Asrar-ul-Haq (19 October 1911 – 5 December 1955), better known as Majaz Lakhnawi, was an Indian
poet. He is known for his romantic and revolutionary poetry. He composed ''
ghazal
The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...
s'' and ''
nazm
''Nazm'' () is a major part of Urdu and Sindhi poetry that is normally written in rhymed verse and also in modern prose-style poems. is a significant genre of Urdu and Sindhi poetry; the other one is known as ''ghazal'' ().
is significantly ...
s'' in
. He was the maternal uncle of poet and screenplay writer
Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar (born 17 January 1945) is an Indian poet, lyricist, screenwriter and political activist. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards, and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2 ...
and Indian-American psychoanalyst
Salman Akhtar.
Early life and education
Majaz was born on 19 October 1911 at
Rudauli
Rudauli is a town, tehsil and a municipal board in Faizabad district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Rudauli is 50 km west of the district headquarters Ayodhya.
Geography
Rudauli is located at . It has an average elevation of 105&nb ...
in
Ayodhya district
Faizabad district, officially Ayodhya district, is one of the 75 districts of Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city of Ayodhya, which is believed to be the birth place of Hindu deity Rama, is the administrative headquarters of the district. ...
of what is now
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 195 ...
.
[ His family were a branch of a land-owning gentry family, but were not wealthy. His brother ]Ansar Harvani
Ansar Harvani is an Indian politician. Harwani opposed the partition of India. He was elected to the Lok Sabha, lower house of the Parliament of India from Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh as a member of the Indian National Congress
The India ...
was a journalist and he had two older sisters, namely Safia and Hamida Hamida is an Arabic given name that means praiseworthy, and it is the feminine form of the name
Hamid. In Azerbaijani it becomes Həmidə. It may refer to:
People
* DJ Hamida, Moroccan DJ and record producer based in France
Given name
* Hamida Add ...
. Safia was the wife of poet Jan Nisar Akhtar. Thus, Majaz was the maternal uncle of Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar (born 17 January 1945) is an Indian poet, lyricist, screenwriter and political activist. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards, and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2 ...
. Majaz suffered from a hearing impairment even as a child, and probably for this reason, he tended to be somewhat difficult, with erratic behavior; he was moody and also a loner.[ He had the habit of staying awake all night and doing most of his work then; as a result, his earned the nickname "Jaggan Bhaiyya" ("awake brother" in Hindi). According to a major newspaper of the region, "With hindsight one could deduce that he had the marks of a bipolar mental disorder that became more pronounced as he grew older and his life began to fall apart".][
Majaz's father, Seraj-ul-Haq, was a university graduate at a time when this was rare; he joined government service, serving in the middle ranks of the registration department, and finally reached the rank of Assistant Registrar. He was posted mainly in ]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 divis ...
, but since his aged parents needed attention, he kept his wife and children in the ancestral house at Rudauli, which is not far from 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 divis ...
, and he would visit them about twice a month. Thus, Majaz grew up mainly in Rudauli and received his basic education there. In the late 1920s, his father was transferred to 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 ...
. Since his parents were no more, and since Agra was too far from Rudauli for frequent visits, Seraj-ul-haq decided to take his wife and children with him.
Majaz completed school 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 ...
in 1929, and enrolled in St. John's Intermediate College. Almost immediately, his father was transferred to Aligarh
Aligarh (; formerly known as Allygarh, and Kol) is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Aligarh district, and lies northwest of state capital Lucknow and approximately southeast of the cap ...
, and the family moved again, leaving Majaz in a hostel. The young Majaz was given a cash allowance for the first time in his life, and freedom from his mother's adoring but eagle surveillance.[ He behaved like any teenager of his age, neglected his studies, spent his time and money the way he liked, and failed his exams. Yet, his time was spent not on games or in disreputable activities, but in attending '']mushaira
''Mushaira'' ( ur, , Mušā'ira) is a poetic symposium. It is an event (called '' mehfil'', Mushairi) where poets gather to perform their works. A mushaira is part of the Culture of North India, Pakistan and the Deccan, particularly among the ...
s'' (poetry symposia) and music concerts. It was at this time that he came in contact with both senior and upcoming poets of Agra, including Fani Badayuni, Ale Ahmad Suroor
Ale Ahmad Suroor (1911-2002) was an Urdu poet, critic and professor from India. He is best known for his literary criticism. In 1974 he was honoured with the Sahitya Akademi Award by the Government of India for his literary critic work, ''N ...
and Jazbi. With difficulty, Majaz finally cleared his intermediate exams in 1931, and rejoined his parents in Aligarh, where his father got him enrolled for BA at 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 ...
,[ his subjects being philosophy, economics and Urdu. He graduated in 1936, again taking a year more than he should have.]
Career
The years that Majaz spent in 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) coincided with the presence there of many important poets and writers of Urdu. AMU was indeed a nursery of literary talent during those years. Here he came in contact with 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 ...
under K. M. Ashraf and Abdul Aleem. Majaz lived and wrote in times which were exceptionally vibrant for poetry; poets such as Faiz Ahmed 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 ...
, Fani Badayuni, Jazbi, Makhdoom, Sahir Ludhianvi, Ismat Chughtai
Ismat Chughtai (21 August 1915 – 24 October 1991) was an Indian Urdu novelist, short story writer, liberal humanist and filmmaker. Beginning in the 1930s, she wrote extensively on themes including female sexuality and femininity, middle-class ...
