Professor Muhammad Aslam : An Icon Of Excellence; Celebrated Teacher, Renowned Researcher, Prolific Writer and Translator.
Professor Muhammad Aslam : An Icon Of Excellence; Celebrated Teacher, Renowned Researcher, Prolific Writer and Translator.
Dr Basharat Khan
Within the animated corridors of Kashmir University's English department, where brilliance is the guiding force, Professor Muhammad Aslam, emerge as distinguished figures, leaving an indelible mark through their erudition and scholarly contributions. In today's column I will cast the spotlight on the captivating persona of Professor Muhammad Aslam.
Professor Muhammad Aslam, a connoisseur of English literature, possesses a profound affinity for Urdu and Kashmiri literary realms. His eloquent Urdu articles grace the pages of newspapers, delicately weaving narratives around social and literary landscapes. Noteworthy is his ability to compose vibrant English articles, delving into the works of local Urdu writers and poets, reflecting a sincere passion for Urdu; a language too often taken for granted.
Beyond his mastery of languages, Professor Muhammad Aslam embarks on a commendable venture: the translation of Kashmiri stories. This noble endeavor not only elevates the status of these stories through meticulous translation but also champions the cause of preserving cultural narratives. His journey transcends the academic; it is a cultural odyssey.
Professor Muhammad Aslam's illustrious career includes serving as the Head of the English Department at Kashmir University—a role later succeeded by his tenure as the Head and Dean at Central University Kashmir.
In the realm of academia, Professor Mohammad Aslam has left an indelible legacy, marked by distinguished roles and scholarly contributions. Retiring as the Professor and Head of the Department of English, Dean of the School of Languages, and the founding Director of Research and Development at the Central University of Kashmir, Professor Muhammad Aslam stands as a beacon of knowledge spanning several decades.
Educated at Kashmir University, Srinagar, and the University of Leeds, Britain, Professor Muhammad Aslam initiated his teaching journey at the Islamic College of Science and Commerce, Srinagar. Boasting four decades of teaching experience, he has not merely been an educator but also a mentor, trainer, and accomplished textbook writer.
His literary contributions include authoritative works such as "Teaching of English for B Ed, English Phonetics and Phonology: A Practical Course Study" and "English for BE: A Study Guide," both published by Cambridge University Press, New Delhi, among other notable publications. Moreover he has enriched academic journals with insightful articles.
Dr. Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi shares his views about Professor Muhammad Aslam
"I had the honor of being a colleague of Prof. Aslam sahib both at Kashmir University and Central University. I have found him to be exceptionally punctual and disciplined in all matters, whether it be his prayers, walks, duties, or other assignments. His critical acumen and inquisitive nature always make for engaging discussions, especially on issues that require elaboration.
In 2017, he was the Dean of Research and Development at the Central University of Kashmir and chaired the committee for organizing a three-day International Conference on Environmental Conservation and the Role of Religion. As the organizer, I received such encouraging support from him that the conference turned out to be a grand success. Prof. Aslam made the entire process seamless, avoiding the unnecessary hurdles that often accompany such events. His dedication and smooth management were pivotal in the success of the conference, reflecting his exceptional leadership and collaborative spirit.
Prof. Aslam's unwavering commitment to excellence is evident in every task he undertakes. He approaches each responsibility with meticulous attention to detail and a dedication that inspires those around him. His ability to balance multiple demanding roles while maintaining his regular practices is truly commendable. Beyond his professional capabilities, it is his humility and willingness to assist others that make him a cherished colleague and mentor.
His contributions extend beyond his administrative and academic roles; he is also a beacon of ethical and moral guidance, embodying the principles he teaches. His openness to discussion and his ability to foster an inclusive and respectful dialogue create an enriching environment for both students and faculty. Prof. Aslam’s leadership is characterized by a rare blend of wisdom, patience, and vision, making him an invaluable asset to the academic community.
