Popular Indian satirist Mujtaba Hussain passed away on May 27 in Hyderabad at the age of 87. A renowned name in the field of Urdu literature, Hussain was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007. He breathed his last at his residence in Red Hills, Sun City, Hyderabad around 9 am. Authoring over 25 books, he was popular for his humour writings for over 50 years. Beginning with Seesha-o-Teesha column in the daily Siasat, he started writing his own humour column in the daily which was published every Sunday. Many of Hussain's books have been translated from Urdu to Hindi, English and other languages over the years. Some of the writer's notable works include Apne Yaad Mein - an autobiographical satire, Behar Hal, Urdu ke Sheher Urdu ke Log, Safar Lakht Lakh and Mera Column among others. Mujtaba Hussain Jaisa Dekha Jaisa Paya, a book on his life was published by Educational Publishing House, New Delhi. Another book titled Mujtaba Hussain Ainon ke Beech, on his writing and creations was also published by the same publishing house. His entire body of work including his books, written words, lectures, talks and recordings have been digitalised and can be accessed on www.mujtabahussain.com. The website was launched by Siasat's editor Zahid Ali Khan in 2015. In protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, Hussain had decided to return the fourth highest civilian honour Padma Shri last year.
