He was attracted by the sermons of Maulana Mohd Hameeduddin Aqil Husami, who used to pack his talk with a lot of humour. He also tried his hand at singing, wrestling, horse riding and sermonising. Even today, a good number of copies of Khilona and Shama magazines can be found in his house, neatly stacked. Muttaqui recalls how he used the pocket money given by his father to purchase books and magazines from footpaths on Sundays. However, he continued his education and did his Master’s and PhD in Urdu and, after retirement, in Persian language. When he failed to clear the tenth examination, Muttaqui wanted to quit education and join the film industry. When the latter was transferred to another school, Muttaqui was sad and penned a farewell poem in honour of his teacher. Right from fifth standard, he started composing poetry and showed it to his Urdu teacher, Saaduddin Qureshi. The Headmistress of New Progressive School, Azhar Jahan, entrusted him with the job of editing the school magazine, Bazme Shaheen, when he was in class VII. They supported and encouraged his passion for literature. His inborn talents and academic brilliance were not lost on his teachers. His latest book ‘Kahan Gaya Mera Bachpan’ makes an interesting read about his childhood passions and acts of naughtiness. “I still have these passions but now they find release through my writings,” he says.Īt 66, Muttaqui is still busy with his writings. He satiated his desire by acting in school plays. A great fan of Prithivi Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar, he wanted to sing and act in films. Right from childhood, he is drawn to fun and frolic.
He entertains everyone with jokes, couplets and his amazing grasp of Urdu and Persian. In short, Muttaqui is extremely amusing and a darn good company. Committed yet relaxed, sociable yet a loner, passionate and also platonic.