Working alongside Prof. Aslam has been a privilege, and his impact on both institutions and individuals is profound and lasting. His exemplary character and professional ethos serve as a benchmark for all of us in the academic and research fields."
Peerzada Abdal Mehjoor, a renowned broadcast journalist, shares his insight about Professor Muhammad Aslam
"Words are not enough to define the versatility and scholarly dimensions of Professor Aslam Sahab. He expanded, rather augmented, the legacy of grandiosity of the English language and its great literature. He added to the grace and grandeur of the Department of English at Kashmir University, building upon the foundation laid by his senior legendary professors like Dr. M.S. Want and Dr. Jairaman. I really feel proud of his capabilities as a teacher, researcher, prolific writer, and translator."
As a testament to his commitment to linguistic diversity, I present a few short stories in Urdu penned by Dr Reyaz Tawheedi Kashmiri and Dr Nazir Mushtaq, eloquently translated by Professor Mohammad Aslam—a small yet profound representation of his dedication to bridging linguistic and cultural gaps.
(مائکرو فکشن)
خوف کا ڈر
ڈاکٹر ریاض توحیدی کشمیری
گھر سے لیکر باہر تک اس کے سائے کا تعاقب ایک اور سایہ کرتا رہتا ۔کبھی کبھی اسے ایسا محسوس ہوتا کہ جیسے دونوں سائے ایک دوسرے کو بھینچ رہے ہوں اوروہ سوچتارہتا کہ اس کا سایہ توکسی کے سائے سے ٹکرانا بھی پسند نہیں کرتا تو پھرکیوں اس کے سائے کو کالے سایوں کا سامنا کرنا پڑتا ہے۔اب تو دن کی چمکتی روشنی ہی کیا رات کے سکون بھرے لمحات پر بھی خوف کی یلغار ہی طاری رہتی‘جیسے نیند کی دیوی بھی کالے اور سفید دیوؤں کی دہشت سے نیند کانام تک بھول گئی ہو۔
اس کی منتشرسوچ تو یہ گتھی سلجھانے سے قاصر نظر آرہی تھی کہ گرمی کی تپش چاہئے کہیں پر بھی بڑھ جائے یا سردی سے کیوں نہ کہیں پر پانی منجمد ہوجائے تو اسی کا وجود ہی کیوںکالے اور سفید دیوؤں کی نظروں میں مشکوک موسم بن جاتا ہے اور وہ اس کے وجود کو کالا دھواں ہی سمجھنے لگتے ہیں جیسے خود ان دیوؤں کا وجود اوزون کی تہہ ہوجو صرف مضر شاعوں سے ہی محفوظ رکھتی ہو۔اب تو اس کی سانس اورسوچ بھی سینسر سے پرکھی جارہی تھیں۔اگر کبھی درد کے کراہنے سے آہ نکلنے کی بھنک بھی پڑجاتی تو میڈیا اور سوشل سائٹس پر ہاہاکار مچ اٹھتی کہ ماحول کو بگاڑنے کی سازش ہورہی ہے ۔اس گھٹن زدہ ماحول میں وہ سوچتا رہتاکہ یہ خوفناک دیو کیوں اس حقیقت سے منھ موڑ لیتے ہیں کہ دھواں اسی جگہ اٹھتا ہے جہاں پر پہلے آگ جلائی جاتی ہے‘اور جب آگ کے شعلے بھڑک اٹھتے ہیں تو وہ لوہے کو بھی پگھلا کر موم بنا دیتے ہیں۔
اس کا وجود کئی موسموں سے خود اسی آگ کی آنچ سے پگھلتا آرہاتھااوروہ اس آگ کو بجھانے کا احساس بھی رکھتا تھا لیکن وہ ان دیوؤں کی دہشت زدہ سوچ پر حیران تھا کہ ایک تو یہ پہلے خود ایندھن کا انتظام کرجاتے ہیںاور پھر آگ لگنے کے بعد دھویں کی گھٹن سے کھانسنے لگتے ہیں۔وہ سوچتا رہتا کہ یہ کوردماغ دیو کیوں نہیں سمجھتے ہیں کہ آگ تو آگ ہے چاہئے کوئی بھی لگائے‘تباہ تو ہر چیز کو کر جاتی ہے۔
اپنی زخمی شناخت کے کرب کا احساس اسے صرف اپنے وجود کو زندہ رکھنے کا حوصلہ دیتا رہتا ۔اسے یاد آیا کہ زخمی شیر جب شکاری کے گھیرے میں پھنس جاتا ہے تو وہ اپنے وجود کو زندہ رکھنے کے لئے شکاری پر حملہ بھی کردیتا ہے۔کالے اور سفید دیوؤں کی دہشت جاری تھی۔خوف کے سائے مسلسل رقص کررہے تھے۔کالے سایوںکے وحشت ناک رقص کودیکھتے ہی اس کے وجودمیں امید و بیم کی لہروںنے ایک انوکھا احساس جگا دیاکہ خوف جب روز دھمکی دیتا ہے تو خوف کا ڈر ختم ہوجاتا ہے۔.....!!!
