Urdu Academy launches Ali Hasan Cementaur’s new Travelogue
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
The Urdu Academy of North America has launched the latest Travelogue (Ulat Dunya Ki Sair) of prominent Diaspora Urdu writer Ali Hasan Cemendtaur. The event, held on January 15, 2017 at the Chandni Restaurant, Newark CA, was presided over by Dr. Khawaja Ashraf who also happens to be a Diaspora Urdu novelist and travelogue writer. 
Arshad Rashid, a senior poet member of the Urdu Academy, was MC of the event. He also spoke about the work of novelist, short story and travelogue writer Cementaur.
Dr. Khawaja Ashraf and Riaz Haq, a columnist, presented a comprehensive review of Cementaur’s work who has been writing regularly since 1993.
Arshad Rashid and Kausar Saiyed amused the audience by reading from Ulat Dunya Ki Sair.
Riaz Haq was of the opinion that we are used to reading world travel accounts written by western travelers but Cemendtaur's travelogues are rare exceptions as they get the reader to see the world through the eyes of a Pakistani traveler. He said Ulat Dunya Ki Sair is filled with entertaining anecdotes and insightful observations about many exotic places and interesting cultures.
Karachi-born Ali Hasan Cemendtaur is also a columnist. He has written for the Daily Jang, the Daily Dawn, the News, the weekly Pakistan & Gulf Economist, the quarterly Wildlife & Environment, the weekly Pakistan Link, the weekly Pakistan Times, and the weekly US Urdu News.
By profession Cementaur is an engineer. He earned Mechanical Engineering degree from a distinguished NED University of Engineering & Technology of Karachi. There is an NED alumni association in the SF Bay Area.
Cementaur’s published work includes “Rasta jo manzil hai” (The Journey that is the destination), Urdu novel, 1997;
“Khayal Bari” (A Shower of Thoughts), Urdu essays, 1998;
“Khushk-o-tar Mulk-wa-Loag” (Barren and Fertile, People and Places), Urdu travelogue, 1998;
“Thoughts and Travels“, a collection of articles and travelogues in English, 1998;
“Aag Hawa Mattee Paanee” (Fire, Air, Earth, Water), Urdu travelogue, 2001;
“Rio 47 Din Late” (Rio, 47 Days Late), Urdu travelogue, 2001;
The Green Ibn Battuta, an English travelogue, 2015;
and Ulat Dunya Kee Sair, Urdu travelogue 2017.
Cemendtaur's "The Green Ibn Battuta" was formally launched by Milpitas-based Pakistan American Cultural Center, in December 2015. The title is a tribute to Muhammad Ibn Battuta or Ibn Battuta, the 14th century Moroccan traveler and scholar, who is widely recognized as one of the greatest travelers of all time. Cemendtaur's Green Ibn Battuta covers his travels starting in 1990s. To borrow, Riaz Haq, Cemendtaur's access to modern transportation enabled him to see a lot more of the world in a relatively short time than Ibn Battuta did would make the 14th century traveler.
At the end Cemendtaur thrilled the audience with his presentation of Apni Gheebat (Self Backbiting) in a very hilarious style. He also presented comical and mirthful self-portrait as a poet with Marhoom as poetic name.
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