, and Ali Sardar Jafri were among his peers. They were not merely his contemporaries but close friends as well. Others such as Josh and Firaq knew him well. His first diwan, ''Ahang'', is dedicated to Faiz and Jazbi whom he calls his “dil-o-jigar,” and to Sardar Jafri and Makhdoom, who are “mere dast-o-bazu.” Faiz wrote a thoughtful prelude to ''Ahang''.
Majaz abandoned his MA in Aligarh due to financial reasons and moved to Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
where he worked as sub-editor for the journal, ''Awaaz'' (Call). Here he became actively involved with the Delhi branch of the Progressive Writers' Association run by Shahid Ahmad Dehlvi. He also worked for the All India Radio
All or ALL may refer to:
Language
* All, an indefinite pronoun in English
* All, one of the English determiners
* Allar language (ISO 639-3 code)
* Allative case (abbreviated ALL)
Music
* All (band), an American punk rock band
* ''All'' (All ...
for a year before moving to Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
. In Bombay, he worked in the Department of Information for the Government of Bombay.
In 1937, he returned to Lucknow and along with Jafri and Sibte Hassan
Syed Sibt-e-Hasan (Urdu: سید سبط حسن) (31 July 1916 – 20 April 1986) was an eminent scholar, journalist and political activist of Pakistan. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of Socialism and Marxism in Pakistan, as well as the mo ...
founded the literary magazine, ''Parcham'' (Flag) which ran only for a single issue. In Lucknow, he also worked on the editorial staff of journals like ''Halqa-e-Adab'' (Circle of Literature) and in ''Naya Adab'' (New Literature) along with Jafri and Sibte Hassan
Syed Sibt-e-Hasan (Urdu: سید سبط حسن) (31 July 1916 – 20 April 1986) was an eminent scholar, journalist and political activist of Pakistan. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of Socialism and Marxism in Pakistan, as well as the mo ...
.
Death
Majaz died on 5 December 1955,[ while the first Students' Urdu Convention was underway in Lucknow. His condolence meeting was held on 7 December 1955 in the Rifah-e-Aam Hall and was attended by poets and writers from all over India.
Due to his heavy drinking, he had a tragic death. On the night of his death, according to a newspaper, "Majaz's friends took him to a tavern in Lalbagh where they all drank on the rooftop. One by one they all left leaving Majaz alone in the cold winter night. The next morning he was rushed to the hospital where doctors diagnosed a brain hemorrhage and pneumonia".][ Majaz died that night.
He was buried in a cemetery in Lucknow. His grave bears a verse from one of his ghazals written in 1945:]And after this there is morn and the new morning Majaz
With me ends the eve of sorrows of Lucknow.
Major works
Majaz's collection of poems include:
* ''Ahang'' (Melody) - 1938[
* ''Shab-e-tar'' (Dark Night) - 1945
* ''Saaz-e-Nau'' (New Musical Instruments) - 1949
* ''Tarana'' (anthem) of ]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 ...
Legacy
* In memory of the poet a book launch of, ''Majaz Aur Uski Shaayeri'', edited by Salman Akhtar was held in collaboration with The Nehru Centre, London
The Nehru Centre, London is a cultural centre located at the South Audley Street, London. Its goal is to promote cultural exchange between India and the United Kingdom.
The Nehru Centre was founded in 1992. Since its inception it has striven to ...
and 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 ...
Alumni Association (UK). The programme included video clippings on Majaz including comments by Hamida Salim
Hamida Salim (1922-2015) was an Indian author, economist, and educator, writing primarily in the Urdu language. She was the first woman to graduate from Aligarh Muslim University.
Personal life
Salim was born in 1922 in Rudauli, in Uttar Prad ...
(Majaz's sister) and Ali Sardar Jafri (Majaaz's friend and contemporary poet), a speech by Parvaiz Alam (broadcaster and dramatist), a lecture Majaz – Teen Daayeron ka Shayer by Akhtar, and Kalam-e-Majaz sung by Nasser Harvani and Majaz's nephew from New Delhi.
* A dastangoi
Dastangoi (Urdu: داستان گوئی) is a 13th century Urdu oral storytelling art form.
The Persian style of dastan evolved in 16th century.
One of the earliest references in print to dastangoi is a 19th-century text containing 46 volumes of th ...
based on Majaz's life and poetry was performed by Ankit Chadha
Ankit Chadha (21 December 1987 – 9 May 2018) was an Indian writer, story-teller, oral narrative performance artist, researcher and educator. He specialized in research-based narratives performed in the centuries-old Dastangoi form of storyte ...
and Himanshu Bajpai This narrative introduces the audience to Majaz, his childhood, his fame at AMU, his days in Delhi, his love, his poetry and most importantly his vagabondism. The story was told through accounts of the poet's relatives, friends and acquaintances.
*'' Majaz: Ae Gham-e-Dil Kya Karun'', is a 2017 Indian biographical film directed by Ravindra Singh about Majaz.
*A poem by Majaz is now the anthem for Aligarh Muslim University.
Notes
References
Cited sources
*
*
Further reading
*
External links
Biography of Majaz
at Aligarians.com
Asrar-ul-Haq Majaz – A Journey of Love, Hope and Nationalism
Listen and Explore Majaz
at SahityaStudio
{{Authority control
20th-century Indian Muslims
Urdu-language poets from India
Rudaulvi, Majaz
People from Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh
Writers from Lucknow
Aligarh Muslim University alumni
1911 births
1955 deaths
20th-century Indian poets
Indian male poets
20th-century Indian male writers