Majaz Lakhnawi | |
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| Born | 19 October 1911 Rudauli,United Provinces of Agra and Oudh,British India |
| Died | 5 December 1955 (aged 44) Lucknow,Uttar Pradesh,India |
| Pen name | Majaz |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Genre | Urdu poetry,Ghazal,nazm,geet |
| Subject | Lust,philosophy,revolution |
| Literary movement | Progressive Writers' Movement |
| Relatives | Hamida Salim (sister) Ansar Harvani (brother) Javed Akhtar (nephew) Salman Akhtar (nephew) Farhan Akhtar (grand son) |
Asrar-ul-Haq (19 October 1911 – 5 December 1955), better known asMajaz Lakhnawi, was an IndianUrdu poet. He is known for hisromantic andrevolutionary poetry. He composedghazals andnazms inUrdu. He was the maternal uncle of poet and screenplay writerJaved Akhtar and Indian-American psychoanalystSalman Akhtar.[1]
Majaz was born on 19 October 1911 atRudauli inAyodhya district of what is nowUttar Pradesh.[2][3] His family were a branch of a land-owning gentry family, but were not wealthy. His brotherAnsar Harvani was a journalist and he had two older sisters, namely Safia andHamida.[a] Safia was the wife of poetJan Nisar Akhtar. Thus, Majaz was the maternal uncle ofJaved Akhtar.[4] Majaz suffered from a hearing impairment even as a child, and probably for this reason, he tended to be somewhat difficult, with erratic behavior; he was moody and also aloner.[2] He had the habit of staying awake all night and doing most of his work then; as a result, his earned the nickname "Jaggan Bhaiyya" ("awake brother" in Hindi). According to a major newspaper of the region, "With hindsight one could deduce that he had the marks of abipolar mental disorder that became more pronounced as he grew older and his life began to fall apart".[2]
Majaz's father, Seraj-ul-Haq, was a university graduate at a time when this was rare; he joined government service, serving in the middle ranks of the registration department, and finally reached the rank of Assistant Registrar. He was posted mainly inLucknow, but since his aged parents needed attention, he kept his wife and children in the ancestral house at Rudauli, which is not far fromLucknow, and he would visit them about twice a month. Thus, Majaz grew up mainly in Rudauli and received his basic education there. In the late 1920s, his father was transferred toAgra. Since his parents were no more, and since Agra was too far from Rudauli for frequent visits, Seraj-ul-Haq decided to take his wife and children with him.
Majaz completed school inAgra in 1929, and enrolled in St. John's Intermediate College. Almost immediately, his father was transferred toAligarh, and the family moved again, leaving Majaz in a hostel. The young Majaz was given a cash allowance for the first time in his life, and freedom from his mother's adoring but eagle surveillance.[2] He behaved like many teenagers of his age, neglected his studies, spent his time and money the way he liked, and failed his exams. Yet, his time was spent not on games or in disreputable activities, but in attendingmushairas (poetry symposia) andmusic concerts. It was at this time that he came in contact with both senior and upcoming poets of Agra, includingFani Badayuni,Ale Ahmad Suroor and Jazbi. With difficulty, Majaz finally cleared his intermediate exams in 1931, and rejoined his parents in Aligarh, where his father got him enrolled for BA atAligarh Muslim University,[2] his subjects being philosophy, economics and Urdu. He graduated in 1936, again taking a year more than he should have.[5]
The years that Majaz spent inAligarh 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 theProgressive Writers' Movement underK. M. Ashraf andAbdul Aleem.[3] Majaz lived and wrote in times which were exceptionally vibrant for poetry; Urdu-language poets such asFaiz Ahmed Faiz,Fani Badayuni, Jazbi,Makhdoom,Sahir Ludhianvi,Ismat Chughtai, andAli Sardar Jafri were among his peers.[2][5][6] They were not merely his contemporaries but close friends as well. Others such asJosh andFiraq knew him well. His first diwan,Ahang, is dedicated to Faiz and Jazbi whom he calls his “dil-o-jigar,” and toSardar Jafri and Makhdoom, who are “mere dast-o-bazu.” Faiz wrote a thoughtful prelude toAhang.[2]
Majaz abandoned his MA in Aligarh due to financial reasons and moved toDelhi 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 byShahid Ahmad Dehlvi.[7] He also worked for theAll India Radio for a year before moving toBombay, where he worked in the Department of Information for the Government of Bombay.[8]
In 1937, he returned to Lucknow and along with Jafri andSibte Hassan founded the literary magazine,Parcham (Flag) which ran only for a single issue.[9] In Lucknow, he also worked on the editorial staff of journals likeHalqa-e-Adab (Circle of Literature) and inNaya Adab (New Literature) along with Jafri and Sibte Hassan.[8]
Majaz died on 5 December 1955,[2] while the first Students' Urdu Convention was underway in Lucknow. His condolence meeting was held on 7 December 1955 in theRifah-e-Aam Hall and was attended by poets and writers from all over India.[10]
Due to his heavy drinking, he had a tragic death. On the night of his death, according to a newspaper, "Majaz's friends took him to a tavern inLalbagh where they all drank on the rooftop. One by one they all left leaving Majaz alone in the cold winter night. The next morning he was rushed to the hospital where doctors diagnosed abrain hemorrhage andpneumonia".[5] Majaz died that night.
He was buried in a cemetery in Lucknow. His grave bears a verse from one of his ghazals written in 1945:[10]
And after this there is morn and the new morning Majaz
With me ends the eve of sorrows of Lucknow.
Majaz's collection of poems include:[8]
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