Dr. Waseem Ahmad Siddiqi is a person full of dedication, honesty and courage and a man of
simple living. He does not have any feelings of pride but feelings of self-respect and sobriety
are deeply rooted within him.
Dr. Siddiqi, a multifaceted personality, was born in Lucknow in an educated family. His
grandfather Mr. Mohammad Sami Siddiqi was the principal of Mumtaz Degree College
Lucknow. His father Prof. Wasi Ahmad Siddiqi was the principal at Gandhi Faizan Post
Graduate Degree College, Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh for many years and later he
voluntarily served at Nadwatul Ulema, a highly reputed centre of learning in Lucknow,
throughout his life. His mother’s name is Habiba Khatoon and she is a generous and warm-
hearted lady. Known for her lively, social personality and charitable nature, she endeared
herself to people of all backgrounds and classes.
He was raised lovingly and spent most of his childhood days with his grandfather. Good values
and discipline were part of his upbringing. Describing his childhood, Dr. Siddiqi says, and I
quote: “One of the many splendid things that life has given me so far is the childhood I lived. The days were carefree, the milieu all-round was warm and loving and people were the ‘giving’
kind. I grew up in the precincts of Nadwa College, where my grandfather taught. There was a
mosque nearby where I spent many precious hours. My grandfather was an inspiring scholar
and teacher, ever surrounded by a medley of students of diverse ages. He empathized with
children and I believed I have imbibed this from him. All the courtyards around our house –
whether of neighbors or of the temple nearby, not only offered us the space to play, but
‘they were our own’. The fond memories of a well-relished childhood eventually became the
richest treasure that I have kept with me and wherefrom I willfully retrieve and thus manage
to colour vibrantly days of all kind”.
He began his education at the Nadwa School. He undertook his High School and Intermediate
studies from Amiruddaula Islamia Inter College. At this stage his focus was more centered on
sports than study and he was a member of the college football hockey and cricket teams. He
completed a Bachelor’s degree in science from Agra University, Agra, Uttar Pradesh. Then he
moved to the prestigious Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and received a Master’s degree in
Geology and a Doctoral (Ph D) degree in Hydrological Environmental Studies. AMU was a
turning point in his life. There, he studied seriously and was counted among the brightest
students in the department. He also did another Master’s degree in Environmental
Management at Victoria University Melbourne, Australia.
Dr. Siddiqi started his professional career in 1984 as a Principal Environmental Geoscientist at
Manifold Consultants, New Delhi, India where he conducted hydrogeological surveys for
ground water management in various parts of India. He is currently working as a HSE
specialist at Kuwait Oil Company, Kuwait and has more than thirty years of experience in the
field of Occupational Health, Industrial Hygiene, Exposure Assessment and Environmental
Studies and Management in various capacities in India, Australia and Kuwait. Earlier in his
career, he also worked as lecturer at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. His areas of
expertise are Occupational Health, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Health, Environmental
Monitoring and Environmental Management. He is involved with many occupational health and
environmental monitoring and management projects in KOC, Kuwait and assisted in
developing the standards / procedures in these fields.
It is not as if science and research have taken him away from the rest of the world. Rather,
Dr. Siddiqi is a man of eclectic interests and pursuits. He never misses a chance to be present
at an interesting literary gathering or art exhibition. Apart from being a proven and well
established professional scientist, Dr. Siddiqi has also become a prolific writer in Urdu and
Hindi. During his study at AMU, Dr. Siddiqi received the opportunity to meet eminent and
prolific writers and poets such as Ali Sardar Jafiri, Professor Rasheed Ahmad Siddiqi,
Shaheryaar, Moin Ahsan Jazbi and many other Urdu writers and poets. Influenced by these
talented writers, he started writing short stories and novelettes in those early days.
In the course of his work Dr. Siddiqi extensively toured the interior parts of India, and this
provided him with many opportunities to interact with children from diverse and
impoverished backgrounds. These children became the key protagonists of many of his
stories. Dr. Siddiqi’s short stories are simply told, and yet are imbued, by turn, with irony,
plaintiveness and humour. The most salient feature which characterises them is empathy. Dr.
Siddiqi’s simplicity of expression brings readers closer to his stories. His works emphasise the
importance of love and affection and these elements are very much visible throughout his
writings. His stories have been published in various prestigious magazines in India and abroad
such as in Laaraib, Insha, Shaer, Tahreer-e-Nav, Naii Kitaab and many others. His most read
and noteworthy books are “Dinon ke Pher” “The Liar and Other Stories”. He has also written
an Urdu book about the emphasis on monotheism in the Holy Quran called Radd-e- shirk.
He is blessed with a nice and caring family. His wife Mrs. Zeba Siddiqi is a graduate from
Karamat Girls College, Lucknow and Deakin University, Australia. She is also a proven writer.
Her two short stories “Karamati Baba” and “Lucknow Wale” are very popular in literary
circles. She has worked as a respected teacher in Islamic studies at DPS Kuwait. Dr. Siddiqi’s
elder daughter Ms. Lubna Siddiqi is a law graduate from Melbourne University and now lives
with her husband Dr. Rafiq in Scotland. His son Mr. Faraz Siddiqi is studying medicine at
Australian National University, Australia. His younger daughter Ms. Husna Siddiqi is a 12th
standard student at New English School Kuwait.
Dr. Siddiqi is a warm, welcoming and humble personality and truly embodies the culture of
Lucknow. He reiterates that he has inherited these qualities from his grandfather, father and
uncles. Success has not affected his helpful nature and he is involved in various noble
activities such as promoting education for poor students. He is an active participant in UP NRI
Forum, Kuwait activities and was Vice President of Writers Forum, Kuwait until recently.
It is because of his truthfulness, honesty, social responsibility and multiple capabilities that
he has earned an honorable position in heart of people in society and is invariably loved and
respected by all.
Dr. Waseem Siddiqi can be contacted via Email on waseemsiddiqi@hotmail.com .
Note: The writer is a graduate from JMI, New Delhi and based in Kuwait. He may be contacted
at yeshkay@gmail.com or Mob. +965 99793382
Thanks to Shakeel Ahmed Khan for the article
Recommend News
4 Comments