Syed Imtiaz Ali Taj ( ur, ; ; 1900–1970) was an Pakistani dramatist who wrote in the

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Anarkali Anarkali () was a legendary woman said to be loved by the 16th-century Mughal Prince Salim, who later became Emperor Jahangir. According to some accounts, Anarkali was the nickname of the courtesan Nadira Begum or Sharf-un-Nisa, though scho ...

, that was staged hundreds of times and was adapted for feature films in India and Pakistan, including the Indian film''

Mughal-e-Azam ''Mughal-e-Azam'' () is a 1960 Indian epic historical drama film produced and directed by K. Asif. Starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, and Durga Khote, it follows the love affair between Mughal Prince Salim (who went on ...

'' (1960).Legendary dramatist Imtiaz Ali Taj's death anniversary today
Samaa TV News website, Published 19 April 2011, Retrieved 29 April 2022

Biography

Born Syed Imtiaz Ali in

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. ...

(then in India) on 13 October 1900, he was the son of

Sayyid Mumtaz Ali Sayyid Mumtaz Ali Deobandi (27 September 1860 – 15 June 1935) was an Indian Sunni Muslim scholar and an advocate of women rights in the late nineteenth century. He was an alumnus of Darul Uloom Deoband. His book ''Huquq-e-Niswan'' and the j ...

(1860 – 1935), who was also known as ''Shams-ul-Ulema'' (Sun of the Scholars), in recognition of his pioneering contribution to Urdu drama. His mother Muhammadi Begum lovingly nicknamed him 'Mera Taj' (my crown). His forefathers had moved to Lahore following the 1857 Indian revolt in Delhi. When Imtiaz started writing, he adopted the name "Taj". During his student days, his literary skill came to the fore as he translated and directed many English plays, sometimes acting in female roles at a time when girls were not encouraged to act. After studying in Lahore, he first worked in his father's publishing house, Dar-ul-Ishaat Punjab (meaning:"Punjab publishing house"). He then went on to contribute to the children's journal ''Phool'', founded by his father on 13 October 1909 and the women's magazine '' Tahzeeb-e-Niswan''; he wrote for ''Phool'' in association with Ghulam Abbas Ahmed and

Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi ( ur, ) born Ahmad Shah Awan ( ur, ) (20 November 1916 - 10 July 2006) was an Urdu language Pakistani poet, journalist, literary critic, dramatist and short story author. He wrote 50 books on topics such as poetry, fiction ...

. He was a co-founder (together with Maulana Abdul Majeed Salik) of the literary journal ''Kehkashan''. In addition to his many translations of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's plays into Urdu, including ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' as ''Sawan Rain Ka Sapna''. He also wrote a number of plays himself, the most notable being ''Anarkali'' and ''Chacha Chakkan,'' which continue to be performed today.

Films based on his play

''Anarkali'', (literal meaning:"Bud of Pomegranate") written in 1922, is a romantic play based on a quasi-mythical legend. It tells the story of a beautiful slave girl named Anarkali (a courtesan) who falls in love with

Prince Salim Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...

, but the romance ultimately leads to her tragic death. Anarkali (birth name was Nadira Begum or Sharf-un-Nissa) had come to

from

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

with a traders' caravan as a young girl. She was endowed with the title of 'Anarkali' (Bud of Pomegranate) by the Mughal

Emperor Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

because she was physically very attractive. It's really amazing that

Emperor Jahangir Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...

(son and successor to Emperor Akbar) who allegedly got involved romantically with this courtesan girl never mentioned her in his autobiography ''Tuzk-i-Jahangiri'' or any other historian of that time mentioned their love saga. Of course, at that time, due to the fear of disapproval by the domineering

, no historian of that time would risk touching the subject. Yet this tragic love saga persisted and stayed alive among the common public and ended up becoming a popular folktale. The first historical mention of Anarkali is found in the travelogue of the British tourist and trader,

William Finch (merchant) William Finch (died 1613) was an English merchant in the service of the East India Company (EIC). He travelled to India along with Captain Hawkins during the reign of the Mughal emperor Jehangir. The two of them attended on the emperor at the Mu ...

who toured Lahore around the same time when this love saga took place - during 1608 to 1611. Finch's version of this tragic love saga is that Anarkali was actually one of the wives of Emperor Akbar and the mother of his son Danial Shah. Emperor Akbar developed suspicions that Anarkali also was romantically involved with his son Jahangir and had gone as far as committing incest with his son Jahangir. On the basis of those suspicions, he had her buried alive in the wall of

Lahore Fort The Lahore Fort ( ur, , lit=Royal Fort, translit=Shāhī Qilā, label=Punjabi language, Punjabi and Urdu) is a citadel in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. The fortress is located at the northern end of Walled City of Lahore, walled city Lahore, a ...

in 1599. Finch goes on to describe further in his version of events that Emperor Jahangir, after the death of his father and after becoming the emperor himself, had a tomb built in Lahore in memory of his beloved Anarkali in 1615."Legend: Anarkali: myth, mystery and history"
Dawn (newspaper), Published 11 February 2012, Retrieved 25 June 2019 Imtiaz Ali Taj's later-written novel ''Anarkali'' (published in 1922) is said to be "a milestone in the annals of Urdu drama". It has immortalized the tragic love story in Urdu literature as well. He modified the play in 1930, with a reprint in 1931, in the popular "modern prose genre" which became a basis for several feature films from India and Pakistan.

Anarkali Bazaar

Whether Anarkali folktale is fact or fiction, this love story is as famous, alive among the public and immortal in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

as any other love story in the world. Regardless, Lahore's popular

Anarkali Bazaar Anarkali Bazaar ( Punjabi, ur, ) is a major bazaar in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Anarkali also serves as a neighbourhood and union council of Data Gunj Buksh Tehsil of Lahore. It is situated in the region that extends from the south of Lahor ...

named after Anarkali, and her tomb in Lahore are testimonies to her existence. Imtiaz Ali Taj provided a link between Agha Hashr, who was known as the "Shakespeare of India", and contemporary Pakistani playwrights. The theatre activities in

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- ...

and

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

had a strong influence from the Urdu heartland group and Taj was one of the pioneers of this group. In the post-Hashr days, Taj was considered the best playwright of the time. In the film titled ''

,'' produced in 1953 and based on Imtiaz's plot, the ending was tragic, similar to the ending in the drama. Later the play formed the basis for the highly successful Indian feature film ''

'', released in 1960. In this film produced by

K. Asif K. Asif (born Asif Karim; 14 June 1922 – 9 March 1971) was an Indian film director, film producer and screenwriter who is known for his epic film, ''Mughal-e-Azam'' (1960). Early life Asif was born in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India to paren ...

, there was a twist to the story through a happy ending with Emperor Akbar finally being clement towards Anarkali. Though Imtiaz Ali Taj claimed that the film had no historical authenticity, he still gave snippets of historical evidence. In the preface to his book published in 1931 (designed to impress the middle class intelligentsia), he refers to Anarkali's existence during the historical period of

(1556–1605) and his son

(later

) as well as to the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

couplet inscribed on the marble tomb in

Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is ...

dedicated to Anarkali by her lover Prince Salim who becomes Emperor Jahangir after the death of his father. The couplet reads "''Ta Kiyamat shukr geom kardgate khwesh ra, Aah garman bez benaam roo-e yare khwesh ra''", meaning: "Ah! could I behold the face of my love once more, I would give thanks to my God until the day of resurrection." In writing the love story of Anarkali, a love story with hidden meanings of the times, the author's intention, according to the critic

Balwant Gargi Balwant Gargi (4 December 1916 – 22 April 2003) was an Indian Punjabi language dramatist, theatre director, novelist, and short story writer, and academic. Early life On 4 December 1916, in Canal House in Sehna, Barnala (Punjab), Balwant Gar ...

, was "to represent tyrannical forms of patriarchal authority through the relationship between Crown Prince Saleem and his father 'Akbar the Great', which Taj portrays as domineering, and a 'complex father-son relationship' marked by 'filial love interlaced with hate'."

Magazine

In 1918, Taj also published a monthly magazine called the ''Kahkashan'' from the publishing firm of Darul Ishat which he owned. Another contemporary writer,

Munshi Premchand Dhanpat Rai Srivastava (31 July 1880 – 8 October 1936), better known by his pen name Premchand (), was an Indian writer famous for his modern Hindustani literature. Premchand was a pioneer of Hindi and Urdu social fiction. He was one of ...

, contributed stories to this magazine in Urdu. It so happened that an article which Premchand had submitted was on the same theme on which Taj was also writing a story. Then Taj decided to drop his article in favour of the one written by Premchand, who then expressed his regret but said that at least they both were on the same wavelength. Taj had also promoted the Lahore Arts School in association with many other stalwarts of the theatre scene in Lahore whose activities included promoting arts through a theatre and an art gallery. ''Chacha Chakan'' (1926) is a hilarious comedy of plays for children with themes of satire and humour. Chacha Chakan is considered the funniest character in Urdu drama. Chakkan is said to be based on

Jerome K. Jerome Jerome Klapka Jerome (2 May 1859 – 14 June 1927) was an English writer and humourist, best known for the comic travelogue ''Three Men in a Boat'' (1889). Other works include the essay collections '' Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow'' (1886) an ...

's character Uncle Podger. Imtiaz Ali Taj also wrote short stories, novels and screen plays. From 1958, he was director of "Majlis" a translation board established in 1950, in which he republished works of Urdu literature. He was active in the theatre both as an actor and a director.

Radio Pakistan

After Pakistan gained independence in 1947, he hosted the daily feature ''Pakistan Hamara Hai'' (Pakistan is ours) on

Radio Pakistan Radio Pakistan serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate Radio Pakistan's founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in Pakistan. The network was established on 14 August ...

. It continued as one of the most popular radio programmes for several years.

Death

On 19 April 1970, Imtiaz Ali Taj was murdered while asleep in his bed by unknown assassins. His wife, Hijab Imitiaz Ali, was seriously wounded, when she tried to rescue him. Hijab (1908–1999) was not only herself a well-known Urdu poet and writer, but also had the distinction to be the first Muslim woman pilot of India, in 1936.

Publications

Of Taj's many works, estimated at "more than 100 books",''The Pakistan Review'', volume 19 (1971), p. 37 the most important publications in the Urdu language are: *''Anārkalī'', about the love between Anārkalī, d. 1599, maid-servant, and Salīm, Mogul prince, later known as Jahangir, Emperor of Hindustan, 1569-1627 *''Sayyid Imtiyāz ʻAlī Tāj ke yak bābī ḍrāme'', plays based on social themes *''Urdū kā klāsīkī adab'', anthology of classical Urdu plays, includes biographical sketches and critical appreciation of the playwrights *''Rail kahānīyān̲ : rail ke safar ke daurān pesh hone vāle intihāʼī pur isrār vāqiʻāt'' *''Chacha Chhakkan'', Chacha Chakkan is a very funny & famous character of Urdu literature *''Gharelū āzmūdah nusk̲h̲on̲ kā insāʼiklopīḍiyā'', original herbal medicines which can be prepared at home *''Majlis-i Taraqqī-yi Adab'', report on the foundation, early years and publications of the institution *''Qurt̤ubah kā qāz̤ī aur dusre yakbābī khel'', plays *''Lailā, yā, Muạ̄ṣira-i-G̲h̲arnātā'', Urdu translation from the English of

Edward Bulwer-Lytton Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton, PC (25 May 180318 January 1873) was an English writer and politician. He served as a Whig member of Parliament from 1831 to 1841 and a Conservative from 1851 to 1866. He was Secret ...

's ''

Leila; or, The Siege of Granada ''Leila; or, The Siege of Granada'' is a historical romance novel by Edward Bulwer-Lytton published in 1838. The novel is set in Granada, Spain at the end of the Middle Ages — beginning in the summer of 1491. It was originally published in an ...

'' The books written about Taj are: *''Sayyid Imtiyāz ʻAlī Tāj : shak̲h̲ṣīyyat aur fann'' by Gauhar Naushāhī *''Sayyid Imtiyāz ʻAlī Tāj kī tams̲īl shināsī'' by Muḥammad Salīm Malik *''Imtiyāz : taḥqīq va tanqīd'' by Muḥammad Salīm Malik *''Tāj ke ḍarāme Anārkalī par ek naẓar'' by Rūh Afzā Raḥmān

Awards and recognition

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...

Award in 1965 by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Pakistan Post Pakistan Post ( ur, ) is a state enterprise which functions as Pakistan's primary and largest postal operator. 49,502 employees through a vehicle fleet of 5,000 operate traditional "to the door" service from more than 13,419 post offices acro ...

issued a commemorative postage stamp to honor him in its 'Men Of Letters' series.

References

;Bibliography * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Imtiaz Ali Taj 1900 births 1970 deaths Pakistani dramatists and playwrights Writers from Lahore 20th-century dramatists and playwrights Recipients of the Pride of Performance