Akhtar Husain | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1912 |
| Died | 1992 |
| Alma mater | University of Paris (PhD) |
Akhtar Husain (1912-1992,[1]Urdu:اختر حسین) also known asDr Akhtar Husain Raipuri[2] was aPakistanischolar,journalist andlexicographer.[1] He is also the author of the bookThe Dust of the Road: A Translation of Gard-e-Raah that was translated into English by Amina Azfar many years after his death.[3][4]
Akhtar Husain was born in the district ofRaipur[5] in theBritish Indian Empire, now within the state ofChhattisgarh,Republic of India. He was born to Saiyyed Akbar Husain, an engineer stationed in Raipur. His mother Mumtazunnisa was a publisher in women's journals. She died at age twenty-six when Akhtar was just three.[1]
As a child, Akhtar became fond of reading and saved money to buy books inHindi (a major register ofHindustani written in theDevanagari script), but could not readUrdu (another major register of Hindustani written in thePerso-Arabic script) as fluently. At age twelve, his school teacher asked him to help organize the school library, and his command over Hindi was so strong that, apart from reading it, he began writing in the language, and "his first story “Parajit” (Defeated) was published in Madhuri, a reputed literary journal, when he was only 16 years old."[1]
Outside Urdu and Hindi, other languages he'd master are Sanskrit, Bengali, Persian, English and French.[6] Later in his life he'll have a command over Spanish as well.[7]
Husain moved toCalcutta to pursue advanced studies which at the time was also a major center for publication inBengali, Hindi and Urdu. But after leaving there in 1932, Husain went on to translate popular works from Bengali poetQazi Nazrul Islam into Urdu. According to Husain,Babu Moolchand andMaulvi Abdul Huq as his two major life influences.[1]
He also became acquainted with friends with the poetsSaghar Nizami andMajaz Nizami. Huq upon reading Husain's works encouraged him to increase his attention to literature rather than journalism. Huq encouraged Husain to assist him in the development of an English–Hindi dictionary and the publication of the Urdu journal. After Husain agreed, the two of them moved toAurangabad where they startedAnjuman-i Taraqqi-i Urdu and worked for about two years. During that time, Husain also reviewed Urdu books under the pseudonym "Nakhuda". Over this time bonds between Husain and Abdul Haq.[1]
By 1935, Husain married Hamida, daughter of police officer andcrime fiction novelistZafar Omar.[8] Akhtar Husain witnessed the historic 1936 meeting ofSahitya Parishad in whichMahatma Gandhi declared thatHindi rather thanHindustani (which includes Urdu and technicallyCaribbean Hindustani as well) be the national language ofIndia upon independence.[1]
Upon this, Haq stopped all his works in Hindi, including the development of the English-Hindi dictionary, and Husain left Aurangabad forDelhi where he had difficulty settling for a career as a result of his application being rejected.[1]
He then applied toSorbonne where he pursued a PhD in ancient life in the Indian subcontinent based on Sanskrit texts. His thesis adviser wasMarc Bloch. He also briefly worked as a translator to support himself financially. He also later worked in news bulletins to write news analysis. He also worked with the Radio's Dictionary Committee.[9]
By 1942, Husain becameMuhammadan Anglo-Oriental College,Amritsar. Mutually, he also translated a three volume autobiography of Gorky. He also continued to write short stories (Zindagi ka Mela). By 1945, Husain worked as an assistant in the education department atSimla, where he also got the opportunity to work forMaulana Abul Kalam Azad.[9]
Two years within the end of theSecond World War and the end of theBritish Raj, Husain and his family relocated toKarachi,Sindh,Pakistan. It was around this time it was reported that violence between Brahmans and Muslims intensified.[10]
In Pakistan, Husain continued working in the educational fields, where he worked as secretary. Dissatisfied with the political direction Pakistani society had headed for, he took up a job at UNESCO where he retired from in 1972.[1]
Some of his major works include:
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