Asif Noorani (; born 1942) is a Pakistani newspaper and television journalist and writer.

Personal life

Asif Noorani was born in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

, India in 1942. He belongs to a secular Urdu-speaking family. His family migrated to Pakistan from

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

in 1950. He obtained his Masters in English Literature in 1965 from the

University of Karachi The University of Karachi (; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (which is ...

. Two years earlier, he joined the magazine, ''Eastern Film'' as Assistant Editor and rose to the position of Editor in merely one year.Tales of Two Cities (1947 independence of British India)
The Tribune (Indian newspaper), Published 23 November 2008, Retrieved 4 August 2020Profile of Asif Noorani on Pakistan Link (USA weekly newspaper)
Retrieved 3 August 2020 Noorani was married to Ajmal Noorani an English Language and Literature teacher who has taught for decades and is currently teaching English Final O'level students at Reflections.

Career

Asif Noorani contributes to leading Pakistani, and occasionally Indian publications, articles on art, literature and music. He reviews books and music recordings. He is particularly known for his humorous writings and travelogues. He also appears on television and radio programs. He writes both in English and Urdu. He works with the

Dawn Group of Newspapers Pakistan Herald Limited, commonly known as the Dawn Media Group, is a Pakistani media company based in Karachi, Sindh. It publishes the ''Dawn'' newspaper and operates a TV channel, radio stations and websites. It is a listed member of All Pa ...

as a consultant. He has written a book titled ''Tales of Two Cities'' with the noted Indian journalist

Kuldip Nayar Kuldip Nayar (14 August 1923 – 23 August 2018) was an Indian journalist, syndicated columnist, human rights activist, author and former High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom noted for his long career as a left-wing political com ...

, whose family migrated from

Sialkot Sialkot (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of the Sialkot District and the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 12th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, while Asif Noorani, who was only five at the time of Partition writes about his family's migration from

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

, Pakistan, in 1950 when he was only eight. The ensuing communal riots and the migration of millions of people in the aftermath of

independence of Pakistan The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation th ...

and The partition of india affected him deeply. At the same time, this independence brought with it great hope for both India and Pakistan as well. The communal riots and the resulting events he witnessed as a young child helped change his thinking later as he was growing up. In addition, the writings of progressive writers like

Krishan Chander Krishan Chander (23 November 1914 – 8 March 1977) was an Indian Urdu and Hindi writer of short stories and novels. Some of his works have also been translated into English. He was a prolific writer, penning over 20 novels, 30 collections ...

, Rajendra Singh Bedi,

Khwaja Ahmad Abbas Khwaja Ahmad Abbas (7 June 1914 – 1 June 1987) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, novelist, and journalist in Urdu, Hindi and English. He won four National Film Awards in India. Internationally, his films won the ( Golden Palm Gr ...

and

Ismat Chughtai Ismat Chughtai (21 August 1911 – 24 October 1991) was an Indian Urdu novelist, short story writer, liberal humanist and filmmaker. Beginning in the 1930s, she wrote extensively on themes including female sexuality and femininity, middle-cla ...

made his outlook completely secular. An ardent crusader of the need for close contacts between Pakistanis and Indians, as also warm cultural relationship between their two countries, Asif Noorani has spoken on the subject at various forums in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

and

. These subjects have been a recurring theme in his writings, too. As a music critic, Asif Noorani has a long-held view that music transcends all geographical, cultural barriers worldwide and specifically among people of Pakistan and North India.

Books

* His labour of love, a book on

Mehdi Hassan Mehdi Hassan Khan (; 18 July 1927 – 13 June 2012), known as Mehdi Hassan, was a Pakistani ghazal singer and playback singer of great renown. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential figures in the history of ghazal singing, ...

, with two CDs, one of rare renditions of

ghazals ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

, and the other a medley of folk, film and semi-classical numbers.Mehdi Hassan's biography: Music 'recorded' in history – The Express Tribune (scroll down to read this title)
Published 7 December 2010, Retrieved 4 August 2020 * His second book, on the flamboyant Pakistani cricketer

Shahid Afridi Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi (, ; born 1 March 197is a Pakistani former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. An all-rounder, Afridi was a right-handed leg spinner and a right-handed batsman. Afridi made ...

, is titled 'Boom Boom Shahid Afridi'.Asif Noorani's books on goodreads.com website
Retrieved 5 August 2020 * In 2012, he rewrote and updated his book ''Journey Through Pakistan''.

References

External links

Asif Noorani on IMDb website

1942 births Living people Muhajir people Writers from Mumbai Journalists from Mumbai Pakistani television writers Pakistani humorists Urdu-language humorists University of Karachi alumni Writers from Karachi Pakistani music critics {{pakistan-writer-stub