Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum

Who was Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum?

Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum was a noted 20th-century poet in three languages: Urdu, Punjabi, and Persian. Tabassum was the pen name by which he was universally known.

He is best known for his many poems written for children, as the creator of the Tot Batot character, and as the translator of many poetical works from Urdu and Persian into Punjabi. Tabassum's style is in the classical tradition, informed by a deep awareness of the pain and suffering that afflicts modern life.

Tabassum was born in Amritsar, Punjab, to parents of Kashmiri ancestry. He earned a Master's degree in Persian from Forman Christian College in Lahore. He remained with Government College Lahore for his entire career, rising to head the Department of Persian Studies.

For fifty years he was a prominent speaker on radio and television. His poems were used as the lyrics of several songs sung by Noor Jehan.

In 1966 he received the Tamgha-e-Nishan-e-Sipaas award of the Government of Iran, and he was awarded the Sitara-i-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan.

Tabassum's son, Nisar Ahmed, was also a stage play writer and wrote many comedies, mainly Punjabi stage plays and television dramas.