Karachi
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Touching and affectionate tributes were heaped on the late TV celebrity, intellectual, documentary film producer, and journalist Obaidullah Baig who passed away last month at a literary reference for him organized at the Karachi Arts Council Thursday evening.
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Noted journalist and columnist Ghazi Salahuddin recalled his days with Baig as a student and their friendship over the decades involving common intellectual interests. In his eulogy, Ghazi said, ?There was not a place where Baig was not known. It was not the fame of just any celebrity but he was looked upon with respect on account of his qualities of head and heart?, Ghazi said. He heaped praises on Baig?s intellect and scholarship and in that context, lamented the present ?de-intellectualisation? of society, as he put it. Talking highly of Baig?s TV programme, Kasauti, which shot him to him, Ghazi said that while Kasauti was a highly praiseworthy venture, he should have been even better known for his novels but nobody seemed to know anything about them. ?So much for the state of society?s intellectual development?, Ghazi exclaimed in a tone of futility.
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Recalling their childhood and teens, Baig?s cousin, Mazhar Ali Khan, said, ?We were nowhere in sports but were keen hunters and avid readers? and recalled how both savoured the bird meat and venison. Later, he said, Baig turned an avowed protector of wildlife and vowed never to eat the meat of hunted species again.
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?Baig was the epitome of a self-made person?, Mazhar Ali Khan said, and added that his life incontrovertibly proved that if there was a will, fame and success were sure to follow.
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Former Managing Director, Pakistan Television (PTV) paid glowing tributes to the departed and said that among his very many attributes, one that stood out was that he never foisted his opinions or intellect on others, in a tribute to his tolerance and magnanimity. He said that the vacuum created by Baig?s departure would be difficult to fill in.
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Urdu language scholar Prof Sehr Ansari narrated how Baig gave up eating meat and became an avid environmentalist. He spoke very highly of the intellectual attainment of the departed.
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Baig?s daughter Fatima spoke of her father with touching affection and recalled what an affectionate, caring, and considerate father he was. However, overcome with sentiment and emotion, she broke down and couldn?t continue her speech.
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Journalist Babar Ayyaz, also Fatima?s father-in-law, referred to Baig as a ?living Google? as a reference to his vast general knowledge.
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Mehmood Ahmed Khan, Vice-President, Arts Council, informed the gathering that Baig had produced 135 documentaries on environmental conservation and also talked about the Pride of Performance Award conferred on him in 2008.
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M Zaheer Khan narrated how the then Managing Director, PTV Aslam Azhar picked Baig up for the programme, Kasauti. ?I learnt so much from him?, Khan said. Speaking of Baig?s tender heart, he said that even though Baig?s financial condition was never very stable, he?d go out of his way to help those in financial distress.
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Asif Ansari outlined Baig?s professional career and said that he had produced over 300 documentaries on Sindh, its historical landmarks, and wildlife.
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Ahmed Shah, President Arts Council, concluding the proceedings, heaped eulogies on the departed and lamented that people like him, with that intellectual acumen and a zest for selfless pursuit of knowledge and an unflinching determination to change society for the better were so hard to come by.
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Prior to the speeches, a documentary tracing the career of Obaidullah Baig and his meteoric rise to fame was screened, starting with shots of Kasauti. Iqbal Latif compered the programme.
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