Rasheed Ahmad Siddiqui was born in 1892 in Mariyahu, Jaunpur in
Uttar Pradesh. He was one of the most distinguished
Urdu writers of the 20th century, known for his unique style of expressing himself in speech as well as in his writings. He was not only a satirist and a humorist, but also a critic, a biographer, a writer of life-sketches and an accomplished essayist. Noted for his mild satire and humour, impressionistic criticism, a lively style of expression and an eye and feeling for the right word, he has few equals in
Urdu literature. He has been called
a visionary with a solution in academic circles. Two short extracts from an article published on 13 October 2002 in
Dawn, Pakistan's leading English-language daily newspaper, reflect the consensus view on Siddiqui in the academic world: ==Aligarh==