Fearing Fear
Dr. Riyaz Tawhidi Kashmiri
From the house to the outside, his shadow was chased by another shadow. Sometimes, he felt as if the two shadows were pulling each other, and he kept thinking that his shadow did not like to collide with any shadow, how come his shadow was confronted with the black shadows? Now not only on the bright daylight but also the quiet moments of the night were overcome by fear as if the goddess of sleep had forgotten sleep under the fear of black and white giants.
His disturbed mind seemed incapable of resolving the entanglement that the heat of the day might soar anywhere, or the water might freeze somewhere because of the cold, then why its very existence became a dubious season in the eyes of black and white giants, and they perceived its existence as black smoke as if the existence of these giants themselves was a layer of ozone that protected only from harmful rays? Now even its breath and thought were being tested by sensors. Even moaning from pain would cause a commotion in the media and social sites that a conspiracy was being hatched to spoil the environment.
In this suffocating environment, he kept wondering why these horrible monsters ignored the fact that the smoke rose where the fire was lit earlier, and when the flames ignite, they melt the iron into the wax.
His existence had been melting from the flames of this fire for many seasons, and he also had the feeling of putting out this fire, but he was amazed at the terrified thinking of these giants that they first manage the fuel themselves and then after the fire started, they start coughing from the suffocation of smoke. He kept thinking why these brainless giants don't understand that fire is fire, whosoever starts it, everything is destroyed.
The anguish of his wounded identity only encouraged him to keep himself alive. He remembered when a wounded lion is trapped by a predator, it attacks the hunter to save its life. The terror of the white giants continued. The shadows of fear were continuously dancing. Seeing the horrifying dance of the black shadows, a unique wave of hope and despair awakened in his life that when fear threatens every day, its danger disappears. ..... !!!
