CEREMONY: Hamidullah Hamidi, left, donating copies of his books to MA Shahid, the Chairman of Pak Shamaa School Qatar.
By Umer Nangiana
Pursuing interest in literature all his life, he rediscovered his interest in writing at the culmination of his long professional career. The result was two elaborate books of poetry and prose. Now, he has placed the two books at a school’s library for the benefit of generations to come.
Hamidullah Hamidi, a retired Kahramaa employee and a writer, donated his two books Sakoon-e-Dil, a collection of poetry, and Soz-e-Dil, a collection of short stories, to MA Shahid, the Chairman of Pak Shamaa School, for the school’s library. The books were placed in the library in a recent meeting between Hamidi and Shahid.
Soz-e-Dil, his first book of short stories, was published by Book Home Lahore in Pakistan recently. Professor Dr Wahidul Rehman Khan of Urdu University in Lahore has written the preface to the book.
His third book in Urdu on the importance and philosophy of supplication (Duaa) is under the process of composition. Hamidi also plans to compile some of his old comic articles, poems and memories from old personal diaries and publish them.
These books are not the only literary endeavours of Hamidi. He has been a devout and active writer since he was in college.
A regular feature in different newspapers and magazines, Hamidi never lost his love for writing no matter where he moved.
Coming from a village in Pakistan — Kotli Loharan in west Sialkot, Punjab — Hamidi graduated from Islamiya College Sialkot before moving to Karachi University for his MA in English Literature.
During his high school and college days, Hamidi played an active role in many social and political activities.
He was a member of drama society and took part in theatre plays.
He also formed a welfare society with the cooperation of his friends to help poor and flood victims in his village.
Hamidi also started publishing a semi-literary journal named Jaieza from Sialkot. Besides, he was also in-charge of a local library, where he studied a large collection of good books.
He came to Qatar in 1975, following his parents. His father was a senior machinist and supervisor in MED. Hamidi’s first job was with the National Car Company. After working there for one year, he joined Bernard Sunley, the main Contractor of Hamad General Hospital project and finally joined SED (now Kahramaa). He retired in 2010 after serving for about 30 years.
Currently, he lives in Qatar with his family, a son and two daughters, all married. After landing in Qatar, Hamidi continued to write. He used to write letters to the Editor of Gulf Times on different social issues. He won the first prize from Gulf Times in 1990 on writing on the problem of lack of higher education for expatriates’ children in Qatar.
He secured a Certificate of Islamic Studies in 2006 from Ministry of Religious Affairs of Qatar and a diploma in water painting and Arabic calligraphy in 2006 from Arts and Crafts (Fanoon) Society of Qatar.
He is also an honorary member of Sialkot Post newspaper.
Hamidi is interested in reading Islamic and history books, books on the life and character of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Urdu literature, science and psychology. Besides writing stories, he also likes to paint and take photographs. He has a personal library in Pakistan and a collection of Urdu and English books here in his home in Qatar.
Hamidi says he has a dream to build a modern computerised and digitalised library in Pakistan.
