faiz is especially celebrated for his poems in traditional Urdu forms, such as the ghazals, and his remarkable ability to expand the conventional thematic expectations to include political and social issues.

By Gulraiz Kamal

Muhammad Husain Azad

Muhammad Husain Azad (1830-1910) was an Urdu writer, who is regarded as the best Urdu prose writer. He wrote prose as well as poetry but he is mostly remembered for his prose. His contribution and impact is immense to Urdu literature and prose in particular.

He is famous for his masterpiece Aab-e-Hayat (meaning elixir of life). It is regarded as the most often printed and most widely read book of Urdu because of its numerous qualities, which makes it a constant companion or a book of reference for an ardent Urdu lover.

He was born in Delhi in a highly educated Persian immigrant family. His mother died when he was four years old. His father was Maulvi Muhammad Baqir (c.1810-1857), was a man of versatile talents, and was educated at the newly founded Delhi College. Besides his many other activities he worked in the British administration. In early 1837 Maulvi Muhammad Baqir bought a press and launched the Dihli Urdu Akhbaar (Delhi Urdu Newspaper), which was probably the first Urdu newspaper in north India. Maulvi Muhammad Baqir was executed for siding with Mughals and joining the rebellion in 1857.

Muhammad Husain Azad was the only son of Maulvi Baqir and was married to Aghai Begum daughter of another Persian immigrant family. Following his father's death and a period of turmoil in Delhi, Azad migrated to Lahore in 1861. After struggling for years he gradually settled down in Lahore and started teaching at newly founded (1964) Government College, Lahore,and later at Oriental College, Lahore, found under the auspices of Anjuman-e-Punjab (Punjab Society).

In Lahore he came in contat of Dr. G. W. Leitner who was the Principal and founder of Anjuman-e-Punjab. Anjuman-ePunjab's mission was solely cultural and academic, Anjuman arranged public lectures, set up a free library and reading room, compiled educational texts and translations in Indian languages, and established Lahore's famous Oriental College. The Anjuman was actively supported by leading British officials of the time and was considered a grat success. In 1866 Azad became a regularly paid lecturer on behalf of the Anjuman; in 1867 he became its secretary.In 1887 he managed to set up the 'Azad Library', which earned him praise and earned the title of 'Shams ul-ulamā' (Sun among the Learned). After undergoing great personal, health and mental loses, Azad died in Lahore in 1910, at the age of eighty.

Around 1845 he was enrolled at Delhi College in Urdu-medium 'Oriental' section, which offered Arabic and Persian rather than English. He keenly pursued his studies for about eight years before graduating in 1854.

By: Gulraiz Kamal

Ustad Ibrahim Zouq

Ab to ghabra ke ye kahte hain ke mar jayenge 

Mar ke bhi chain na paya to kidhar jayenge

Zauq was a prominent contemporary of Ghalib and in the history of Urdu poetry the rivalry of the two poets is quite well known. During his lifetime Zauq was more popular than Ghalib for the critical values in those days were mainly confined to judging a piece of poetry on the basis of usage of words, phrases and idioms. Content and style were barely taken into account while appreciating poetry 

He was born at Delhi in 1789. His father, Shaikh Mohammed Ramzan was a lowly placed soldier in the Mughal army. It was no less than a miracle that Zauq, without having the proper treatment on account of the penury of his family, survived the attacks of a dreaded malady like small pox nine times during his childhood. His father had no means to equip his son with the best available education of the time. He was sent to a maktab (elementary religious school) that was run by Hafiz Ghulam Rasool. Hafiz himself was a poet and used Shauq as his nom de plume. Under his influence the young Mohammed Ibrahim also got attracted towards poetry. Hafiz provided the required encouragement, took him as his pupil in poetry too and suggested Zauq as his nom de plume. Though Zauq could not complete the course of the maktab, he got hooked to poetry. In those days Shah Naseer was the most famous master poet of Delhi. Zauq began showing his ghazals to Shah Naseer for improvement. Naseer recognized the natural talent and made him his pupil. Gradually, Zauq began participating in the mushairas. His natural bent of mind towards poetry coupled with his singular obsession to excel in the pursuit brought him fame and fortune. He would be better appreciated in the mushairas than his mentor. Shah Naseer got very annoyed with the growing popularity of Zauq. He threw him out of the group of his pupils. Zauq, thereafter, relied only on his talent and continued writing poetry with a vengeance. 

