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Bhopal:
Senior journalist and writer of Bhopal Nasir Kamaal, who passed
away in Mumbai on Wednesday afternoon following a massive cardiac
arrest, was laid to rest at Bada Bagh here on Thursday afternoon.
Kamaal had recently joined Times of
India, (TOI), as Assistant Editor at Bhopal and was in Mumbai for
the preparation of TOI’s Bhopal edition to be launched shortly.
He was 55 and is survived by his
wife and two sons. His mortal remains were brought to Bhopal by
air by his colleagues Arjun Singh Chouhan and Ashish Tiwari. His
Namaz-e-Janaza was led by his elder son Hafiz Azmat Kamaal.
The funeral was largely attended.
Apart from relatives and friends many from the scribes fraternity
along with top officials from the Madhya Pradesh Directorate of
Public Relation, (DPR), attended the funeral to bid a tearful
farewell to the departed soul. Many of his journalist colleagues
from Mumbai, Ahmadabad and Indore rushed to Bhopal to attend the
funeral.
Madhya Pradesh Public Relation
Minister Laxmikant Sharma and DPR Commissioner Rakesh Shrivastava
paid floral tributes to late Kamaal by placing wreath over his
mortal remains after the Namaz-e-Janaza was held.
Kamaal was fondly addressed as "Mamu"
by friends and colleagues alike. A postgraduate in Urdu literature
from prestigious JNU, New Delhi along with Diploma in Journalism,
MKamaal was known for his jovial nature, easy going manners and
old-worldly charms. He started his journalistic career nearly
three decades back in 1983 and worked in several newspapers
published from Bhopal such as MP Chronicle (now Central
Chronicle), National Mail, Free Press Journal and The Hindustan
Times. In the nineties he was also associated with Meantime
magazine published from Bangalore as Coordinator. This scribe had
the opportunity to work with Kamaal for many years slogging
together at unearthly hours in night shift for more than a decade
and as such had close relations with him.
Writer Nasir Kamaal’s
beautifully-phrased weekly columns, “Bhopal Then and Now”, and
later “Time Machine” which ran for more than a decade were a rich
resource of wacky literary nuggets about the city’s glorious days
as the heartland of the great Indian ghazal. It gave a graphic and
gripping account of the culture and life of Bhopal in the olden
times ruled by Nawabs and Begums.
Meanwhile Madhya Pradesh Chief
Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has expressed profound grief over
the sudden demise of renowned journalist Nasir Kamaal.
In his condolence message, the Chief
Minister said that late Nasir Kamaal enriched English journalism
in Madhya Pradesh through his deep commitment. An exceptionally
gifted journalist and writer, he sketched the social history of
Bhopal city with higher degree of sensibility. His famous columns
'Bhopal Then and Now' and 'Time Machine' will be remembered long.
Chouhan said that late Kamaal lived
like a monk in his writings and commentaries on various issues
keeping intact the sacredness of journalistic values. His
journalistic career will remain a source of inspiration for the
new generation.
The Chief Minister prayed Almighty
to grant peace to the departed soul and give strength to the
grief-stricken family to bear the irreparable loss.
Along with Madhya Pradesh Public
Relation Minister Laxmikant Sharma, Minority Welfare Minister,
Ajay Vishnoi and Women and Child Development Minister, Ms Ranjana
Baghel also expressed grief over Kamaal's demise.
(pervezbari@eth.net)
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