Umar Bin Mohammad Daudpota (25 March 1896 – 22 November 1958) () was a
Sindhi researcher
Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...
, historian, linguist and scholar of the
Indus Valley
The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans- Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northwest through the disp ...
.
Life
Daudpota was born on 25 March 1896 at
Talti,
Dadu District
Dadu District (), () is a Districts of Pakistan, district of Sindh, Sindh Province, Pakistan. With headquarters in the city of Dadu, Pakistan, Dadu, the district was created in 1931 by merging Kotri and Mahal Kohistan (later Jamshoro) tehsils fro ...
,
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 ...
. His primary education was in his hometown. Eventually, he matriculated from
Sind Madrassa in
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 ...
and then enrolled at
D. J. Science College,
Sindh
Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...
at
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 ...
, where he received his BA and MA degrees. His education continued in England at
Emmanuel College,
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
, where he was awarded a Ph.D. degree.
[
After completion of his doctoral degree, he returned to his homeland and was appointed as Principal of Sind Madrassa. In 1930, he joined ]Ismail Yusuf College
Ismail Yusuf College, is the fourth oldest college of Mumbai, India. ''"I Y college"'', as it is popularly known, is managed by Government of Maharashtra. It is the oldest college in North Mumbai. It was established in 1930 with a large donati ...
, 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 ...
, as professor of Arabic. He was appointed Director of Public Instruction in Karachi in 1939, taking over from Khan Bahadur Ghulam Nabi Kazi, and remained in that post until 1948. He was given the honorary title of Shams-ul-Ulama ("Sun of the Scholars") by the British Government.[
Daudpotra was a member of the Pakistan Public Service Commission from 1950 to 1955. He performed ]Hajj
Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...
in 1955. He served as superior (caretaker) of '' Quarterly Mehran'' in 1957.
Daudpota did his scholarly research in English, Arabic, Persian, and Sindhi. His fields of research included history, poetry, criticism, biography, religion and Sindhi literature. He wrote more than two dozen books and a number of columns and essays.
Death
Daudpota died on 22 November 1958 at Karachi. His last resting place is at the shrine of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai
Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai (; 1689/1690 – 21 December 1752), commonly known by the honorifics ''Lakhino Latif'', ''Latif Ghot'', ''Bhittai'', and ''Bhit Jo Shah'', was a Sindhi Sufi mystic and poet from Pakistan, widely considered to be the ...
at Bhitshah, Sindh.
Daudpota was the father of Air Marshal Azim Daudpota who also was a Governor of Sindh
The governor of Sindh is the appointed head of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The office of the governor as the head of the province is largely a ceremonial position; the executive powers lie with the Chief Secretary of Sindh, Chief Secretary ...
and a former chairman of Pakistan International Airlines
Pakistan International Airlines, commonly known as PIA, is the flag carrier of Pakistan. With its primary hub at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, the airline also operates from its secondary hubs at Allama Iqbal International Airport ...
.
Bibliography
* ''Maro je Malir Ja'' by Khadim Hussain Chandio
* ''A Sindhi Scholar'', by Muhammad Umar Chand
* ''Mangrio''
* ''The Chachnama (Persian Text) - Edited by Umar Bin Muhammad Daudpota
See also
* Allama I. I. Kazi
* Mirza Kalich Baig
* Nabi Bux Khan Baloch
* Muhammad Ibrahim Joyo
Muhammad Ibrahim Joyo (;
13 August 1915 – 9 November 2017) was a Pakistani teacher, writer, scholar and Sindhi nationalism, Sindhi nationalist.
Early life
Joyo was born on 13 August 1915 in the village of Abad near Lakki hills, Laki, Kotri, ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daudpota, Umar Bin Muhammad
1896 births
1958 deaths
Sindhi people
D. J. Sindh Government Science College alumni
Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge
People from British India
Sindhi-language writers
Academics from Karachi
Writers from Karachi
University of Mumbai alumni
Sindh Madressatul Islam University alumni
Scholars from Sindh
Pakistani scholars