Another poet, Meer Kazim Husain Beqarar, a friend of Zauq's was appointed the mentor of the Crown Prince Zafar, who later ascended the throne. Through him Zauq could got the chance to enter the royal court. He also started participating in the royal mushairas. When Beqarar took up the job of Meer Munshi (Head Clerk) in the Office of John Elphinstone, Crown Prince Zafar appointed Zauq as his mentor with a monthly salary of Rs. 4- that was ultimately raised to Rs. 100- when Bahadur Shah Zafar ascended the throne. He remained the poet laureate of the Mughal Court till his death in 1854. 

Zauq’s reputation in Urdu poetry is because of his eulogies that reflect his command over the language and his expertise in composing poetry in extremely difficult meters. Since he got associated with the royal court right from his teens and remained there till his death, he had to write mostly eulogies to seek the patronage and rewards from the princes and the King. His mentor, Shah Naseer, would also pay attention only to the linguistic eloquence and mastery over prosody. Zauq also emulated the example of his mentor. Such style of poetry suits eulogy writing. Many critics regard him a great eulogy writer next only to Sauda. 

His ghazals also have some literary values. Since Bahadur Shah Zafar was fond of using simple and colloquial diction, Zauq too composed his ghazals using simple words, phrases of everyday use and similes rooted in the common culture. His ghazals are also notable for their spontaneity. Zauq was a deeply religious man. In his ghazals too he would deal with religious and ethical themes. Therefore, his ghazals lack lyricism and appear to be the verses of a preacher. 

Major portion of Zauq’s poetical output got lost because mutiny of 1857. Maulana Mohammed Husain Azad compiled a slim volume of his poetry with the help of his pupils like Hafiz, Veeran, Anwar and Zaheer that contains twelve hundred couplets of Ghazals and fifteen Eulogies.

 By: Gulraiz Kamal

Martin Charles Scorsese

Introduction:

Martin Charles Scorsese known as Martin Scorsese was born on November 17, 1942 in New York City. Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Martin Scorsese is one of the most prominent and influential directors in movie history. Scorsese is known for his critically acclaimed classics including Taxi Driver, GoodFellas, Ragging Bull, Casino, Gangs of New York and The Departed. Scorsese has influenced of Italian neorealism. He also acknowledges French New Wave and he is inspired by Elia Kazan, Michael Powell &Emeric Pressburger and Satyajit Ray.

Early Life:

Martin Scorsese grew up in New York City. He belongs to a Sicilian family. Scorsese is a Son of Charles Scorsese and Catherine Scorsese. Scorsese was raised in a catholic environment. As a boy, he had asthma so he couldn’t play sports with other kids instead of playing hi s parents took him to the cinema it that was the time when his interest developed into cinema. Initially he wants to be a priest before adopting direction as a profession.  Scorsese enrolled in NYU's University College of Arts and Science from where he graduated as a film major in 1964.During the studying years Scorsese direct couple of short films including it’s Not Just You, Murray! (1964), the Big Shave (1967).

Filmmaking:

Scorsese’s student films caught the eye of director Roger Corman that was the turning point of his life. In 1967, Scorsese made his first feature-length film ‘Who's That Knocking at My Door’ with theater actor Harvey Keitel. Brian De Palma was the one who introduced Robert de Niro to Scorsese with whom he later worked in many films. In 1973, Scorsese directed ‘Mean Streets’ starred Robert de Niro and Harvey Keitel, an autobiographical tale of a group of young Italian-Americans living and dying in NYC. It was his first film to be widely acknowledged as a masterpiece and a time when the legend step into cinema. From there to onwards Scorssese and Robert de Niro both become partners and their team is considered as one of the one of the most dynamic filmmaking partnerships of cinematic history. Scorsese next film was ‘Alice Doesn't Live Here Any More', a portrayal of a woman's struggle starred Ellen Burstyn for which she earn best actress Oscar.

