Ali Sardar Jafri (29 November 1913 – 1 August 2000) was an Indian writer of

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Balrampur Balrampur is a city and a municipal board in Balrampur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is situated on the bank of river Rapti and is the district headquarters of Balrampur district. Demographics As of 2011 Indian Census, Ba ...

, Uttar Pradesh, where he spent his formative years. His early influences were

Mir Anees Mir Babar Ali Anees ( ur, مير ببر على انيس) (1800–1874), also known as Mir Anees was an Indian Urdu poet. He used his pen-name (takhallus) of Anees (Urdu: , ''Anees'' means "close friend, companion") in poetry. Anees used Persian, ...

and

Josh Malihabadi Josh Malihabadi (born Shabbir Hasan Khan; 5 December 1898 – 22 February 1982) popularly known as Shayar-e-Inqalab (poet of revolution) was a Pakistani poet and is regarded as one of the finest Urdu poets of the era of British India. Kno ...

. In 1933, he was admitted to

Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU) is a Public University, public Central University (India), central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Orie ...

(AMU) where he soon got exposed to Communist ideology and in 1936 he was expelled from the University for 'political reasons'. However, he graduated in 1938 from

Zakir Husain College Zakir Husain Delhi College (formerly known as Zakir Husain College, Anglo Arabic College, and Delhi College), founded in 1696, is the oldest existing educational institution in India, and is a constituent college of the University of Delhi, ac ...

( Delhi College),

Delhi University Delhi University (DU), formally the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate Central university (India), central university located in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly and ...

, but his subsequent postgraduate studies at

Lucknow University The University of Lucknow (informally known as Lucknow University, and LU) is a public state university based in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Founded in 1920, the University of Lucknow is one of the oldest government owned institutions of higher edu ...

ended prematurely following his arrest during 1940–41 for writing anti-War poems, and for taking part in political activities organised by the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

as Secretary of the university's Students' Union.

Literary career

Jafri embarked on his literary career in 1938 with the publication of his first collection of short stories called ''Manzil'' (Destination). His first collection of poems ''Parvaz'' (Flight) was published in 1944. In 1936, he presided over the first conference of the

Progressive Writers' Movement The Progressive Writers' Association or the Progressive Writers' Movement of India or ''Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind'' (( ur, ) or ''Akhil Bhartiya Pragatishil Lekhak Sangh'' (Hindi: अखिल भारतीय प्रगति� ...

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

. He also presided over their subsequent assemblies for the rest of his life. In 1939, he became co-editor of ''Naya Adab'', a literary journal devoted to the

which continued to be published until 1949.

Frontline Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield. Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to: Books and publications * ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant * ''Frontlines ...

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

, Vol. 15 :: No. 03 :: 7–20 February 1998. He was involved in several social, political and literary movements. On 20 January 1949, he was arrested at

Bhiwandi Bhiwandi () is a city in the Thane district in Maharashtra, India. It is located northeast of Mumbai and northeast of the city of Thane. The city is a part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Bhiwandi is a commercial city and a major trade ce ...

, for organising a (then banned) Progressive Urdu writers' conference, despite warnings from

Morarji Desai Morarji Ranchhodji Desai (29 February 1896 – 10 April 1995) was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the 4th Prime Minister of India between 1977 to 1979 leading the government formed by the Janata Party. During his ...

, the Chief Minister of

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

State; three months later, he was rearrested. His important works as a lyricist include ''

Dharti Ke Lal ''Dharti Ke Lal'' ( ''Children of the Earth'') is a 1946 Hindustani film, the first directorial venture of the noted film director Khwaja Ahmad Abbas (K. A. Abbas). It was jointly written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and Bijon Bhattacharya, based on ...

'' (1946) and '' Pardesi (1957)'' . Between 1948 and 1978 he published eight poetry collections, which include, ''Nai Duniya Ko Salaam'' (Salute to the New World), (1948), ''Khoon Ki Lakeer'', ''Amn Ka Sitara'', ''Asia Jaag Utha'' (Asia Awakes) (1951), ''Patthar Ki Deewar'' (Stone Wall) (1953), ''Ek Khwab Aur'' (One More Dream), ''Pairahan-i-Sharar'' (The Robe of Sparks) (1965) and ''Lahu Pukarta Hai'' (The Blood Calls) (1965). These were followed by ''Awadh ki khak-i-haseen'' (Beautiful Land of Awadh), ''Subhe Farda'' (Tomorrow Morning), ''Mera Safar'' (My journey) and his last anthology entitled ''Sarhad'', which the then Prime Minister of India

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Atal Bihari Vajpayee (; 25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian politician who served three terms as the 10th prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months fr ...

carried with him on his bus journey to

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

in 1999. The prime minister had invited Jafri to accompany him on this trip but ill health prevented him from doing so. ''Sarhad'' is also an audio album dedicated to Indo-Pakistan amity produced by Squadron Leader Anil Sehgal and composed and sung by "Bulbul-e-Kashmir" Seema Anil Sehgal.

made history when he presented ''Sarhad'', as a national gift, to the then prime minister of Pakistan

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi language, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime ...

, during the historic Lahore Summit, 20–21 February 1999. It was also a milestone in Jafri's life. In the course of his literary career spanning five decades, Jafri also edited anthologies of

Kabir Kabir Das (1398–1518) was a 15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint. His writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement, and his verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib, the Satguru Granth Sahib of Saint Garib Das, ...

Mir ''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...

