Identity: A renowned physician, short story writer, novelist, and a versatile literary figure.

Kausar Chandpuri was born on 18 August 1900 in Chandpur, district Bijnor (Uttar Pradesh). His father, Hakim Syed Muzaffar Ali, and grandfather, Hakim Syed Mansoor Ali, were well-known physicians of their time. He belonged to a family with strong scholarly, religious, and medical traditions. His early education began with religious studies, followed by Persian and Urdu.

In 1914, he moved to Bhopal and enrolled in the Asfia Tibbiya College, where he earned the degree of Tabib-e-Kamil in 1918 and began practicing medicine. In 1955, he was appointed Afser-ul-Atibba in the State of Bhopal. In 1965, at the invitation of Hakim Abdul Hameed, he moved to Delhi and served as a Medical Officer at Hamdard Nursing Home. He became highly popular among patients due to his sincerity, honesty, and dedication.

During his student days, he developed an interest in poetry. He studied prosody under Muhammad Zakariya Ma’il and received guidance from Jameel Ahmad Sehswani, Mani Ja’isi, Asar Lakhnavi, Aziz Lakhnavi, Hadi Machhli Shahri, and Seemab Akbarabadi. However, he did not confine himself to poetry and turned toward prose. From 1917 onward, he wrote essays that appeared in renowned journals such as Nigar, Nairang-e-Khayal, Adabi Duniya, and Shahkar.

Later, he moved to fiction writing. His first short story, “Fazā-e-Barshigāl ka Ek Teer,” was published in 1924 in the magazine Al-Kamal (Lahore). His first collection, “Dil Gudāz Afsane” (1926), received wide appreciation and is considered the first short story collection published from Bhopal. Thirteen more collections followed. He remained associated with All India Radio for about 23 years, and more than 75 of his stories were broadcast.

He also excelled in novel writing and contributed 17 novels to Urdu literature. He wrote over 25 books for children, which were very popular. His writings reflect rural life, social issues, human emotions, and reformist themes. His language is lively, simple, and idiomatic. Due to his medical background, some stories include medical insights.

His notable works include Dilgudaz Afsane, Duniya ki Hoor, Mah-o-Anjum, Dilchasp Afsane, Gul-o-Lala, Shabnamche, Ashk-o-Sharar, Shola-e-Sang, Raat ka Suraj, Awazon ki Saleeb, Atibba-e-Ahd-e-Mughlia, Mohabbat aur Saltanat, Shaam-e-Ghazal, Patthar ka Gulab, Murjhayi Kaliyan, Raakh aur Kaliyan, Deeda-e-Bina, and Karwan Hamara. He also wrote in history, biography, humor, criticism, research, and reportage. His works appeared in nearly all major Urdu journals of the subcontinent.

Death: He passed away on 13 October 1988 at the age of 88.