کاش
ڈاکٹر نذیر مشتاق
رات کے دو بجے تک پرائیویٹ کلینک میں مریضوں کے درمیان گھرے رہنے کے بعد وہ گھر میں داخل ہوا۔ بیوی نے مسکراتے ہوئے اس کا استقبال کیا اور جب تک اس نے کپڑے بدلے تب تک بیوی نے ڈائنگ ٹیبل مختلف قسم کے پکوانوں سے سجایا۔
دونوں بیڑ روم میں داخل ہوئے۔ ڈاکٹر جمیل جلد ہی نیند کی دیوی کے ساتھ عشق کرنے لگے اور ان کی بیوی نجمہ کھلی آنکھوں سے خواب دیکھنے لگی۔
صبح چھ بجے ڈاکٹر جمیل جاگے نہا دھو کر کلینک جانے کی تیاری کرنے لگے پرائیویٹ کلینک پر گیارہ بجے تک مریضوں کا علاج کرتے رہے اور پھر بارہ بجے سرکاری اسٹیٹ اسپتال پہنچے۔ اپنے دفتر میں داخل ہوئے ہی چپراسی سے کہا "دروازے پر تالا چڑھاو ۔ کوئی میرے بارے میں پوچھے تو کہنا'صاحب میٹنگ میں ہے۔"۔اندر سے کنڑی چڑھوائی اور فون آف موڑ پر رکھ کے نینڈ کی دیوی سے پیار کرنے لگے۔
دن کے دو بجے اسٹیٹ اسپتال کے قریب ایک حادثے میں ایک نوجوان شدید زخمی ہو گیا ۔ اسے چند افراد اسی اسپتال میں لے آیے ۔ سب ڈاکٹر اندر مختلف وارڑز میں کووڈ مریضوں کے ساتھ مشغول تھے۔ ڈاکٹر جمیل کا فون آف تھا ۔ چپراسی نے ادھر ادھر دیکھ کر قفل کھولا اور ڈاکٹر جمیل سے التجا کی کہ وہ ایمرجنسی مریض کی جان بچائے مگر ڈاکٹر جمیل نے اونچی آواز میں کہا دفع ہوجاؤ۔ میں بہت تھک گیا ہوں۔ مجھے آرام کرنے دو۔کسی اور ڈاکٹر کو ڈھونڈو۔ چار بجے وہ پرائیویٹ کلینک پر پہنچا ا س نے فون آن کیا ۔ فون بج اٹھا۔
اس کا بھائی کہہ رہا تھا:
"بھائی صاحب'وہ پھوٹ پھوٹ کر رونے لگا۔ بھائی صاحب ہمارا سلیم آج دن کے دو بجے اسٹیٹ اسپتال کے پاس ایک حادثہ میں۔۔۔۔۔ کسی ڈاکٹر نے اس کا علاج نہیں کیا ۔ آپ کسی میٹنگ میں مصروف تھے۔ آپکا فون آف تھا کاش آپ اسپتال میں ہوتے۔اب آپ جلدی آیے بھابھی بے ہوش ہو گئی ہے۔ آخر اس کا اکلوتا جوان بیٹا۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔ڈاکٹر جمیل کو ایسا لگا کہ اس کے دماغ کی کوی خون کی نالی پھٹ گیی اور وہ ہمیشہ کے لیے گونگا ہو گیا ۔
'Would that!'
At 2 in the night, he entered his home after being thronged with patients at his private clinic. The wife welcomed him with a smile. While he was changing dress, she set the table with different dishes.
Both went to their bedroom. Dr Jameel immediately sunk into sleep and his wife,
Najma, spent the night in dreaming with her eyes open. He got up at 6 in the morning,had a shower and got ready for the clinic. After seeing the patients at his private clinic up to 11, he reached the Government State Hospital by 12. Immediately after entering his office room, he told his peon,
"Lock the room. If anybody asks about me, tell them that Sir us in a meeting."
He bolted the door from inside, put his phone on switched off mode and sank into a deep sleep.
At 2, an accident took place near the State Hospital in which a young man was badly injured.
A few people brought to this hospital. All the doctors were busy with Covid patients in different wards. Dr Jameel's phone was switched off. The peon looked here and there, opened the lock and begged Dr Jameel to save the life of an emergency patient.
Dr Jameel restored,
"Get lost. Let me sleep. I'm tired. Find out some other doctor."
At 4, he reached his private clinic. He switched on his phone. It rang. His brother was saying,
"Brother [He started crying], Brother, in an accident at 2 today, our Saleem______. No doctor treated him. You were busy in some meeting. Your phone was off. Would that you were there at the hospital. Please come quickly now. Bhabi has fainted. After all, her only youthful son______."
Dr Jameel felt as if a carotid artery of his had ruptured, and that he had become dumb for good!"
In the history of literature, these academic stalwarts like Professor Muhammad Aslam shine like facets in a kaleidoscope, a testament to the enduring power of words and the rich tapestry of human expression.
The author is a writer, columnist, critic and blogger. He can be reached at chogalwriter76@gmail.com/
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