Kaifi Azmi
Encyclopedia
Kaifi Azmi was an India
n Urdu
poet
. He is considered to be one the greatest Urdu poets of 20th century. Together with Pirzada Qasim, Jon Eliya and many others he participated in many memorable mushairas of 20th century.
, Uttar Pradesh
, India
.
(An Indian Actress of film, television and theatre) and Baba Azmi
(Indian Cinematographer).
and over there, he recited a ghazal, rather a couplet of the ghazal which was very much appreciated by the president of the mushaira, Mani Jaisi, but most of the people, including his father, thought he recited his elder brother's ghazal. When his elder brother denied it, his father and his clerk decided to test his poetic talent. They gave him one of the lines of a couplet and asked him to write a ghazal in the same meter and rhyme. Azmi accepted the challenge and completed a ghazal. This particular ghazal was to become a rage in undivided India and it was immortalized as it was sung by legendary ghazal singer, Begum Akhtar
.
Azmi abandoned his studies of Persian and Urdu during the Quit India
agitations in 1942 and shortly thereafter became a full time Marxist when he accepted membership of the Communist Party of India
in 1943.
During this period, the leading progressive writers of Lucknow noticed him. They were very impressed by his leadership qualities. They also saw in him a budding poet and extended all possible encouragement towards him. Consequently, Azmi started to win great acclaim as a poet and became a member of Progressive Writers' Movement
of India.
At the age of twenty-four, he started activities in the textile mill areas of Kanpur. As a full time worker, he left his life of comfort, though he was the son of a zamindar. He was asked to shift his base to Bombay, work amongst the workers and start party work with a lot of zeal and enthusiasm and at the same time would attend mushairas in different parts of India. In Bombay, he joined Ali Sardar Jafri
in writing for the party’s paper, Qaumi Jung.
In 1947, he visited Hyderabad to participate in a mushaira. There he met, fell in love with and married a woman named Shaukat Azmi. She later became a renowned actress in theatre and films. They had two children together, Shabana Azmi
(b. 1950), a renowned actress of Indian cinema and Baba Azmi
, a noted cameraman.
and Communist Party made him embark on the path of socially conscious poetry.
In his poetry, he highlights the exploitation of the subaltern masses and through them he conveys a message of the creation of a just social order by dismantling the existing one. Yet, his poetry cannot be called plain propaganda. It has its own merits; intensity of emotions, in particular, and the spirit of sympathy and compassion towards the disadvantaged section of society, are the hallmark of his poetry. His poems are also notable for their rich imagery and in this respect, his contribution to Urdu poetry can hardly be overstated.
Azmi's first collection of poems, Jhankar was published in 1943. His important works including anthologies of poetry, were Aakhir-e-Shab, Sarmaya, Awaara Sajde, Kaifiyaat, Nai Gulistan, an anthology of articles he wrote for Urdu Blitz, Meri Awaaz Suno, a selection of his film lyrics, and the script of Heer Ranjha in Devanagari
.
His best known poems are Aurat, Makaan,Daaera,Saanp, and Bahuroopni.
, in 1952. His early work as a writer was mainly for Nanubhai Vakil's films like Yahudi Ki Beti (1956), Parvin (1957), Miss Punjab Mail (1958) and Id Ka Chand (1958).
While directors like Khwaja Ahmad Abbas
and Bimal Roy
strove to create the “New Cinema”, writers like Sahir Ludhianvi
, Jan Nisar Akhtar
, Majrooh Sultanpuri
, and Kaifi changed the tenor and vocabulary of the Hindi film song, creating a fresh new wave in Hindi film lyrics that lasted many years. http://www.kaifiaurmain.com/kaifi.html
His greatest feat as a writer was Chetan Anand's Heer Raanjha
(1970) wherein the entire dialogue of the film was in verse. It was a tremendous achievement and one of the greatest feats of Hindi film writing. Azmi also won great critical accolades for the script, dialogues and lyrics of M.S. Sathyu's Garam Hawa
(1973), based on a story by Ismat Chughtai
. Azmi also wrote the dialogues for Shyam Benegal
's Manthan
(1976) and Sathyu's Kanneshwara Rama (1977).
As a lyricist and songwriter, though he wrote for numerous films, he will always be remembered for Guru Dutt
's Kaagaz Ke Phool
(1959) and Chetan Anand
's Haqeeqat
(1964), India's greatest war film. Some notables films for which he wrote lyrics include Kohra
(1964), Anupama
(1966), Uski Kahani (1966), Saat Hindustani
(1969), Shola Aur Shabnam, Parwana
(1971), Bawarchi
(1972), Pakeezah
(1972), Hanste Zakhm
(1973), Arth
(1982) and Razia Sultan
(1983). He also played a memorable role of Naseem's grandfather in Naseem
(1995).
