Lahore: Noted Urdu fiction writer Abdul
Hamid, popularly known as A Hamid, died in this eastern
Pakistani city on Saturday at the age of 83.
Hamid was suffering from complications like chronic
asthma, pneumonia and lung damage.
Born in 1928 at Amritsar, Hamid received secondary
education in the same city and migrated to Pakistan after
partition in 1947.
He joined Radio Pakistan as an assistant script editor
and then moved to the Voice of America after some years.
His first collection of short stories, "Manzil
Manzil", won acclaim and introduced him as a romantic short
story writer. He penned 200 or so books.
Besides short stories and novels, Hamid wrote columns
for national newspapers.
He wrote a number of scripts for programmes on radio
and TV that won wide acknowledgment.
One of his best-known books is "Urdu Nasr Ki Dastan"
in which he wrote about the prose of Banda Nawaz Gesu Draz,
Mirza Ghalib, Dastango, Ashfaq Ahmad and Mirza Ghalib.
Hamid wrote extensively for children.
His play for PTV, "Ainak Wala Jin", was extremely
popular in the 1990s.
His fantasy series of 100 novels for children, known
as "Ambar Naag Maria", won him more fame.
Hamid’s early short stories were a great contribution
to Urdu literature.
He started his short-story career in 1947.
Romanticism was an integral part of his writings and
he never dissociated himself from the golden memories of
Amritsar.
Hamid once said he was highly inspired by Krishan
Chandar.
Writer Atta-ul-Haq Qasmi said Hamid was among those
writers who inspired him to become a writer.
He said when the Lahore Arts Council held a cultural
evening at Alhamra hall some seven months ago, Hamid was
overjoyed to see his friends around.
He said Hamid had beautifully described the characters
of middle-class Kashmiri families of Amritsar in his writings.
His travelogues, such as "Barma Ka Safar", had a
strong element of romanticism about them, Qasmi said.
Hamid is survived by his widow and a son and a
daughter.
PTI
