Google honours Fatima Surayya Bajia on 88th birthday

KARACHI: Internet search giant Google changeditslogo to a doodle of famednovelist and playwrightFatima Surayya Bajia, thesister of comedianand authorAnwar Maqsood, on her88th birthday, which falls on September 1.

Alphabet Inc's Google often commemorates notable personalities and occasions with special logos called 'Doodles', which can be accessed here. It haspreviouslypaid tribute to legendary musician Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, pop queen Nazia Hassan, philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi, and Shehenshah-e Ghazl Mehdi Hassan on their birthdays.

Bajia, whowas born in theIndian Hyderabad in September 1930, immigrated to Pakistan alongside her family after the partition of the sub-continent in 1947.

Despite the lack of a proper degree, she extensively studiedArabic, Persian, English, and Urdu literature and history, while, atthe same time, looking after her younger siblings after their father and grandfather passedaway.

Bajia was awarded multiple accolades, including Pakistan's Pride of Performance Award for her services to the country's performing arts. She was awarded the Hilal-i-Imtiaz in 2012 by the President.

She brought up her siblings in a motherly fashion and made sure they received a good education. Almost all of them carved theirown identities successfully in various fields of art and culture.

Her sister Zehra Nigah is a relatively well-known poet, while another sister, Zubaida Tariq,who passed away earlier this year, was a cooking expert. Her brother, Anwar Maqsood, is a legendary satirist.

Bajia passed away on February 10, 2016, at 85.