Obaidullah Baig (1 October 1936 – 22 June 2012) ( ur, عبيدالله بيگ) was a

scholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, ...

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the form of a short essay ...

, media expert and documentary filmmaker from

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

, Sindh, Pakistan.

Personal life

Born in Rampur, India in 1936, Baig migrated to Karachi with his family in the early 1950s following the

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the stat ...

of Pakistan in 1947, and settled in

, Pakistan. Baig had no formal education beyond his intermediate college.

Career

Aslam Azhar,

Pakistani television Television in Pakistan started in 1964 and the first live transmission of Pakistan Television began on 26 November 1964, in Lahore.Iftikhar Arif Iftikhar Hussain Arif ( ur, ; born 21 March 1944), is an Urdu poet, scholar and littérateur from Pakistan. His style is romantic Urdu poetry. He has headed the Pakistan Academy of Letters and the National Language Authority. He has received t ...

in the 1970s and then with

Ghazi Salahuddin Ghazi Salahuddin (born 1939) (Urdu: غازى صلاح الدين), is a Pakistani journalist, writer, literary figure, and the scholar of political science. He is brother of renowned educationist and Pakistan’s first woman to do PhD in nuclear ...

in the 1990s. ''Kasauti'' was simply a TV show of 20 questions where 20 questions were allowed to be asked by Obaidullah Baig and his other TV co-panelists from the show host, Quresh Pur, to solve the quiz of the day and come up with the right answer to identify the object or a person. Quizzes on the show were on the subjects of history, current affairs and literature. A major newspaper of Pakistan calls Baig "Pakistan's Google personified" because it was at a time when the search engine was not yet born. In his 48-year-long career, Baig made over 300 documentary films, studying the flora, fauna, and history of Pakistan as well as of Central Asia. His films on wildlife, ''Lakes of Sindh'', ''Wildlife in Sindh'', ''Game Warden'' and '' Life in Stone'' won major acclaim, as did the TV series ''Sailani Ke Saath,'' which ran on

Pakistani television Television in Pakistan started in 1964 and the first live transmission of Pakistan Television began on 26 November 1964, in Lahore.Radio Pakistan Radio Pakistan serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate Radio Pakistan's founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in Pakistan. The network was established on 14 Augus ...

, as an assistant editor, ''Daily HURRIYAT'' (newspaper), and director copywriting, ASIATIC Advertising.

Awards and recognition

*Obaidullah Baig received

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...

Award in 2009 by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Obaidullah's death a national loss
Dawn (newspaper), Published 29 June 2012, Retrieved 18 May 2019 *Lifetime Achievement Award by

Pakistan Television Corporation Pakistan Television Corporation ( ur, ; reporting name: PTV) is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster. Pakistan entered the television broadcasting age in 1964, with a pilot television station established at Lahore. Background Historical c ...

Death and legacy

Obaidullah Baig died on 22 June 2012 in Karachi at age 75. After Baig's death, paying a tribute to him,

Iftikhar Arif Iftikhar Hussain Arif ( ur, ; born 21 March 1944), is an Urdu poet, scholar and littérateur from Pakistan. His style is romantic Urdu poetry. He has headed the Pakistan Academy of Letters and the National Language Authority. He has received t ...

, a noted poet and scholar himself, said that Baig played a key role in his life. He added that he considered Baig like an elder brother, friend and a source of inspiration. In its tribute after Baig's death, another major Pakistani newspaper called him a man with winning humility, undisputed finesse, precise speech and an amiable smile. Many people in Pakistan used to call him 'a living encyclopedia'.

References

External links