AN OBSCURE COMPANION OF JIGAR MURABADABAI: PROFESSOR MUSHTAQUE ALLAHABADI

Abstract

Following the creation of Pakistan, a large number of migrants headed towards Hyderabad (Sindh). This influx included both skilled and unskilled individuals. Among them were skilled professionals who were stationed in this city based on their capabilities and administrative requirements; settling in major cities of the nascent state was not a difficult task for such talented individuals, and for those who did not have a permanent settlement elsewhere, the sheer attraction of a major city like Hyderabad was an added incentive. After relocating to Hyderabad, Mushtaq Allahabadi continued to pursue his literary and poetic passions alongside the fulfillment of his official duties. He was appointed to Hyderabad-92s ancient and historic seat of learning, Government College Hyderabad (now Government College University Hyderabad), where he served in the Urdu Department, rising from the rank of Lecturer to Professor and Head of the Department. Intriguingly, there was another faculty member in the Urdu department who shared his name but was junior to him. To differentiate between the two, fellow colleagues affectionately referred to him as "Barray Mushtaq Sahib" (Mushtaq the Elder) and the junior colleague as "Chhotay Mushtaq Sahib" (Mushtaq the Younger). Barray Mushtaq Sahib was distinctly superior to the junior Mushtaq in age, stature, and scholarly merit. Mushtaq Allahabadi held a prominent identity in the world of poetry and literature, regularly participating in gatherings with contemporary poets and intellectuals. He was among the disciples (Talamizah) of the renowned Urdu poet, Jigar Moradabadi. Whenever Jigar visited Pakistan, he would attend literary and poetic symposiums (mahfil-e-sher-o-sukhan) in Karachi and Hyderabad, holding both public and private meetings with Mushtaq Allahabadi and other scholarly figures. Given his poetic stature, it was imperative that Mushtaq Allahabadi be mentioned in the biographical anthologies (tazkaras) of Hyderabad's poets; however, his name

is conspicuously absent from all such records. This research paper endeavors to fill this literary void