`Sir Syed of Gujrat` is a biography of Nawab Sir Fazal Ali Khan by Dr. Azhar Mahmood Chaudhry. It has been published by Such Gujrat. The biographer is a practising doctor who has a deepinterestin culturalandintellectual life. The bio highlights the life, services and achievements of Sir Fazal who is considered a pioneer in the field of modern education in the District Gujrat. Hence he is called Sir Syed of Gujrat.

Sir Syed as we know was politically a reactionary intellectual who unconditionally supported British colonialism in India. He in fact declared the occupation of India a godsend for Indian Muslims. But he was socially and culturally quite progressive. His strong emphasis on modern education for Muslims ushered in a new era of enlightenment in North India.

Fazal Ali, lil(e so many other young men of affluent Punjabi families, got his education from Aligarh Muslim University which became for him a source of lifelong inspiration. Giving the background of Nawab`s efforts for education in his home district Dr.Azhar writes: `Zamindar Educational Association was established in Gujrat which is situated midway between Lahore and Rawalpindi. Due to tremendous efforts of this organisation Zamidar High School Gujrat came into being which was later upgraded as Zamindar College. This happened at a time when there was no college level educational body in the area between Lahore and Rawalpindi, and adjoining districts. All this was due to Aligarh University`s influence that inspired a young man of a landed family who got his education from Aligarh University in 1890 to set up an educational institute in his hometown. The person who triggered an unprecedented educational and intellectual transformation was none other than Nawab Sir Fazal Ali.

The book is divided into seven segments dealing with all aspects of his personality; his personal life, his services in the social and educational fields, his interaction with his influential contemporaries etc. High literacy rate in district Gujrat and the areas around it owes a debt of gratitude to Sir Fazal Ali Khan. This researched boolg a tome, reads like a little compendium of socio-cultural life of Gujrat. We need more such books onour unsung heroes and heroines who have made a difference to our collective life.

`Rabb Rakha Chips Ji` is Waseem Gardezi`s translation of James Hamilton`s novella ` Goodbye, Mr.

Chips` into Punjabi published by Baba Farid Bool< Foundation, Lahore.

Gardezi tells his readers that he came across this novella when he was a student in the 1980s leaving a lasting impression on him. James Hamilton (1900-1954) was an English novelist and screenwriter. He is known for his novels namely Lost Horizon, Goodbye, Mr. Chips and Random Harvest. He also co-wrote screenplays for films Camille and Mrs Miniver. The latter earned him an Academy Award. The novella is the story of Chipping, a school teacher at an English public school, called Mr.

Chips by his students. He is conventional and follows his established routines. This middle aged bachelor falls in love with a young woman Kathrine whom he comes across while vacationing at moutanins. This charming lady inspires his students and shows him that teaching is much more than the time spent in the classroom and school.

Gardezi shares the kind of worries he had when he decided to translatethe novella; `First I thought I should translate it in the chaste idiom of Punjabi language which could be a source of linguistic richness. But then I gave up the idea thinking that the younger generation that needs to be connected with Punjabi may find the idiom cumbersome resulting in their not being attracted to the translation.

So I made an effort to translate it in everyday language that`s spoken and heard by young people but should not look like a borrowed language. But at the same time certain words and phrases have been used which are not in the active memory of some people who are slipping away from their mother language.` Anyway the Punjabi text shows Gardezi`s translation competence. It has a flow that makes it an enjoyable read. It should be in your library.

`Velay da Parchhavan` is Manzar Hussain Akhtar`s collection of verses published by Sang-e-Meel Publications, Lahore. He is the son of an illustrious father Akhtar Hussan Jafri, a critically acclaimed poet of Urdu language known for his robust creative expression. He currently works as a member of the judiciary. Fifty seven poems are included in this collection. `Model of free verse (azad nazm) has beenimported from the West. But whatever form of expression is adopted, the real point is that substance should spring from the poet`s soil, his people and culture. Words are free of caste and tribe... What enhances or reduces the power of the words is what they express. An idea carries in its wake words and form appropriate for its expression, he writes his preface.

Two strands standout in his poetry; existential anguish and social consciousness. The former originates from the individual`s angst for not being able to be fully oneself and being much less than what one could be. The reason, he indirectly hints, is existing social conditions and the constraints ensuing from them. The latter deals somewhat directly with the social conditions that nip individual growth to perpetuate conformity.

`The pangs of a long night birthed the day / The birds started twittering in the language of illumination / The sun came out of the sky`s fold / People lilce tears on the cheeks started rolling on the roads / Those who are beholden to their dear ones are out to earn their daily bread,` reads on of his poems.

His is poetry that leaves a subtle imprint on your mind and imagination. soofiol@hotmail.com