Razaul Jabbar
Encyclopedia
Razaul Jabbar M.Com, LL.B., C.A. (March 10, 1937 in Hyderabad, India - January 31, 2011 in Toronto
, Canada
) wass a prominent Indo-Canadian Urdu scholar, writer and politician. He migrated and setteled in Canada
. He was a prominent writer and columnist for Paaras
(a monthly bilingual Urdu and English family magazine).
, Razaul Jabbar faced many challenges when he became a victim of Infantile Paralysis of both legs and hands at the age of one year, later which continued to partially paralysis of neck and back. Both hands gained some strength in later years but legs remained paralyzed for entire life. His father played an important part in his early home education and recognized his son's learning potential.
Due to lack of rehabilitation facilities during his childhood, he experienced very tough time while studying. Despite wheelchairs were not invented in the region, he attended school and college facing many problems in transport, as he could only move by sitting on the floor and dragging his body with the help of his hands which affected his lower body skin with eczema
and bruises. During winter, dragging on the cold floor resulted in attacks of cold and fever which became responsible for the disability of his ears with continuous discharge. He was taunt, harassed and discouraged many times by people for his disability, but he bravely faced the situation and continued his education with family support. He also started writing from an early age to vent his emotions and feelings; once he submitted three stories with three different pen names from a hospital bed in Mumbai and the editors were surprised at the quality of the submission that they visited the hospital to learn that the author of the three submission was indeed one child on the hospital bed.
Razaul Jabbar studied B.Com and M.Com from Osmania University
, Hyderabad and became Chartered Accountant
. He studied LL.B. from Bombay University and later updated the same at University of Toronto
in Canada
.
He is married to Zarina Rangwala (a Muslim of Bohri
community) in 1967, Zarina is an educated lady holding MA B.Ed. She became fan of his writings and which lead to their marriage. His survivors include his son and his daughter family both living in Toronto, Canada. He also leaves behind 6 grandchildren and a large extended family. He was the eldest son of Abdul Jabbar and Fahimunissa begum (who is also buried next to him at the Pickering Muslim cemetery and died just two years ago). He has a brother living in Toronto, and one sister in India and one sister and brother in Australia. He also has an extended family of first cousins in Canada, India, and Pakistan.
to attended an international conference for disabled at Manitoba
's capital Winnipeg
. He was very impress with the place and decided to settle in Canada
. He saw this country as a gift for individuals with disabilities to reach their potential; nevertheless in his early career he did face systemic and attitudinal barriers with regards to his qualifications. He was mostly underemployed regardless of his ability and education.
He migrated to Canada in 1980 and worked on contract basis, and later from 1986 he served with the position of accounting, auditing, legal matters at the Ontario Ministry of Health, Ontario Ministry of Consumers and Commercial Relations
and with chartered accountant firms. He retired from professional career in 2002 and actively participated in social, cultural and literary activities. In 2006, He unsuccessfully contested for councilor of Ward 26 (Don Valley West
), Toronto
, Canada
.
based Rahbara a weekly Urdu journal. While studying M.Com at Osmania University
in 1960, he was appointed as a editor of Osmania Journal which is published by the same university. His popular books of selected stories in Urdu
are,
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) wass a prominent Indo-Canadian Urdu scholar, writer and politician. He migrated and setteled in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He was a prominent writer and columnist for Paaras
Paaras
Paaras is a bilingual family magazine published each month from Canada for the large Pakistani Canadian community in North America by Meridian Multimedia Network Inc....
(a monthly bilingual Urdu and English family magazine).
Early life and Education
He is son of Abdul Jabbar a highly qualified math teacher at Osmania UniversityOsmania University
Osmania University , , since 1918, is a public university located in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established and named after the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. It is one of the oldest modern universities in India. It is the first Indian University to have Urdu and...
, Razaul Jabbar faced many challenges when he became a victim of Infantile Paralysis of both legs and hands at the age of one year, later which continued to partially paralysis of neck and back. Both hands gained some strength in later years but legs remained paralyzed for entire life. His father played an important part in his early home education and recognized his son's learning potential.
