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Jan Nisar Akhtar (1914 – 1976), father of poet Javed Akhtar, was a part of the Progressive Writers Movement and a famous lyricist for several Bollywood movies. He was the son of poet Muztar Khairabadi and great-grandson of freedom fighter Fazle-Haq Khairabadi.  From his early days, he was sympathetic to progressive thinking. Although he wrote both ghazals and poems, we find the soul of his poetry in his ghazals. His poetry collection Khaake Dil (Ashes of the Heart) got him the Sahitya Akademi Award. Prime Minister Nehru asked him to collect the Hindustani poetry of the last three hundred years. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi later released the two-volume work called Hindustan Hamara. He married Safia Akhtar, the sister of poet Majaz and mother of Javed Akhtar in 1943, whom he left behind while trying his luck in the Bombay film industry. Unfortunately, she died of tuberculosis. Javed Akhter left the house when his father married another woman.

To read more about Urdu ghazal poetry, please refer to:
Gopi Chand Narang, Translation by Surinder Deol. The Urdu Ghazal: A Gift of India’s Composite Culture. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2020.

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Jigar Moradabadi (1890-1960) was born in Benaras. Because he lost his father at an early age, he struggled to get a start in life and gain proficiency in Urdu and Persian. Due to his friendship with Asghar Gondvi, he settled in Gonda, a town near Lucknow. Jigar kept alive the classical, rhythmic traditional style of ghazal writing, and his name often occurs near the top of twentieth-century Urdu poets. His ghazals have a rare psychological touch and a sweeping lyrical flow. While making a socio-political point, he handles the metaphor masterly so as not to deviate too much from the make-belief art of the ghazal. He was awarded an honorary D. Litt. by the Aligarh Muslim University – a rare honor he shares with Allama Iqbal and Sarojini Naidu. 

 For more information about the Urdu ghazal poetry, please get a copy of:

 Gopi Chand Narang, Trans. by Surinder Deol, The Urdu Ghazal: A Gift of India’s Composite Culture. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2020.

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Asrarul Haq Majaz (1911-1955) of Lucknow lived a relatively short life of 44 years, but within this short time, he made a significant impact with his alluring poems and captivating ghazals. Although he was not an excellent academic student, he influenced many people during his stay at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). He wrote his best work while at Aligarh. He composed the Tarana, anthem for AMU that is passionately sung today. His first poetry collection Aahang was heralded by Sajad Zahir, as the opening of a new rosebud in the garden of progressives. His poem Rail subtly refers to the revolution's roar in the night's pitch darkness and the upsurge of the freedom struggle. He had a carefree, witty disposition and was very popular with the younger folks of his time. Over-adornment by his fans and alcoholism killed him at a young age. 

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Among the modern progressives and those who were also associated with the film industry, Sahir Ludhianvi (1921-1980) occupies a very special place. It has to do with his celebrity status as much as his romantic poetry that appealed to a new generation of young people in post-independent India. Sahir was also a powerful voice against social injustice, exploitation, denial of women’s rights, and income inequalities. His collection of poetry Talkhiyaan was published in 1944, and several of the compositions in that volume were used in Hindi films. He also published a longer poem called Parchhaiyaan, considered the best peace poem written by an Urdu poet. Sahir is among those few Urdu poets who gained fame for his nazm poetry as well as his ghazals. His poem about the Taj Mahal is a rare gem in the genre of Urdu love poetry. And who can forget his lyrics for films like Pyasa and Kabhi Kabhi?

 Gopi Chand Narang, Surinder Deol, trns. THE URDU GHAZAL: A Gift of India’s Composite Culture. New Delhi: The Oxford University Press, 2020.

