Majaz

Asrar-ul-Haq (19 October 1911 – 5 December 1955), better known as Majaz Lakhnawi, was an Indian Urdu poet. He is known for his romantic and revolutionary poetry. He composed ghazals and nazms in Urdu. He was the maternal uncle of poet and screenplay writer Javed Akhtar and Indian-American psychoanalyst Salman Akhtar.

Early life and education Majaz was born on 19 October 1911 at Rudauli in Ayodhya district of what is now Uttar Pradesh.

Career

The years that Majaz spent in Aligarh Muslim University (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 under K. M. Ashraf and Abdul Aleem. Majaz lived and wrote in times which were exceptionally vibrant for poetry; Urdu-language poets such as Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Fani Badayuni, Jazbi, Makhdoom, Sahir Ludhianvi, Ismat Chughtai, 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 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 for a year Kahkashan lit. Galaxy, A calassic doordarshan biographical telefilm based on the life stories of a Galaxy of Poets covers Majaz's major life events and poetry, narrated by Ali Sardar Jafri. This play portrays the stages of 'Zuhoor', 'Urooj' and then 'Zawaal' of Majaz, furthered by the general deterioration. A dastangoi based on Majaz's life and poetry was performed by Ankit Chadha 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 Yeh Mera Chaman, Yeh Mera Chaman by Majaz is now the anthem for Aligarh Muslim University.