Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi today paid rich tributes to noted writer and journalist Khwaja Ahmad Abbas on his centenary celebrations, saying he was a living embodiment of the ethos of humanism and socialism.
"Abbas, apart from being a prolific writer in English, Hindi and Urdu, was a living embodiment of the values of humanism and socialism," Qureshi said while paying tributes to Abbas on his centenary celebrations at the Aligarh Muslim University.
"As a journalist during the freedom movement and after independence, Abbas had fiercely championed the cause of freedom of expression," Qureshi said.
The Governor said, "Freedom of expression is one of the most treasured rights and we have to remain vigilant to guard it."
As a script writer for Hindi films, Abbas Sahib would also be remembered for some of the most legendary characters he created for the most of the films of his era, he said.
Addressing the inaugural session of the celebrations, noted historian Mushirul Hasan said Abbas was one of the leading lights of anti-colonial movement which prevailed at AMU in 1930s which was consequence of the nationalist Khilafat (non-cooperation) movement which had thrived in Aligarh in the 1920s.
Abbas was actively involved in the progressive writers movement and was one of those committed nationalists who had never accepted the partition of India, he said.
An audio visual presentation titled "the man who saw tomorrow" was also shown as a tribute to Abbas.
The celebrations will be held in different parts of the country, sources from the varsity said.
Born in Panipat, Haryana in 1914, Abbas was a renowned film director, novelist, screenwriter, and a journalist in the Urdu, Hindi and English languages. He died in 1987 at the age of 72.
