Dr. Afaq Alam Siddiqui is a noted Urdu scholar, critic, writer, and educationist from Karnataka. He is associated with the Urdu department and has made significant contributions to teaching and research. Along with Urdu, he has a working knowledge of Persian and Hindi and has also been associated with journalism and editorial work. Several of his research and critical works have been published, while some others are awaiting publication. He has also conducted significant research on the life and literary contributions of the noted poet and writer Hafiz Karnataki, for which he has received various literary honours. In recognition of his scholarly and literary contributions, he was honoured with the Professor Hasan Askari Award in 2011 and the Allama Iqbal Award by the Karnataka Urdu Children’s Academy, Bengaluru, in 2013.