Shad Azimabadi (8 Jan 1846–7 Jan 1927) was an Indian poet and writer from
Azimabad
Azimabad ( hi, अज़ीमाबाद, ur, ) was the name of modern-day Patna during the eighteenth century, prior to the British Raj. Today, Patna is the capital of Bihar, a state in North India. In ancient times, Patna was known as Pata ...
,
Patna
Patna (
), historically known as Pataliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India. ...
, Bihar.
He studied not only his own faith, Islam, but also
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
and
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
. He excelled in
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 ...
and
marsiya
A marsiya ( fa, مرثیه) is an elegiac poem written to commemorate the martyrdom and valour of Hussain ibn Ali and his comrades of the Karbala. Marsiyas are essentially religious.
Background
The word ''Marsiya'' is derived from the Arabic word ...
compositions. Urdu scholar, Ali Jawad Zaidi has described him as "a saviour of the ghazal by imparting it with a new mellowness stimulating perception and lyrical realism".
Due to his social standing as a laureate, he held several administrative posts in Patna including as a Honorary Magistrate and also as Municipal Commissioner of Patna.
Life and career
Shad Azimabadi was born in 1846 in his maternal grandparent's house. His family was very wealthy and held a respectable position within the high-society of
Patna
Patna (
), historically known as Pataliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India. ...
.
Shad Azimabadi showed an interest in poetry from a young age. He was taught
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
,
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 ...
Bismil Azimabadi
Bismil Azimabadi (1901 20 June 1978) was an Indian freedom fighter, landlord, and an Urdu poet from Patna, the capital of Bihar.
Family
Bismil Azimabadi's real name was Syed Shah Mohammad Hasan, he was born in 1901 at Azimabad (Mughal name of ...
was disciple of Shad Azimabadi. Azimabadi's granddaughter Shahnaz Fatmi is also a writer.
Attitudes towards Urdu
Azimabadi took a conservative approach towards the
Urdu language
Urdu (;"Urdu" ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ur, , link=no, ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, In ...
, which he viewed as only in the purview of the upper classes. His attitude brought him into conflict with the Urdu newspaper, ''Al Punch'' as the newspaper gave space for common people to speak and write in Urdu which went against his view that only ''
ashraf
Sharīf ( ar, شريف, 'noble', 'highborn'), also spelled shareef or sherif, feminine sharīfa (), plural ashrāf (), shurafāʾ (), or (in the Maghreb) shurfāʾ, is a title used to designate a person descended, or claiming to be descended, fr ...