Dear and Respected Saeed Mirza Saheb

At the outset, let me apologise for this abrupt e-communication without having formally introduced myself first. 

I picked up a copy of "Ammi : Letter to a Democratic Mother" on December 27, 2010 and started reading it on December 29, 2010. By December 30, 2010 I had read each page of the book (some pages twice). I have been meaning to write to you ever since but, more often than not, professional commitments have impeded literary pursuits. To use the terminology of Faiz, "tujh se bhi dilfareb hain, gham rozgaar ke".

My purpose of writing to you was only to let the author know how profound an impact this book has had on a reader. I am sure this is not a first for you but as an avid reader, who has read books as part of his educational striving, professional endeavours, literary pursuits and generally for fun, I must confess that your book tops the list of all works that I have ever read in pursuance of any of the above. Long years ago, my father (known for his rather progressive views on Islamic Law) had delivered the prestigious Justice Gajendragadkar Memorial Endowment Lecture at the Bombay University. On his return to his hotel on the last day of his 3-day lecture, he found a note addressed to him by Justice Qazi, then a sitting Judge of the Bombay High Court, who had heard my father for the first time. The note in Urdu simply contained a couplet which I want to dedicate to you. It read : 

Bazm e aghyaar sahi, magar itna kya kam hai
hum ne dekha tumhein, aur anjuman aara dekha

In the last eight months, I have gifted eight copies of your book to various friends on various occasions -- the eighth one being last week. I am sure they have / will enrich themselves in various ways as much as I did.

Saeed Mirza saheb, may I venture to point out an error in the book. Before ending, you have recalled your Baba's favourite Urdu couplet and have quoted it as : 

Jaan tum par nisaar karta hoon
main nahin jaanta wafa kya hai

An apt English translation also follows.   

The couplet you have quoted is from Ghalib's famous Ghazal which begins with "Dil e nadaan tujhe hua kya hai, aakhir is dard ki dawa kya hai". I am afraid the second misra of the couplet quoted by you is a little different. The word used by Ghalib is 'dua', not 'wafa'. The original couplet, thus, reads : 

Jaan tum par nisaar karta hoon
main nahin jaanta dua kya hai

It is, perhaps, just an error of memory on your part. It is also quite likely that your father consciously read the word as "wafa" instead of "dua" to make a different point than what Ghalib was trying to make. In either case, I thought it was my literary obligation to bring this to your kind notice. I hope you will not mind this unexpected intrusion. 

It will be a singular pleasure to be of any assistance to you in your literary endeavours.

With my best regards,

Saif Mahmood

PS : I did not know where to write to you and was planning to write to your publishers when my friends, Anant Raina (son of Janab MK Raina) and Kanishka Prasad came to my rescue and got me your email ID. 

--
Dr. Saif Mahmood
Advocate, Supreme Court of India
Managing Partner
Amicus Juris Lawyers
B - 113 / 114, Triveni Apartments
Sheikh Sarai - I, New Delhi - 110 017
India


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