Due to lack of rehabilitation facilities during his childhood, he experienced very tough time while studying. Despite wheelchairs were not invented in the region, he attended school and college facing many problems in transport, as he could only move by sitting on the floor and dragging his body with the help of his hands which affected his lower body skin with eczema
Eczema
Eczema is a form of dermatitis, or inflammation of the epidermis . In England, an estimated 5.7 million or about one in every nine people have been diagnosed with the disease by a clinician at some point in their lives.The term eczema is broadly applied to a range of persistent skin conditions...
and bruises. During winter, dragging on the cold floor resulted in attacks of cold and fever which became responsible for the disability of his ears with continuous discharge. He was taunt, harassed and discouraged many times by people for his disability, but he bravely faced the situation and continued his education with family support. He also started writing from an early age to vent his emotions and feelings; once he submitted three stories with three different pen names from a hospital bed in Mumbai and the editors were surprised at the quality of the submission that they visited the hospital to learn that the author of the three submission was indeed one child on the hospital bed.
Razaul Jabbar studied B.Com and M.Com from Osmania University
Osmania University
Osmania University , , since 1918, is a public university located in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established and named after the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. It is one of the oldest modern universities in India. It is the first Indian University to have Urdu and...
, Hyderabad and became Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...
. He studied LL.B. from Bombay University and later updated the same at University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
He is married to Zarina Rangwala (a Muslim of Bohri
Bohri
Bohri is a locality in Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir. The area contains sub-localities like Colonels Colony, Anand Nagar, Udhey Wala and Patta Bohri....
community) in 1967, Zarina is an educated lady holding MA B.Ed. She became fan of his writings and which lead to their marriage. His survivors include his son and his daughter family both living in Toronto, Canada. He also leaves behind 6 grandchildren and a large extended family. He was the eldest son of Abdul Jabbar and Fahimunissa begum (who is also buried next to him at the Pickering Muslim cemetery and died just two years ago). He has a brother living in Toronto, and one sister in India and one sister and brother in Australia. He also has an extended family of first cousins in Canada, India, and Pakistan.
Migration
In late 1970s Jabbar visited CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to attended an international conference for disabled at Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
's capital Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
. He was very impress with the place and decided to settle in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He saw this country as a gift for individuals with disabilities to reach their potential; nevertheless in his early career he did face systemic and attitudinal barriers with regards to his qualifications. He was mostly underemployed regardless of his ability and education.
Career
Although Jabbar was quite intelligent he struggled through his Charted Accountancy exams due to the disfigurement to his forearm and hands. He was unable to finish the exams in a timely manner to receive the passing grade; although he tutored students his junior to pass the exams. This was due to lack of awareness and accommodation that he needed due to his weak grip. When he did become a Charted Accountant Mumbai, India he worked for a shipping firm called Mazgon Dock (Ship builders) for ten years while at the same time he was a part time professor at the Burhani commerce college. He resided then in Andheri East in Mumbai, India. He continued his writing from India for Urdu magazines. He was also approached by Bollywood for potential film stories and urdu dialogues. However, he left these contacts behind when he migrated to Canada. He used calipers and crutches in his early life for mobility and also drove a hand powered scooter to drive back and forth from his work in Mumbai, India.He migrated to Canada in 1980 and worked on contract basis, and later from 1986 he served with the position of accounting, auditing, legal matters at the Ontario Ministry of Health, Ontario Ministry of Consumers and Commercial Relations
Ministry of Consumer and Business Services (Ontario)
The Former Ministry of Consumer and Business Services in the Canadian province of Ontario was responsible for government relations with citizens and businesses. These included the provision of birth, death and marriage certificates, land registry, government publications, fraud investigations and...
and with chartered accountant firms. He retired from professional career in 2002 and actively participated in social, cultural and literary activities. In 2006, He unsuccessfully contested for councilor of Ward 26 (Don Valley West
Don Valley West
Don Valley West is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1979. Its population in 2001 was 115,539....
), Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Writer and Books
In 1954, he was hospitalized for a major surgery from chest to toe and stayed hospitalized for 14 months, while in that situation he compiled three stories which were published by a MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
based Rahbara a weekly Urdu journal. While studying M.Com at Osmania University
Osmania University
Osmania University , , since 1918, is a public university located in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established and named after the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. It is one of the oldest modern universities in India. It is the first Indian University to have Urdu and...
in 1960, he was appointed as a editor of Osmania Journal which is published by the same university. His popular books of selected stories in Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
are,
- Hadees-e-Deccan
- Nau Heerey (1958)
- Roshni Ki Kiran (1970)
- Nai Dharkan (1975)
- Chand Ki Kashti Ka Akela Musafir (1985)
- Sunkh Uthaney Ka Hosla (1991) and
- Saharon Ke Mausam (2006)