Written by: Haroon Shuaib
Posted on: March 08, 2022 | 
| 中文
Mustansar Hussain Tarar
Mustansar Hussain Tarar has many claims to fame; he is one of the most well-known Pakistani travel writers, novelist, columnist, TV host and a former actor. Mustansar Hussain Tarar, as he writes himself in his book ‘Lahore Awargi’ (Lahore Wanderings), was born on March 1, 1939 in Ghakhar Mandi at his maternal grandparents' house. Coming from a rural background, he spent his formative years in Lahore, later pursuing his higher education in London. While abroad he spent much of his time watching movies, hanging out with friends and reading books. His first book that got published in a book form in 1971 was a travelogue of Europe by the title of ‘Nikley Teri Talaash Main’ (In Search of You). This followed a period during which he travelled in seventeen European countries, and spearheaded a new trend of travelogues in Urdu literature. So far, he has over forty travelogues, more than 50 books including novels, and countless articles.
Reflecting on his experiences as a traveler, he once said, ‘What I learnt from travelling is that good people exist in every religion, and your truth is not the only truth.’
Book stalls at the festival
From the northern most parts of Pakistan to the distant lands across seas, Mustansar Hussain Tarar travelled extensively and wrote about his experiences fervently. His travelogues such as ‘Berfeeli Bulandiyan’ (Snowy Heights), ‘Deosai’, ‘Chitral Dastan’ (Tale of Chitral), ‘Hunza Dastan’ (Tale of Hunza), ‘K2 Ki Kahani’ (K2 Story), ‘Nanga Parbat’, and ‘Safar Shumal Kay’ (Journeys of the North) have played a big role in introducing countless readers to the heavenly beauty of the northern region of Pakistan. In fact, so great is his contribution in boosting tourism in the Northern areas of Pakistan that to appreciate his contribution, a lake is also named after him as ‘the Tarar Lake’.
For those with a strong urge to travel farther and undertake more adventurous expeditions, his accounts of international travels provided an inspiration through books such as ‘Andulus Mayn Ajnabi’ (Stranger in Spain), ‘Moscow ki Sufaid Raatein’ (White Nights of Moscow), Munh Wal Kabbey Shariff Dey (Face towards Kabba), ‘Nepal Nagri’ (Land of Nepal), ‘Putli Peking Ki’ (Monument from Peking), ‘Australia Awargi’ (Australia Wanderings), and ‘America kay Sou Rang’ (Hundred Colours of America).
Mustansar Hussain Tarar somewhere in Europe
In an interview, Tarar said while talking about his passion for travelling, ‘I’m not a writer, a columnist, an actor or an anchor. I’m just a vagabond. I do not travel for the sake of writing a travelogue. Rather, I travel because of my adventurous nature and desire to explore. It was because of my mental or physical need that I travelled to so many countries around the globe. I have travelled through most of Europe, China, Nepal, India and the Middle East. During some perilous expeditions I had close encounters with death, and many a time few people in the expedition could not make it home. I don’t claim to be a brave man, but it’s a fact that I enjoy going to places known to be dangerous. I have trekked in very dangerous places, places with deep ravines such as the Northern Areas of Pakistan where one mistake means sure death’.
Mustansar Hussain Tarar during one of his treks through the North of Pakistan
Besides the travelogues, he also has novels, short-story and essay collections, and books of social satire to his credit. He holds the distinction of being Pakistan's best-selling fiction writer over the last two consecutive decades, while almost all his books have multiple editions. Renowned Indian scholar, Dr. Gopi Chand Narang, once remarked, ‘In fiction, I believe in three Hussains -- Abdullah Hussain, Intizar Hussain and Mustansar Hussain.’ Two of his books are part of the curriculum of the State University of Moscow's Urdu department. His books ‘Rakh’ (Ashes), ‘Pyar Ka Pehla Shehr’ (First City of Love), and ‘Bahao’ (Flow) are regarded as fine example of Urdu literature.
Although Mustansar Hussain Tarar has been an actor too, this fact is less known by today’s generation as he stepped away from acting and writing for television many years ago. Not many know today that he also played lead roles in hundreds of plays and serials. As an actor Mustansar Hussain Tarar started acting in television plays from 1967 onwards, and some of those plays in which he enacted title or significant roles include classics such as ‘Siraj-ud-Duola’, Ashfaq Ahmed’s ‘Aik Mohabbat Sau Afsane’, Anwar Sajjad’s ‘Suraj ko Zara Daikh’, Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi’s ‘Aik Chehra Kai Chehray’, Sadaf Meer’s ‘Aakhir-e- Shab’ and Riaz Batalvi’s series ‘Aik Haqeqat Aik Afsana’, which was the most popular drama series of its time.
Mustansar Hissain Tarar in TV drama 'Akhir-e-Shab' (Later Half of the Night)
He is also the author of many famous drama series for Pakistan Television Corporation or PTV. As a drama writer, some of his most famous dramas from yesteryears are ‘Hazaron Rastey’ (Thousands of Paths), ‘Parinda’ (Bird), ‘Shehpar’ (Wings), ‘Sooraj Ke Sath Sath’ (Staying along the Sun), and ‘Fareb’ (illusion).
A more widely known reason for his being a household name in Pakistan is his long association as a host of Pakistan Television’s (PTV) live morning show ‘Subah Bakhair’ (Good Morning), which started in 1988. He was a trendsetter with his unconventional and pragmatic style of hosting that earned him popularity among viewers of all ages, from young to old. His rapport with children was great, as he would address them directly during his show and called himself ‘Chacha Jee’ (paternal uncle) of all Pakistani children. A daily cartoon was an essential part of his show and a treat for children, who had very few avenues of entertainment at that time. The show also included sketch lessons from the famous artist Mansoor Rahi, calligraphy and origami lessons and songs based on alphabets. Celebrities, writers, singers and people from different walks of life were also invited to the show for discussions and interviews.
Mustansar Hussain Tarar received Sitara-e-Imtiaz from the President of Pakistan for his contribution to the Urdu Literature
Mustansar Hussain Tarar received President’s Pride of Performance Award in 1992 and ‘Sitara-e-Imtiaz’ (Star of Excellence) in 2017, for his valuable contributions to the Urdu literature. Once asked that with so many feathers in his cap, how he would like to be remembered fifty years from now, Mustansar Hussain Tarar replied, ‘All these feathers in my cap will be blown away by the dust of time…. If, however, the impossible happens, and some crackpot discovers me in the future, I would like to remembered as a person who devoted his whole life sweating at his study table, as a travel writer and a novelist’.
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