KAMAL AHMAD RIZVI
Rizvi, known for his wicked wit and biting humour that spares none, has penned dozens of translations and adaptations of stage and television plays as well as original writing. In the 1950s besides doing translations and original work for Urdu newspapers like the now defunct Ehsas and Imroze, he also wrote extensively for Sibte Hassan's Lail-o-Nehar, the famous socio-political and literary weekly. In the early days, penniless and armed with little but his intellect and pen, he started out doing work for children, editing children's magazines like the monthly Tehzeeb and Phulwari, as well as Ferozensons taleem-o-Tarbiat (still published). One of the theatre pioneers of Pakistan, an exacting actor-director and writer, Rizvi has also acted in and directed several of his own productions.
KHAWAJA MUEENUDDIN
The little theatre that took place in the areas that became Pakistan was by touring companies that travelled all over from their bases in bombay and calcutta. Khawaja mueenuddin realising that there was a void started to write plays and also stage them for the large section of the population in karachi. His plays were mostly satires revolving round the theme of migration of population and the wide gap that existed between reality and the self professed slogans of the leaders of the community. His Taleeme Balighan, Mirza Ghalib Bunder Road Per and Lal Qile se Laloo Kheet tak were staged in public auditorium and were applauded by the cross section of the population besause the satire was biting but never black enough to border on the tragic. He set up the first repertory company and most of the like Qazi Wajid, Subhani Ba Younis and Muhammed Yousaf who made a contribution in redio, stage and television started their career from his repertory. He showed others that it was possible to do theatre in an environment that was not congenial for such activity. It was later that theatre picked up in Lahore and the inspiration came from none other than Khawaja Mueenuddin.
KHAWAJA NAZIMUDDIN
A leading member of Dhaka's commercial elite, Khawaja Nazimuddin was the chief Minister of East Bengal before partition. With the passing away of Jinnah in 1948, Nazimuddin succeeded to the office of the Governer General but not to the authority that Quaid-e-Azam had wielded. With a reputation for weakness and ineffective and often bumbling administrator. As Governal Genaral, he set a precedent of neutrality and non-interference, allowing Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan "to lead the country along the path marked out by Jinnah". On Liaquat Ali khan's assassination in 1951, Nazimuddin was asked to assume the responsibilities of premiership. Meanwhile, the post of Governor General was filled by Jinnah's "financial wizard" ghulam Mohammed In 1952, prime Minister Nazimuddin discredited himself before his bengali constituency by declearing the government's intention to make Urdu the lingua franca. The bloody Ahmediya riots of 1953, provided to overthrow nazimuddin and his cabinet. The swiftness and sececy of the
governor general's move showed that he had long since been contemplating it. In overthrowing Nazimuddin, Ghulam Mohammed became the first strongman to hack out an authoritarian path that was to be followed by future leaders of pakistan.
KHURSHID ANWAR
Khurshid Anver started his career as a music composer from the All India Radio but was soon absorbed by an ever growing film industry of Bombay. He composed music from the forties onwards in many films for such popular singres as K.L Sehgal. After independence he came into his own and composed some of the most outstanding tunes for a number of filme, some of which were also produced by him. His compositions for Nur Jehan in particular, both for Urdu and Punjabi films, have now become part of the classical repertoire of film music. His compositions were also based on the foundations of our classical music and though deceptively simple were extremely difficult to sing. He was also influenced by the folk music of Haryana were the spent the formative tears of his life. He tried to produce films which were relevant to the situation here, thus giving the much needed depth to the films. He devoted a great deal of his creative energy in getting classical music sung by the most prominent exponents with the view to classifying them according to thaats, raags and gharaanas. Its final shape known as Ahange khusravi is his lasting tribute to the very great tradition of classical music of the sub continent.
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