Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari
Encyclopedia
Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari was a distinguished Urdu
broadcaster
and first director-general of Radio Pakistan.
, British India, Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari, or Z. A. Bukhari as he was popularly known, came to Lahore
after passing his matriculation exam. His elder brother Patras Bokhari
, one of Urdu’s finest humorists, lived there. At Lahore
, the younger Bukhari took admission into Oriental College
and completed his Munshi Fazil, the highest degree at that time in the oriental branch of knowledge.
, Urdu
, Persian
, Arabic
, Pushto and Punjabi
. The mere thought that how anybody could know that many languages was making him smile. And I thought "well, I at least know a little of all of them". I stormed into a typist’s shop, typed an application and mailed it mentioning the names of Mirza Mohammad Saeed Dehlvi and Dr Mohammad Iqbal
as references.”
The ad. was from Shimla
’s Board of Examiners (an institution established in British India to teach vernaculars to the British
officers) and Bukhari was selected for the post. It was back in 1925 and he was 21. He became a Munshi
(or a teacher) and was ultimately promoted as the head of the bureau of translation. Besides his profession, Z.A. Bukhari also took part in other theatrical activities.
One of Bukhari’s British students at Shimla
was later posted as Assistant District Commissioner to the then governor of Punjab
. And when the government decided to run the radio in a professional manner and from London
sent Lionel Fieldon – a maverick war veteran – to set up a full-fledged broadcasting station in 1935, that student of Bukhari’s recommended and introduced him to Fieldon. Bukhari was then appointed at the newly established All India Radio
(AIR) Delhi
station as programme director.
In 1939, Bukhari, as a station director of AIR Delhi, got transferred to Bombay.
After the Independence of Pakistan, he was made Radio Pakistan’s first director-general. Later on he served as Pakistan Television’s general manager.
A hard taskmaster and a man who had been immersed in culture and literature, Bukhari did not tolerate slights in broadcasting and especially emphasized the correct Urdu
pronunciation. Some experts were especially hired by him to check and correct the pronunciation of artistes. During Bukhari’s tenure, the radio station was a place frequented by intellectuals, writers, musicians, poets and scholars. He turned Radio Pakistan into an institution where raw hands got their early training and went ahead in search of greener pastures. A great many of them became celebrities in their respective fields.
from the BBC
during his stay in London
.
Bukhari’s other books include Sarguzasht, an autobiography, Jo Kuchh Main Ne Kaha, a collection of his verses and Raag Darya, a book on music.
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
broadcaster
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
and first director-general of Radio Pakistan.
Early life
Born into a family of peer (saints or spiritual guides) in 1904 in PeshawarPeshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, British India, Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari, or Z. A. Bukhari as he was popularly known, came to Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
after passing his matriculation exam. His elder brother Patras Bokhari
Patras Bokhari
Syed Ahmed Shah HI, was an Urdu humourist, educator, essayist, broadcaster and diplomat from Pakistan...
, one of Urdu’s finest humorists, lived there. At Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, the younger Bukhari took admission into Oriental College
Oriental College, Lahore
Punjab University Oriental College, commonly known as Oriental College, is an old institution of oriental studies in Lahore. It is next in location to Government College, Lahore.It was founded by Adi Brahmo Samaj preacher Pundit Navin Chandra Rai in 1876...
and completed his Munshi Fazil, the highest degree at that time in the oriental branch of knowledge.
Career
Z.A. Bukhari in his autobiography Sarguzasht writes: “As I came out of a tea house in Peshawar, I ran into my friend Qazi. Reading a clipping from Lahore’s newspaper Tribune again and again, he was smiling. On being asked, he told me that an advertiser had invited applications, care of a post box, for someone who knew EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Pushto and Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
. The mere thought that how anybody could know that many languages was making him smile. And I thought "well, I at least know a little of all of them". I stormed into a typist’s shop, typed an application and mailed it mentioning the names of Mirza Mohammad Saeed Dehlvi and Dr Mohammad Iqbal
Muhammad Iqbal
Sir Muhammad Iqbal , commonly referred to as Allama Iqbal , was a poet and philosopher born in Sialkot, then in the Punjab Province of British India, now in Pakistan...
as references.”
The ad. was from Shimla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
’s Board of Examiners (an institution established in British India to teach vernaculars to the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
officers) and Bukhari was selected for the post. It was back in 1925 and he was 21. He became a Munshi
Munshi
Munshi was the Hindi-Urdu name of a contractor, writer or secretary, used in Mughal Empire and later British India of the native language teachers or secretaries employed by Europeans....
(or a teacher) and was ultimately promoted as the head of the bureau of translation. Besides his profession, Z.A. Bukhari also took part in other theatrical activities.
One of Bukhari’s British students at Shimla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
was later posted as Assistant District Commissioner to the then governor of Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
. And when the government decided to run the radio in a professional manner and from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
sent Lionel Fieldon – a maverick war veteran – to set up a full-fledged broadcasting station in 1935, that student of Bukhari’s recommended and introduced him to Fieldon. Bukhari was then appointed at the newly established All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
(AIR) Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
station as programme director.
In 1939, Bukhari, as a station director of AIR Delhi, got transferred to Bombay.
After the Independence of Pakistan, he was made Radio Pakistan’s first director-general. Later on he served as Pakistan Television’s general manager.
Personality
Bukhari was a workaholic. With his indefatigable energies and love for broadcasting he worked at the radio station till late into the night. Nasrullah Khan in his book Kya Qafal Jata Hai has described how Bukhari would sit with singers, guide them, compose new tunes and would even sing with them. At radio he introduced many innovative ideas. He would write many programmes and broadcast them, too.A hard taskmaster and a man who had been immersed in culture and literature, Bukhari did not tolerate slights in broadcasting and especially emphasized the correct Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
pronunciation. Some experts were especially hired by him to check and correct the pronunciation of artistes. During Bukhari’s tenure, the radio station was a place frequented by intellectuals, writers, musicians, poets and scholars. He turned Radio Pakistan into an institution where raw hands got their early training and went ahead in search of greener pastures. A great many of them became celebrities in their respective fields.
Literary Work
Mirza Zafar-ul-Hasan, Bukhari’s friend and colleague at Radio Pakistan and a writer in his own right, published a special issue of Ghalib, a quarterly published by Idara-i-Yadgar-i-Ghalib, on Bukhari posthumously. He also compiled Yad-i-Yar-i-Mehrban, a book on Bukhari. Both the publications contain Bukhari’s satire columns and some transcriptions of his broadcasts, including the rare ones broadcast by him in UrduUrdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
during his stay in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Bukhari’s other books include Sarguzasht, an autobiography, Jo Kuchh Main Ne Kaha, a collection of his verses and Raag Darya, a book on music.
External links
- http://www.dawnnews.net/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/in-paper-magazine/books-and-authors/controlled-democracy
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cJ4fr9BwWQ