His next masterpiece was 1976 film ‘Taxi Driver’ starred De Niro as Travis Bickle, a disturbed Vietnam veteran and taxi driver. Film won the Palme d'Or at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival, also received four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture unfortunately didn’t won any.

In 1980 once again Scorsese cast Deniro for his film Ragging Bull a biographical film based on a true story of middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta, this film was such a huge success and nominate for eight Oscars in all major categories including best director, best editor, best picture and best actor. It was the first nomination for Scorsese. Raging Bull is a masterpiece of modern cinema. The American Film Institute chose Raging Bull as the #1 American sports film on their list of the top 10 sports films. Raging Bull is now widely considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time.

In 1990 after a decade Gangster epic Goodfellas (1990) was a return to form for Scorsese and his most confident and fully realized film since Raging Bull. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director; Scorsese earned his third Best Director nomination for Goodfellas but again lost. But Joe Pesci earned the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Goodfellas.

In 1995 Scorsese direct another American Gangster film Casino, starred Deniro, Joe Pesci, Sharon stone. Film gets mixed reviews but Sharon stone won Oscar for her performance in the film.

In 2002 Scorsese direct Gangs of New York starred Leonardo De Caprio, Daniel Day-Lewis and Cameron Diaz. This film was nominated in ten categories of Oscars including all major categories; however it did not win in any category. It was first collaboration of Martin Scorsese with Daniel Day-Lewis. This film was also the first collaboration of Leonardo De caprio with Scorsese but Leonardo stick with him for further projects.

DiCaprio starred again in 'The Departed', an Irish-American crime story. The Departed was Scorsese first collaboration with Mark Wahlberg, Jack Nicholson and Martin Sheen. This movie once again brought a huge success for Scorsese since Goodgfellas . It was for The Departed that Scorsese finally won a best director Oscar. He had been nominated for the Academy Award on five previous occasions, and twice for best screenplay. As he received his first Oscar, Scorsese, who attended the ceremony with his wife Helen, joked: "Could you double-check the envelope?" Film also won best editing; best picture and best adapted Screenplay. However People always thought that he also deserve Oscar for his previous films.

His most recent hit was Hugo based on a novel ‘The Invention of Hugo Cabret’ though it was his first family movie; this film was highly acclaimed by critics and once again nominated in eleven categories of Academy Awards.

Personal life:

Scorsese has been married five times. His first wife was Laraine Marie Brennan; they have a daughter, Catherine.

He married the writer Julia Cameron in 1976; they have a daughter, Domenica Cameron-Scorsese.

He was married to actress Isabella Rossellini from 1979 to their divorce in 1983.

 He then married producer Barbara De Fina in 1985; their marriage ended in divorce as well, in 1991.

 He has been married to Helen Morris since 1999; they have a daughter, Francesca.

Awards and Nominations:

Scorsese almost nominated for every award and won many of them. Scorsese received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1997. He has been nominated eight times for Academy Awards but only won for once for ‘The Departed’. Scorsese also nominated for several other awards and won many others, No doubt he is considered one of the best directors of all time.

Filmography:

2011       2008		Hugo Shutter Island
2008		Shine A Light
2006		The Departed
2004		The Aviator
2002		Gangs of New York
1999		Bringing Out the Dead
1997		Kundun
1995		Casino
1993		The Age of Innocence
1991		Cape Fear
1990		Goodfellas
1989		New York Stories
1988		The Last Temptation of Christ
1986		The Color of Money
1985		After Hours
1983		The King of Comedy
1980		Raging Bull
1978		The Last Waltz
1977		New York, New York
1976		Taxi Driver
1974		Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
1973		Mean Streets
1972		Boxcar Bertha
1968		Who's That Knocking at My Door?
1967		The Big Shave
1964		It's Not Just You, Murray!
1963		What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This?

In 2007, Scorsese was listed among Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World.

By: Haroon Anwar