By Mohammed Siddique, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad: It was a sad day for the lovers of Urdu language and culture in Hyderabad as two leading lights of the Urdu movement passed away with in a few hours of each other. Dr Syed Abul Mannan and Manohar Raj Saxena, close friends who were associated with several academic, linguistic and social organizations and strove for the promotion and advancement of the cause of Urdu language died last evening in two separate hospitals.
While 86 year old Saxena was a leading advocate, 96 yeard Abdul Mannan served as a medical doctor for a record 72 years apart from shouldering the responsibility of several socio-educational organizations.
So impeccable were the credentials of Dr. Mannan that he served as personal physician of 7th Nizam of Hyderabad Mir Osman Ali Khan and later his son Prince Azam Jah and he also served in Indian army both before and after independence. He treated wounded soldiers on the north western front of Afghanistan and served at Madras and Ranchi.
Interestingly both Dr. Mannan and Saxena were product of Osmania University and did their respective higher education through Urdu medium. Saxena pursued law graduation with Urdu as medium of education while Dr. Mannan completed MBBS with Urdu as medium of instruction in 1937. Those days Urdu was the only medium of instruction in the Osmania University established by Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan.
Dr. Mannan was so dedicated to medical profession as well as Urdu language that he continued to treat the people as well lead Urdu organization till his last breath. He died of heart attack at Apollo Hospital after he suffered a leg fracture.
In his role of serving Urdu language he was the president of Anjuman Taraqqi-e-Urdu. He was also associated with Muslim Personal Law Board, Muslim Education Society, Anwarul Uloom Education Society, Urdu Arts College, Urdu Adabi Trust and Urdu Hall Trust. Hundreds of people attended his funeral and he was laid to rest in Nampally grave yard.
Manohar Raj Saxena was respectfully seen as a symbol of the unique composite culture of the city. His untiring fight was against linking a language to any religion and always stressed on the secular character of Urdu language. Saxena, served the cause of Urdu till the end. He was a member of Andhra Pradesh Urdu Academy and Urdu Ghar Trust. He died last night after ten days of illness. He suffered from kidney ailment. He was cremated at Puranapul Shamshanghat in the presence of a large number of mourners.