Azmi died on May 10, 2002 at around the age of eighty-three. He was survived by his wife, daughter and son.
His autobiography is included in a collection of his works, Aaj Ke Prashid Shayar: Kaifi Azmi.
Kaifi Aur Mein, a play based on his life, his works and the memoir of his wife, Shaukat Azmi - Yadon Ki Rahguzar (Down Memory Lane), was written and performed by Javed Akhtar
and Shabana Azmi
, and performed in India as well as abroad in 2006.http://readerswords.wordpress.com/2006/12/03/kaifi-aur-main/ Another play, directed by Rani Balbir, Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Hasin Sitam, based Kaifi Azmi’s life and writings was staged in 2005, and received rave reviews.http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050320/spectrum/main6.htm
one of the Indian Government's highest civilian awards. Besides he was awarded the Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy Award and the Sahitya Akademi Award
for his collection Awaara Sajde, Special Award of Maharashtra Urdu Academy, Soviet Land Nehru Award, Lotus Award from the Afro-Asian Writers' Association, and President’s Award for national integration. In 1998, Government of Maharashtra
conferred the Jyaneshwara Award on him. He was also honoured with the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Fellowship
for lifetime achievement.
In 2000, he was conferred the first Millennium Award by the Government of Delhi
and the Delhi Urdu Academy. He has also been honoured with a doctorate from Vishva Bharati University
, Santiniketan
. http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/01062002/0106200231.htm
Aaj ki raat na neend aayegi
Hum sub uthen, main bhi uthun, tum bhi utho
Koi khidki isi deewar mein khul jayegi
- Makaan
Tapti saanson ki haraarat se pighal jaati hai
Paaon jis raah mein rakhti hai fisal jaati hai
Banke seemaab har ik zarf mein dhal jaati hai
Zist ke aahni saanche main dhalna hai tujhe
uth meri jaan mere saath hi chalna hai tujhe…
- Aurat (Woman)
Hum Rahe na Hum, tum rahe na tum.
- Film Kaagaz Ke Phool
1959
Kya gum hai jisko Chupa rahe Ho.
- Film Arth
(1982)
Meri khwabo ko tum asko me dubote keu ho?
Jo meri tarha jia karte hai kab marte hai
Thak gaya hu mujhe solene do rote keu ho?
Soke bhi jagte rahte hai janbaz suno.
.......keu sazai ho chandan ke chita mere liey
mai koi jism nahi jalao ge mujhe
rakh ke saath bikhar jaunga dunia me
thokar jahan khaogey waha paogey mujhe.
http://www.kaifiaurmain.com/collection.html
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
. He is considered to be one the greatest Urdu poets of 20th century. Together with Pirzada Qasim, Jon Eliya and many others he participated in many memorable mushairas of 20th century.
Early life
Kaifi Azmi was born in a village Mizwaa(n) in AzamgarhAzamgarh
Azamgarh is a town in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is headquarters of Azamgarh district and Azamgarh Division.-History:Azamgarh, one of the easternmost districts of the State, once formed a part of the ancient Kosala kingdom, except the north-eastern part of it which was included in the...
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Family
Kaifi Azmi is married to Shaukhat Azmi. They have a daughter, Shabana AzmiShabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
(An Indian Actress of film, television and theatre) and Baba Azmi
Baba Azmi
Baba Azmi is an Indian film cinematographer and member of the Akhtar-Azmi film family. He is the child of the late poet and lyricist Kaifi Azmi. Even though he is not as known as his sister, Shabana Azmi, he has used his lenses in films like, m Arjun, Beta, Dil, Tezaab, Mr. India, Akele Hum Akele...
(Indian Cinematographer).
Writings
At age eleven, Azmi wrote his first ghazal Itna To Zindagi Mein Kisi Ki Khalal Pade and somehow managed to get himself invited to a mushairaMushaira
Mushaira is a poetic symposium. Its a term in Urdu used to describe an event where poets gather to perform their works. A mushaira is a beloved part of the culture of Pakistan and North India, and it is greatly admired by participants as a forum for free self-expression.-Forms:A mushaira can take...
and over there, he recited a ghazal, rather a couplet of the ghazal which was very much appreciated by the president of the mushaira, Mani Jaisi, but most of the people, including his father, thought he recited his elder brother's ghazal. When his elder brother denied it, his father and his clerk decided to test his poetic talent. They gave him one of the lines of a couplet and asked him to write a ghazal in the same meter and rhyme. Azmi accepted the challenge and completed a ghazal. This particular ghazal was to become a rage in undivided India and it was immortalized as it was sung by legendary ghazal singer, Begum Akhtar
Begum Akhtar
Akhtari Bai Faizabadi or Begum Akhtar was a well known Indian singer of Ghazal, Dadra and Thumri.She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for vocal music, and was awarded Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan by Govt. of India...
.
