New Delhi: Renowned Bedi scholar and former Head of the Urdu Department at Jamia Millia Islamia, Professor Shamsul Haq Usmani, passed away in Delhi on April 22. Expressing his condolences, Professor Siddiqur Rahman Kidwai, Secretary of the Ghalib Institute, said that Shamsul Haq Usmani was a prominent name in fiction criticism. He wrote insightful critiques on Bedi and Manto. His book Bedi Nama plays a foundational role in understanding Bedi’s craft. His passing has created a significant void in the Urdu literature. May God forgive him and grant patience to his family.
Dr. Idris Ahmad, Director of the Ghalib Institute, said that Professor Usmani possessed a purely academic personality and was rarely concerned with worldly matters. His conversations mostly revolved around intellectual topics. He expected the same passion and curiosity from his students. “I have rarely come across someone who could speak so charmingly and spontaneously,” he added.
Professor Usmani was a frequent participant in the seminars held by the Ghalib Institute, and in 2014, the institute honoured him with the Ghalib Award for Lifetime Literary Contributions. “His demise is an irreparable loss to the world of Urdu literature. On behalf of myself and the institute, I extend condolences to his family and associates and pray for him,” he further said.
