Labhu Ram (1883-1976), better known by his

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Josh Malsiyani, was an Indian Urdu poet who much acclaimed during his time. He was born in a poor family in the Aquilpur locality of Malsian, a small town near

Jalandhar Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...

which town was the domain of Bedi family till Sir Kalim Singh Bedi’s migration to

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...

in the 19th-century. Josh’s father, who mostly lived in

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

, was an illiterate small-trader. After being trained as a teacher 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. ...

Josh started teaching Urdu and Persian in a school in Jalandhar but in 1913 settled permanently in

Nakodar Nakodar is a town and a municipal council in Jalandhar district in the Indian state of Punjab. The city is almost 365 km from Delhi, 25 km from Jalandhar, 49 km from Ludhiana, and about 101 km from Amritsar. Surrounding villa ...

where he spent the rest of his life as a school-teacher and guiding budding

Urdu poets The following is a List of Urdu-language poets. 13th century 15th century 16th century 17th century 18th century * Mirza Muhammad Rafi, ''Sauda'' (1713–1780) * Siraj Aurangabadi, ''Siraj'' (1715–1763) *Mohammad Meer Soz Dehlvi, '' ...

. He had himself started writing Urdu poems when he was eight years old and later on became a disciple of Mirza Khan

Daagh Dehlvi Nawab Mirza Khan Daagh Dehlvi ( ur, , 25 May 1831 – 17 March 1905) was a poet known for his Urdu '' ghazals''. He belonged to the old Delhi school of Urdu poetry.

Ratan Pandoravi Rattan Pandoravi ( ur, ) as pen name born Rala Ram ( ur, ) 7 July 1907 – 4 November 1990, was an Urdu poet and scholar from India. Biography Early life Rattan Pandoravi was born on 7 July 1907 in Pandori, District Kapurthala, India. He ob ...

Sahir Hoshiarpuri Sahir Hoshiarpuri ( ur, ) ( hi, साहिर होशियारपुर), born Ram Parkash Sharma ( ur, ) ( hi, राम प्रकाश) was an Urdu poet from India. He wrote several poetry books; his main form was ghazal. More ...

and

Naresh Kumar Shad Naresh Kumar Shad (1927 1969) (Urdu: نریش کُمار شاد ) (Hindi: नरेश कुमार शाद ) was a ghazal, qat'aa and rubai writer. Biography Naresh Kumar Shad was born in Ahiyapur, Urmar Tanda, District Hoshiarpur on ...

were his pupils. He is known for his book - ''Sharh- e – Diwaan – Ghalib'', which is a scholarly commentary on

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 ...

’s Urdu poetry.

Malik Ram Malik Ram was the pen name of Malik Ram Baveja (1906–1993), a renowned Urdu, Persian and Arabic scholar from India. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1983 for his monumental work ''Tazkirah-e-Muasireen''. An internationally acclaime ...

’s assessment of Josh Malsiyani’s poetry and contribution finds place amongst fifty-two poets whose lives and works have been discussed in his monumental work - ''Tazkirah e muasireen'', Vol.4. Josh Malsiyani was a recipient of

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, ...

Award. His son

Arsh Malsiani Bal Labhu Ram Mukand (1908–1979), better known by his penname Arsh Malsiani, was an Indian Urdu poet and writer. He was the son of Josh Malsiyani, an Urdu and Persian scholar and poet. From 1948 up to his retirement in 1968, Malsiani worked ...

was also an Urdu poet.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malsiyani, Josh Urdu-language poets from India 1883 births 1976 deaths Hindu poets 20th-century Indian poets Indian male poets Poets from Punjab, India Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education 20th-century Indian male writers Writers from Amritsar People from Amritsar district Poets in British India