Azmi abandoned his studies of Persian and Urdu during the Quit India
Quit India Movement
The Quit India Movement , or the August Movement was a civil disobedience movement launched in India in August 1942 in response to Mohandas Gandhi's call for immediate independence. Gandhi hoped to bring the British government to the negotiating table...
agitations in 1942 and shortly thereafter became a full time Marxist when he accepted membership of the Communist Party of India
Communist Party of India
The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925...
in 1943.
During this period, the leading progressive writers of Lucknow noticed him. They were very impressed by his leadership qualities. They also saw in him a budding poet and extended all possible encouragement towards him. Consequently, Azmi started to win great acclaim as a poet and became a member of Progressive Writers' Movement
Progressive Writers' Movement
The Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind or Progressive Writers' Movement was a progressive literary movement in the pre-partition British India, consisting of a few different writers groups around the world....
of India.
At the age of twenty-four, he started activities in the textile mill areas of Kanpur. As a full time worker, he left his life of comfort, though he was the son of a zamindar. He was asked to shift his base to Bombay, work amongst the workers and start party work with a lot of zeal and enthusiasm and at the same time would attend mushairas in different parts of India. In Bombay, he joined Ali Sardar Jafri
Ali Sardar Jafri
Ali Sardar Jafri was an Urdu writer, poet, critic and film lyricist from India.-Early life and education:Ali Sardar Jafri was born in an aristocratic family in Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh, where he spent his formative years....
in writing for the party’s paper, Qaumi Jung.
In 1947, he visited Hyderabad to participate in a mushaira. There he met, fell in love with and married a woman named Shaukat Azmi. She later became a renowned actress in theatre and films. They had two children together, Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
(b. 1950), a renowned actress of Indian cinema and Baba Azmi
Baba Azmi
Baba Azmi is an Indian film cinematographer and member of the Akhtar-Azmi film family. He is the child of the late poet and lyricist Kaifi Azmi. Even though he is not as known as his sister, Shabana Azmi, he has used his lenses in films like, m Arjun, Beta, Dil, Tezaab, Mr. India, Akele Hum Akele...
, a noted cameraman.
Poetry
Like most of the Urdu poets, Azmi began as a ghazal writer, cramming his poetry with the repeated themes of love and romance in a style that was replete with clichés and metaphors. However, his association with the Progressive Writers' MovementProgressive Writers' Movement
The Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind or Progressive Writers' Movement was a progressive literary movement in the pre-partition British India, consisting of a few different writers groups around the world....
and Communist Party made him embark on the path of socially conscious poetry.
In his poetry, he highlights the exploitation of the subaltern masses and through them he conveys a message of the creation of a just social order by dismantling the existing one. Yet, his poetry cannot be called plain propaganda. It has its own merits; intensity of emotions, in particular, and the spirit of sympathy and compassion towards the disadvantaged section of society, are the hallmark of his poetry. His poems are also notable for their rich imagery and in this respect, his contribution to Urdu poetry can hardly be overstated.
Azmi's first collection of poems, Jhankar was published in 1943. His important works including anthologies of poetry, were Aakhir-e-Shab, Sarmaya, Awaara Sajde, Kaifiyaat, Nai Gulistan, an anthology of articles he wrote for Urdu Blitz, Meri Awaaz Suno, a selection of his film lyrics, and the script of Heer Ranjha in Devanagari
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
.
His best known poems are Aurat, Makaan,Daaera,Saanp, and Bahuroopni.
Kar chale hum fida jan-o-tan sathion ab tumhare hawale watan sathio zinda rahne ki mausam bahut hai magar jan dene ki rut roz ati nahi husn aur ishq dono ko ruswa kare wo jawani jo khume nahati nahi aaj dharti bani hai dulhan sathio Kar Chale hum Fida Jano Tan Sathio |
| Kaifi Azmi |
Films
Azmi's work in films includes working as a lyricist, writer and actor. Azmi wrote his first lyrics for the film Buzdil, directed by Shaheed LatifShaheed Latif
Shaheed Latif or more appropriately Shahid Lateef was Hindi film director, writer, and producer. He was the maker of films like Ziddi with launched Dev Anand's career and Arzoo starring Dilip Kumar and Kamini Kaushal...
, in 1952. His early work as a writer was mainly for Nanubhai Vakil's films like Yahudi Ki Beti (1956), Parvin (1957), Miss Punjab Mail (1958) and Id Ka Chand (1958).
While directors like Khwaja Ahmad Abbas
Khwaja Ahmad Abbas
Khwaja Ahmad Abbas , popularly known as K. A. Abbas, was an Indian film director, novelist, screenwriter, and a journalist in the Urdu, Hindi and English languages...
and Bimal Roy
Bimal Roy
Bimal Roy was one of the most acclaimed Indian film directors of all time. He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films like Do Bigha Zamin, