The Mirpuri (and overall Pakistani) community in England has lost a real gem today; the founder editor of Mashriq; the first Urdu and South Asian newspaper in Britain.* Mahmood Hashmi passed away today, at the great age of 94. Mahmood Hashmi was a journalist, educationalist and a well-known Urdu writer. He came from a village near Potha in Azad Kashmir. After partition he wrote a book called Kashmir Udaas Hai which documented the events of partition, it became a literary success. He moved to Britain in 1953 and gained a Postgraduate degree in Education. In 1956 he became the first Black teacher in Birmingham! He also created his Urdu Qaida which was published by Bradford Metropolitan Council in 1986. All of my elders spoke about him and had amazing stories about his life and work. I couldnt help but be inspired by someone who Id never met but my elders had known. It breaks my heart that I didnt push myself to meet him, to interview him and document his story for the current generation of Mirpuris. He spent his last years in Small Heath, Birmingham. What an amazing man. May Allah grant him Jannah. * I believe the British Library has a collection of Mashriq newspapers, and Birmingham Library may also have Mashriq and his short stories in their archives.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 02:08:10 +0000