Well-known humorist Mushtaq Ahmed Yusufi entertained the audience with his lecture "Dialogue on Humour", held at Aga Khan University on 4 June 2003.
This talk was part of the University's Special Lecture Series (SLS), featuring talks by prominent personalities with the aim of providing students with a broad-based education to enrich their understanding and appreciation of the humanities and social sciences. Faculty, staff and the general public also benefit from this interaction with distinguished personalities.
The lecture in Urdu, was attended by more than 700 people. Listeners were held enthralled by the wit and natural charm of Yusufi's oration and the immortal punch lines delivered in form of conversations with colleagues as well as well-known characters from his book, such as Mirza Abdul Wudood and Qazi Abdul Qudsi.
Few writers have dared venture into the genre of Urdu humour and fewer still have been successful at it. None, apart from Mushtaq Ahmed Yusufi, have managed to successfully combine banking career with literary vocation. He joined Muslim Commercial Bank in 1950 and then subsequently worked for Allied Bank, United Bank, BCCI and was the chairman of Pakistan Banking Council. He has written four books, namely, Chiragh talay (1961), Khakam ba dahan (1969), Zarguzasht (1976) and Aab-i-gum (1990). The first two books won the Adamjee Prize, while the last one got the Hijra Award as well as Pakistan Academy of Letters Award for best book. Yusifi is also the recipient of Sitara-i-Imtaiz and Hilal-i-Imtaiz.
The satiric art of humour, in the hands of an artist par excellence like Yusufi, is more than a mere tool for eliciting laughter. While his words can evoke laughter, they can also cause deep introspection. Mushtaq Ahmed's apt quotation of Arthur O'Shaugnessy's soulful verse well explains the role of an artist in society:
"We are the music makers,
And we are the makers of dreams.
We are the movers and shakers
Of the world for ever it seems."
Mushtaq Ahmed Yusufi is presented with a souvenir after his lecture held in AKU.
Earlier, Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, President AKU, while introducing Mushtaq Ahmed Yusufi, thanked him for sharing his rare gift with his listeners and readers, enabling them to hold on to their sanity. For laughter is the least expensive and most effective medicine.
