His Story

Who is Dr. Anis Khurshid?

Born in a small town called Kamptee near Nagpur, India. His vision was to elevate the standard of education and promote excellence in his profession of Library Science and Information

Dr. Anis Khurshid was born on September 2, 1924, in Kamptee, District Nagpur, India

He attended local schools and finished high school at Rabbani High School in 1943. His father Mohammad Khurshid Haque and grandfather Munshi Mohammad Saeed were “Sarpanj,” similar to a judge of the community. Munshi Saeed was a poet, and his collection was printed. Dr. Khurshid’s maternal uncle Hameed Jamal master was also a poet and Urdu literature teacher at Rabbani High School, Kamptee. Dr. Khurshid spent a lot of time with his uncle, who was a role model for him.

After finishing high school, Dr. Khurshid received a job in the postmaster general office of Nagpur. He was also admitted to Nagpur University for his bachelor’s degree. Family environment and inspiration made Dr. Khurshid interested in writing. His first short story “Babujee” was published in an Urdu magazine named “Kamyab” in 1944. The story’s popularity made him write regularly. He wrote many stories that were published in the top, well-known Urdu magazines of India at the time, such as Manzil, Ayena, Al Farooq, Nizam, etc. of Delhi and Bombay. Later, he and his friends migrated to Pakistan. He continued working in the postmaster general office and published his stories in Indian magazines. He started seeing old friends for coffee like Nawab Siddiq Ali Khan, Dr. Habibur Rahman, Riaz Roofi, Ayub Siddiqui, Shaukat Rizvi, etc.

Later these coffee meetings became more popular and more reputable people joined, such as Molvi Abdul Haque, Dr. Jameel Jalibi, Dr. Abdul Lais Siddiqui, Dr. Abdul Khair Kashfi, Ikramul Haque, Dr. Farman Fatehpuri, Jameel Akhtar, Dr. Zakeria Sajid, etc. (it is difficult to mention all names). He also joined Islamia College to complete his BA degree. He attended the first Certificate course of Librarianship, passed with distinction, secured the second position, and received a job as a Classifier in the university library in 1954.

He later attended the first Diploma course in library science and secured the first position. He was then awarded a Fulbright scholarship to do his Master of Library Science from Rutgers University in the USA. He met with well-known personalities such as Ralph Shaw, Lowell Martin, Margret Monroe, and Mary Gaver. After completing his degree, he was offered to stay in the USA but decided to return to Pakistan and do constructive things for his country. Upon returning from the USA, he joined the Department of Library Science, Karachi University, and became the chairman. He soon started the first Master’s program in Pakistan and later the doctoral program in Library Science. He developed the program with high standards like in the UK and USA and required the submission of a thesis as a part of the degree. Furthermore, he introduced the world to how Pakistani (and Muslim) names should be catalogued. His name also appears in the 17th Dewey decimal classification.

When he became the Secretary-General of Pakistan Library Association, he pleaded, as in the foreign countries, a case to the ministry of education and brought the status of University Librarian as a Professor, Deputy Librarian as Associate Professor, Assistant Librarian as Assistant Professor, etc. He dedicated himself to his profession and did so many things that it is difficult to acknowledge every single one.

In 1965, he received a scholarship to pursue his Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During his studies, he took a course in international librarianship from the State University of New York at Albany and attended the American Library Association conferences and Special Libraries Association conferences. His supervisor for his doctorate was the world-known person Prof. Emeritus Dr. Nasser Sharify. Anis Khurshid’s research was in Standards of Library Education in South Asia. He finished his Ph.D. in 1969. Soon afterward, he became sick and was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, lost his body control, and was bedridden for a year. However, he never gave up on improving from his disease and slowly started getting better and began walking with the help of a walker. Dr. Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi, vice-chancellor, Karachi University, took personal interest and was very helpful and moved his office from the 5th floor to the downstairs. He continued his therapy and lived 40 years with this disease, though never fully recovering. Many of his accomplishments were during the time of his disease. Throughout his time, he published more than 30 books and over 100 articles, which were published in national and international generals. His last book was “CP Ke Moti,” published after his death.

Interviews

Two Pakistani scholars study library here Gary post tribune (USA)
(July 12, 1959). P.A 12

Wasim Akbar Syed. “Awami kutub khanun kay bagyr ‘awami taraqqi ka tasawwar naheyn keya ja sakta” (Urdu). Akhbar-e-khawteen 4 (October 11-17, 1969). Pp. 22-38

Tafazzul, Anis. “Karachi mayn 363 kutub khanay (Urdu). Akhar-e-khawateen 8 (August 25-31, 1979) P.8-9

Hasan, M.Z. “Minorities are safe in Pakistan”
The Hitavada (Nagpur, India)
(January 17, 1980).p.5

Chughtai, Tausif. “Pakistan men Khanum kay masa’el” (Urdu). Nawai waqt (magazine)
(April 25, 1985). P.113.

Islam, Karachi, Aug June 3, about -41/2 columns large size interview Ek Darashan Sitara. and an essay by Safdar Ahmed Khan in Sept. 2006

His Mission

He was well-versed in literacy and known for writing fiction and short stories. His stories were published in different magazines of India such as Kamyab, Manzil, Ayena, Alfarooq, Nizam, and Saaqee. He was a nationalist and wanted to do constructive things for his country. After finishing his Master’s degree from Rutgers University on a Fulbright Scholarship, he could have remained in the United States.

Despite many offers to stay in the USA, he went back to Karachi University where he joined as the chairman of the Department of Library Science. He constructed the masters program and later doctoral program there. Computers were new to the world, and he wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. He introduced the computer into the library field, showing how technology could be used to enhance library services. Because of his hard work and dedication to the field, he was known as the “Father of Modern Library Science.” He established a pilot public library in Pakistan through UNESCO.