Johar Chinioty - A Living Legend
by: Dr. Laila Yousef

A child is adjudged in a cradle was said by a psychologists and analyzing this philosophical statement I feel this is very relevant in the case of Mr. Johar. It were the local elders who soon after his birth predicted that this child i.e. Johar Chinioty when grows to a man will acquire high stature in life. As predicted by the elders it came to reality because it was proved by Mr. Johar by the display of his extra ordinary caliber in different fields of life, the literary field being his forte where he made ripples all around him. He as a young Hindu during the partition time migrated to India to escape from Pakistan. In fact it was through a miracle that he during the partition survived through the goodwill and friendship of one of his Muslim poet friend who got him boarded in a train from Lahore (Pakistan) to India. While reaching Indian side of Punjab he encountered equally hostile Hindu fanatics who assuming him a Muslim caught hold of him in readiness to kill him but he shouted and screamed at those Hindus claiming that he is a Hindu. The wounded Hindus who were even dying from the stabs in the Trains from Pakistan shouted at the top of their voices kill him, kill him, he is a Muslim. Someone came to rescue him than only his life was saved. When he migrated from Pakistan he had only his clothes he was wearing ant the rest of the things namely his ancestral house - a palatial mansion - property and everything he left in Pakistan exactly the way Palestinians left in occupied Jerusalem to the Jews and fled to Jordan and elsewhere to save their lives from the butchery of Jews led by Menahem Begin and others. What a human tragedy created by human beings in the name of ones religious affinity? To keep this fact as historical document, he wrote a play on this topic which was enacted at All India Radio, New Delhi. Mr. Johar has also written and published story books and collection of his poems. Befitting his high profile literary and intellectual outlook he got married to an equally high profile literary great lady in 1950. Being a Delhite and having been on one of the top positions he had an opportunity to rub his shoulders with top brass of Indian political stalwarts and bureaucrats based in Delhi. In Delhi, he founded different types of literary organizations, namely Urdu Makaz & Adaabi Sangam for the promotion of Urdu, Hindi and English languages. In fact he had the unique distinction to form an unique type of multilingual literary organization called which encompassed in its fold literary giants of three important languages Hindi, Urdu and English. His close association with Rahi Masoom Raza, brother of Moosa Raza Sahir Ludhianwi, Khushwant Singh, Indar Malhotra, made him rich in the literary & social circles. It was through his efforts that he managed to spread important attributes of three different segments of society for the betterment of human culture. Mr. Chiniotty due to his high degree of literary knowledge commans immediate respect. A man who has widely traveled all around the World to learn the different aspects of different peoples in different angles, attended symposia and delivered lectures and discourses on T.V. in some major countries in the world including U.S.A., Canada and Gulf. Wherever he gave discourses and speeches on different topics he was revered by the audience. In Canada when it was known that he was living at Toronto he was immediately tracked down and was invited for an informal gathering which was attended by high profile literary personalities, writers and journalists who were kept spell-bound during the course of his discourse and recital of poetry.

As a man, Mr. Johar is a very humane personality having seen both the sides of human life. A man having very quick thinking power and very decisive in his dealings, would always love to display his humane attitude towards any fellow human beings. A kind hearted man throughout his life, he is very helpful to any one and normally he does not know to return a person who comes to him knocking down at his door for any assistance. While discussing with him one will come to know not only his great wisdom and philosophy but also his sense of acumen which is another equally important attribute of his life. Having seen the challenges in life he is known to have possessed an attitude not to bow down before the brute might of the mighty. In spite of being a soft-hearted man he never allowed anyone to impose his will on him and neither he forced his views against the wishes of others. His attitude of never to feel dejected always kept him in high spirit even though only once in his life time that he felt totally dejected when he lost his father. His attachment to his father was so strong that to part company with his father was impossible for him but this was realised only through the death. The other moment when he was saddened was when his younger sister got married because being the youngest child in their family he found it unbearable to leave her from their midst but finally he had to bow down to the reality in life. After have experienced vagaries of life he finally reached to a position of acquiring a sense of spiritualism which made him to write poetry of sadness/spiritualism and frustration.

In Kuwait he puts-up along with his wife, his children, grand children who too are enjoying high respect due to their elite educational and professional background. Mr. Chiniotty founded a literary high profile circle under the name Writers Guild which is a multilingual platform of Poets/Writers of twenty different countries of the world. In fact for the running and survival of the Guild his presence is imperative as he is functioning like a live wire of the Guild. It was through his own individual efforts that high profile contacts of literary figures namely of Authors/ Writers/Diplomats/men of letters are members of the Writers Guild. Being a charismatic man he immediately attracts literary figures towards him. His towering literary stature can easily convert a giant into a dwarf. If within such a short period of its existence Writers Guild has become a force to reckon with it was not for any other reason but purely due to the undiminished zeal shown by Mr. Chiniotty to promote the literature. It was he who made this Guild a force to reckon with. No where else in the Gulf or in the Arab World one can come across with such a literary organization filled with literary figures and diplomat writers and poets as it is in Writers Guild of Kuwait. The work of poets, fiction writers, Deans of University - Head of Departments - Professors - Journalists of Arabic language in Kuwait are being translated, reviewed and focussed in other languages, such as Ms. Nooria Al-Roumi, Dr. Alia Shoaib, Dr. Kafia Ramzan, Dr. Laila Saban, Ms. Laila Mohammed Saleh, Suraya Baqsmi, Fatima Ali, Sheikha Soad Saba. It is only the organization of such a magnitude where writers and poets of international repute from different countries speaking different languages and coming from different cultural, traditional, historical background are brought under one roof for the promotion of human affinity and goodwill for the betterment of humanity. Mr. Johar a versatile personality and eminent writer has contributed prosperity to the modern new Ghazal. He has received overwhelming love and acclaim not only in India but in foreign countries as well. He was known for the tremendous breath holding capacity and recital of his poetry at high pitch which brought excessive fame and acceptance. Despite fame, fortune and glory the shadow of ill health has affected somewhat his recitation. As a man with full of knowledge on different topics, Mr. Johar Chinioty shows his grit by commencing on every subject discussed which is enough evidence to show the high literary calibre of this man. For the success of the Writers Guild, the entire credit should go to Mr. Johar Chiniotty who is known to have blessed with long ideals. In fact according to elders in his family, it was predicted soon after his birth by the futurists that this child one day will turn out to be extremely extraordinary. Today Johar a man of extremely high caliber for everyone to witness in him as a Living Legend and in fact Mr. Johar Chinioty, the Chairman and founder of Writers Guild is A LIVING LEGEND.