Ehsan Danish had penned down over 100 scholastic books on poetry, prose, linguistics, lexicography and prosody. At the beginning of his career his poetry was very romantic but later he wrote his poems more for the labourers and came to be called "Šhāʿir-e Mazdūr" (Poet of the workmen) by his audience. According to one commentator, his poetry inspired the common people's feelings and he has been compared with
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 ...
. He holds the unique position as one of the best poets of all times, with fine, romantic and revolutionary, but simple style of poetry.Urdu Shairi ka Tanqeedi Jaiza (Critical Review of Urdu Poetry) by Idrees Siddiqui-1971.p.541/542
Biography
Danish (birth name: Ehsan-ul-Haq) was born in Maulanan मोलानान
Kandhla
Kandhla is a town, near Shamli City and municipal board in Shamli District in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Geography
Kandhla is located at . It has an average elevation of 241 meters (790 feet). The Postal Code (Zip Code) is ...
, a small town in the
Shamli district
Shamli is a district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This district was carved out from Muzaffarnagar District on 28 September 2011 as Prabudh Nagar and renamed Shamli in July 2012. Shamli is the headquarters of the district. Shamli is loca ...
of
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 ...
, India. He belonged to a poor family and he could not continue his studies due to financial reasons but still learned the
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 ...
and
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 ...
languages on his own. His father's name was Danish Ali. Later he migrated 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. ...
and settled there permanently. He struggled very hard to earn his living. He worked as an ordinary labourer for years in odd jobs, finally becoming a poet of excellence. His autobiography, '' Jahan-i-Danish'', is a classic and has inspired many people. Danish has written more than 80 books and hundreds of articles about and including poetry,
prose
Prose is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the f ...
,
linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...
,
philology
Philology () is the study of language in oral and writing, written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defin ...
, autobiographies and the famous interpretation of "
Diwan-e-Ghalib
Diwan-e-Ghalib is a famous poetry book written by the famous Persian and Urdu poet Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib. It is a collection of the ghazals of Ghalib. Though it does not include all of his ghazals as he was too choosy to include them all, ...
". Much of his literary work is still unpublished.
Death and legacy
He died on 22 March 1982 in Lahore and was laid to rest at
Miani Sahib Graveyard
The Miani Sahib Graveyard ( Punjabi, ur, ) is the largest graveyard in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. It is in the centre of Lahore.https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21727124-it-may-make-death-unequal-life-pakistan-inaugurates-luxury-graveyard ...
. His poetry and writings about the dignity of labour earned him the title of 'Shaer-i-Mazdoor' (poet of the labourers).Profile of Ehsan Danish on Rekhta.org website Retrieved 17 April 2021
Autobiography - Jahan-e-Danish
Ehsan Danish was a prolific prose writer and had contributed hundred of articles, essays and books in the domain of Urdu prose. Ehsan Danish autobiography "Jahan-e-danish" is a splendid masterpiece in Urdu literature. Jahan-e-Danish was first published in 1973 by Ehsan Danish in Lahore, Pakistan and duly received Adam Ji literary award in recognition of its literary value and linguistic stature. The language, diction, realism, sincerity and above all a unique classical flavor of language and literature elevates this autobiography at the highest position in the realm of Urdu autobiographies.
An excerpt
Maulvi Saeed talks of Ehsan Danish, the poet. He recalls:
"In 1928, when we lived in Mozang I happened to be present at a gathering in the street adjoining ours where a short-statured but a well-built darkish young man recited a naat in a voice which kept the audience spell-bound. The poet was Ehsan-bin-Danish (now Ehsan Danish, for 'bin' though in Arabic stood for 'son of', in Hindi meant 'without'). The poet had come from across the
Yamuna
The Yamuna (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in List of major rivers of India, India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a ...
in search of employment – and perhaps recognition, too.
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. ...
gave him both; employment which hardly did any credit to this city, recognition, of course, which it never held back.
Ehsan was seen in the evening at the
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 Hy ...
s; in the morning, at the building sites with a brush in one hand and the lime-bucket in the other; or doing a gardener's job on the Simla Hill. He has recorded the experiences of his early days in a fascinating autobiography – ''Jahan-e-Danish''. In the realm of poetry, he was not a mere labourer, but a master architect."
Awards
*
Sitara-e-Imtiaz
The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and Civil decorations of Pakistan, civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially m ...
(Star of Excellence) Award (1978) from 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.Jahan-i-Danish'', his autobiography.
* ''Jahan-i Diger''
* ''Tazkir-o-Tanees''
* ''Iblagh-i-Danish''
* ''Tashrih-i-Ghalib''
* ''Awaz sey Alfaz tak''
* ''Fasl-i-Salasil''
* ''Zanjir-i-Baharan''
* ''Abr-i-Naisan''
* ''Miras-i-Momin''
* ''Urdu Mutaradifaat''
* ''Dard-i-Zindagi''
* ''Hadis-i-Adab''
* ''Lughat-ul-Islah''
* ''Nafeer-i-Fitrat''
* ''Dasttoor-i-Urdu''
* ''Ramooz-i-Ghalib''
* ''Meerras-i-maumin''
Ehsan Danish Poetry
Ehsan Danish was titled Poet-Laborer (Shair-e-Mazdoor) due to his revolutionary, passionate and novel poems for the laborers, the poor people and the oppressed. He had presented stark realities about the labor class in a powerful and unique style. He was initially impressed with the poet
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 ...
's style of poetry.
yeh uDi uDi si rangat yeh khule khule se gesu
teri sub,h keh rahi hai teri raat ka fasana
See also
*
List of Pakistani poets
This is a list of noted Pakistani poets, poets born or raised in Pakistan, whether living there or overseas, and writing in one of the languages of Pakistan.
A
B
* Baqi Siddiqui
* Bushra Farrukh
D
* Daud Kamal
* Dilawar Figar
E
* Ehsan ...
Naz Khialvi
Muhammad Siddique ناز خیالوی (12 December 1947 – 12 December 2010), pen name Naz Khialvi, was a Pakistani lyricist and radio broadcaster, who is mainly known for his Sufi verse ''Tum Ek Gorakh Dhanda Ho'' (You are a Puzzle), later sun ...