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Hasrat Mohani (1875-1951) revived the Urdu ghazal after the onslaught of the Nayi Shaa’yari (New Poetry). He infused it with socio-political zeal while retaining its lyricism and charm. He learned from past masters like Mir and Ghalib about how feminine beauty is captured in verse. There is a visible influence of Mus-hafi, but his more important contribution lies in the fact that he domesticated beauty – he talked about meetings under the shadow of stars, coming up to the upper level of the house looking for the lover when the floor is emitting fire because of sun's heat, soft cries in the corner of a home -- these are the images that bring the ghazal to the scenes of daily life where people stealthily fall in love, they yearn for each other and suffer pangs of separation. Hasrat was also a passionate freedom fighter who coined the slogan Inquilab Zindabad in 1921. That was the time when the fervor of the nationalist movement was catching up. Under the influence of Gandhi, he opened a shop in Kanpur selling khadi (hand-spun coarse cloth). Hasrat was the first of the progressives, a true nationalist, and a freedom fighter who went to jail several times. He was a mercurial personality. For some time, he was associated with the Muslim League, but after independence, he refused to go to Pakistan and spent the last years of his life in India. 

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In this episode, I present the ghazal poetry of Josh Malihabadi. He got his education at St. Peter’s College in Agra and a brief stint at Tagore’s University at Shanti Niketan. He founded the progressive magazine Kaleemin Delhi, and after the independence, he was appointed editor of Aajkal, a government of India literary publication, where he worked for eight years. His decision to migrate to Pakistan in 1956 shocked many people, including Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who pleaded with him not to leave India. He visited India in 1967 and openly regretted his decision which led to losing his job in Pakistan. Because of the revolutionary nature of his poetry, Josh was known as Shaa’yar-e Inquilaab (poet of the revolution), and he was a great inspiration to the progressive movement. Josh published several collections of his poems. His autobiography Yaadon Ki Baraat is remarkable in revealing the intellectual evolution of the poet. The main strength of Josh as a poet lies in his progressive agenda of socialism, patriotism, and secularism, his excellent command over forceful diction, and his poems that have a solid energetic, and romantic quality. His sensitive description of female beauty and nature is superb. 

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Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911-1984) is a milestone in the ghazal tradition as the climax of liberal Urdu poetry. He was a significant departure from Iqbal and the elasticity of the ghazal structure that allowed a new creative poetic transformation. His verse's captivating musicality is unsurpassed in contemporary Urdu poetry. Faiz’s poetry, soaked in the kernel of tagazzul, the lyrical love sensibility of the ghazal, played the most significant role in enriching the Urdu ghazal’s poetic tradition. His love poetry reads as revolutionary poetry, and conversely, revolutionary poetry reads as love poetry. They are not separate but an integrated whole. 

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The Urdu Ghazal Podcast presents the ghazal poetry of a leading poet in each episode. 

In this first episode, we present the magnificent poetry of Firaq Gorakhpuri who brought the taste of Sanskrit and Hindi poetic rasa into his compositions. He not only excelled in ghazal, but the rubai collections authored by him are also memorable for the exposition of feminine beauty in all its forms-- a young girl, a married woman, and an iconic universal mother. 

Relax and enjoy listening to this presentation.

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Intizar Husain was born in a small town in the district of Bulandshahr, UP, and his family migrated to Pakistan in 1947. But it seems that he left his heart behind because not only pre-partition India but the dominant themes in the Indian culture, including folk tales and ancient epics, stayed in his consciousness. He repeatedly used these themes in his stories and novels. His 1979 novel Basti, translated into English by Francis Pritchett, was nominated for the Man Booker International Prize. In addition, he received several other honors and awards, including Premchand Fellowship by the Sahitya Akademi in 2007. Intizar Husain was a close friend and admirer of my mentor, Professor Gopi Chand Narang. I recall several conversations with Narang Sahib about Husain's literary contributions. He died in 2016 after a brief illness.

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In this Season finale, I present a short story by Intizar Husain, the eminent short story writer, and novelist of the Indian subcontinent. He was born in a small town in the district of Bulandshahr, UP, and his family migrated to Pakistan in 1947. But it seems that he left his heart behind because not only pre-partition India but the dominant themes in the Indian culture, including folk tales and ancient epics, stayed in his consciousness. He repeatedly used these themes in his stories and novels. His 1979 novel Basti, translated into English by Francis Pritchett, was nominated for the Man Booker International Prize. In addition, he received several other honors and awards, including Premchand Fellowship by the Sahitya Akademi in 2007. Intizar Husain was a close friend and admirer of my mentor, Professor Gopi Chand Narang. I recall several conversations with Narang Sahib about Husain's literary contributions. He died in 2016 after a brief illness.