In the world of Urdu literature, there are very few things upon which critics and readers unanimously agree. One such agreement is that Quratulain Haider is the greatest Urdu novelist ever, far superior and ahead of all her contemporaries, predecessors and successors. She was something unique that happened to Urdu literature. It is unlikely that a writer of her caliber and skill would grace the language again. Let us take a glimpse beyond those great books, into the life and personality of the great woman.  

Quratulain Haider

Quratulain Haider, fondly known by her nickname Ainee, was born to Syed Sajjad Haider Yaldrim and Nazar Sajjad in Aligarh in the year 1927. Her father was a famous writer, one of the pioneers of Urdu short story and a civil servant. Her mother belonged to the first generation of Indian Muslim women who came out of the veil and took active part in the society. She was also a renowned author of her time. Ainee started her life in a very modern, educated and pluralistic environment which had a great impact on the formation of her personality and later reflected in her writings. She started writing at a very early age. Her first book Sitaron Se Aagay (Beyond the Stars) a collection of short stories was published while she was still a teenager. A decade later, she made history with her epic novel Aag ka Darya (River of Fire) which was published from Lahore in 1959. It is not only the greatest novel ever written in Urdu language but also the most controversial. The so called Aag ka Darya controversy is a long story and an interesting account better left for some other time. Aag ka Darya proved to be just a major milestone in her writing career. Her literary growth never ceased. She went on to write one great novel and story after the other till her final years. Her major works include Aakhir-e-Shab ke Humsafar, Gardish-e-Rang-e-Chaman, Kaar-e-Jahan Daraz hai and Chandni Begum.   

58th chapter of Aag Ka Darya - the author expresses a great tragedy in just two words

Ainee had a very interesting personality with some peculiar traits. If she had been reading what I wrote above, she would have got bored immediately and considered me an absolute bore as well. Such was her humility and grace that she never liked people singing her praises. If you were good at gossiping you could hope to make friends with her, but if you were a great admirer, read all her books again and again and could only talk about her writings, you stood no chance. In a rare interview available online (dated 2005), the interviewer who claimed to be a great admirer of hers asked about her parents. Were they writers too? The look on her face is worth watching. It looks like her expressions are mourning the ignorant world she was soon to leave behind. (Their lives were chronicled in great detail by their daughter in her autobiography). One thing she couldn’t stand was a lack of intelligence. She was quite outspoken and was known for her temper. Her typical response to a foolish question or comment on a ridiculous situation was a highly dismayed "Ye sub bewaqufi ki baatein hain" (This is all nonsense). I miss Ainee terribly whenever I hear writers who have made some achievements in Urdu literature and turned into legends mostly because of their old age rather than their writings, boast about their contributions. To me the rule is simple: if Ainee didn’t boast, no writer has the right to boast.      

Although never very vocal about it, Ainee was a feminist through and through. She lived a very independent life on her own terms. Ainee was a working woman all her life. Her jobs varied from being a royal guest of Queen Farah Diba of Iran for writing a commissioned biography to visiting remotest areas of Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) for documentary filmmaking. She left Pakistan and resettled in India on her own, leaving her only brother and his family behind. She also remained unmarried all her life. In her fiction, one finds a very realistic portrayal of strong female characters.

Quratulain Haider was not only a gifted author but also a fine painter. She made the title of her novel Chandni Begum in oil paint and made pictures and calligraphy to illustrate another of her novels Gardish-e-Rung-e-Chaman. Ainee was a great lover of music and even considered making a career out of it when she was young. She always had a soft corner for performing artists who appear repeatedly in her stories.

Oil painted title of Chandni Begum made by the author herself

It was a common perception that Quratulain Haider was not a friendly person. Many people thought she was arrogant and rude. On the contrary, people who were close to her think that she was shy and introvert and didn’t open up easily. One word which could describe her completely could be innocence. Among her friends and family she was a pleasant and affectionate person with a great sense of humor.

Quratulain Haider lived an illustrious life which a writer can only dream of and left an everlasting impression on Urdu. She passed away in 2007 leaving behind a great legacy and a treasure of finest fiction. The undisputed queen of Urdu literature rests in peace in Delhi, India.

Concluding sketch of Gardish-e-Rung-e-Chaman made by the author herself