Ghalib Mirza Beg Asadullah Khan (Urdu, fa, مرزا بیگ اسد اللہ خان; 27 December 1797 – 15 February 1869) also known as Mirza Ghalib (Urdu, fa}) was an Urdu and Persian language, Persian shayar (poet), poet of the 19th century Mughal Em ...

and

Meera Bai Meera, better known as Mirabai and venerated as Sant Meerabai, was a 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna. She is a celebrated Bhakti saint, particularly in the North Indian Hindu tradition. Mirabai was born into a Rathore ...

with his own introductions. He also wrote two plays for the

Indian People's Theatre Association Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) is the oldest association of theatre-artists in India. IPTA was formed in 1943 during the British rule in India, and promoted themes related to the Indian freedom struggle. Its goal was to bring cultur ...

, produced a documentary film ''Kabir, Iqbal and Freedom'' and two television serials: the runaway success, the 18-part Kahkashan, based on the lives and works of six Urdu poets of the 20th century he had known personally viz.

Firaq Gorakhpuri Raghupati Sahay (28 August 1896 – 3 March 1982), also known by his pen name Firaq Gorakhpuri, was an Indian writer, critic, and, according to one commentator, one of the most noted contemporary Urdu poets from India. He established himself ...

Majaz Asrar-ul-Haq (19 October 1911 – 5 December 1955), better known as Majaz Lakhnawi, was an Indian Urdu poet. He is known for his romantic and revolutionary poetry. He composed '' ghazals'' and ''nazms'' in Urdu. He was the maternal uncle of p ...

Hasrat Mohani Syed Fazl-ul-Hasan (1 January 1875 – 13 May 1951), known by his pen-name Hasrat Mohani, was an Indian activist, freedom fighter in the Indian independence movement and a noted poet of the Urdu language. He coined the notable slogan ''Inquil ...

Makhdoom Mohiuddin Makhdoom Mohiuddin, or Abu Sayeed Mohammad Makhdoom Mohiuddin Khudri, (4 February 1908 – 25 August 1969) was an Urdu poet and Marxist political activist of India who founded the Progressive Writers Union in Hyderabad and was active with the ...

and Jigar Moradabadi; and ''Mehfil-e-yaaran'' in which he interviewed people from different walks of life. Both serials had tremendous mass appeal. In addition, he published his autobiography. He was also the editor and publisher of ''Guftagu'', one of the leading Urdu literary magazines of the

Indian sub-continent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...

. He died on 1 August 2000 in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. To mark his first death anniversary, the book ''Ali Sardar Jafri: The Youthful Boatman of Joy'', edited by Squadron Leader Anil Sehgal, a close associate, was published in 2001.

Excerpts from poems

Awards and honours

In 1998, Jafri became the third Urdu poet to receive the

Jnanpith Award The Jnanpith Award is the oldest and the highest Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature". Instituted in 1961, the award is bestowed only on Indian w ...

(for 1997), after

(1969) and

Qurratulain Hyder Qurratulain Hyder (20 January 1927 – 21 August 2007) was an Indian Urdu novelist and short story writer, an academic, and a journalist. One of the most outstanding and influential literary names in Urdu literature, she is best known for ...

(1989). The

Bharatiya Jnanpith Bharatiya Jnanpith a literary and research organization, based in New Delhi, India, was founded on February 18, 1944Encyclopaedia of Indian literature vol. 1, p. 298 1987, Sahitya Akademi, by Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain of the Sahu Jain family and ...

said, "Jafri represents those who are fighting against injustice and oppression in society". He was also the recipient of several other significant awards and honours including

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

(1967),

Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship The Jawaharlal Nehru Trust Scholarship U.K. was founded by Admiral Lord Mountbatten of Burma in 1966 as a tribute to the India's first Prime Minister – Jawaharlal Nehru – after his death in 1964. The scholarship was funded by the Nehru Me ...

(1971), the Gold medal from the Pakistan Government for Iqbal studies (1978), the

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

Urdu Academy Award for poetry, the

Makhdoom Makhdoom ( ar, مخدوم, meaning ''one who is served'' and sometimes spelled Makhdum, bn, মখদুম, Mokhdum) is an Arabic word meaning "Teacher of Sunnah." It is a title for Pirs, in South and Central Asia. People with the title Makh ...

Award, the

Faiz Ahmad Faiz Faiz Ahmad ''Faiz'' (13 February 1911 – 20 November 1984; Urdu, Punjabi: فیض احمد فیض) was a Pakistani poet, and author of Urdu and Punjabi literature. Faiz was one of the most celebrated Pakistani Urdu writers of his time. Out ...

Award, the Iqbal Samman Award from the

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

government and the Sant Dyaneshwar Award from the

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

government.

(AMU) conferred a doctorate (

D.Litt. Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

) on him in 1986, fifty years after he was expelled from the university. He was the fourth person to receive this honor, his predecessors being the notable Dr. Alama Iqbal, Mrs. Sarojni Naydu, and Hazarat Jigar Moradabadi. His works have been translated into many Indian and foreign languages.

Personal life

Ali Sardar Jafri married Sultana in January 1948. They had two sons.

References

External links

*

A collection of verses by Ali Sardar Jafri
"Ali Sardar Jafri Ba Hasiyat Nasr-Nigar" by Dr. Kapil Sharma {{DEFAULTSORT:Jafri, Ali 1913 births 2000 deaths Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education Recipients of the Jnanpith Award Recipients of the Gangadhar National Award People from Balrampur Delhi University alumni Aligarh Muslim University alumni University of Lucknow alumni Urdu-language poets from India Urdu-language short story writers Indian literary critics Indian lyricists 20th-century Indian Muslims 20th-century Indian poets Jawaharlal Nehru Fellows Indian male poets Poets from Uttar Pradesh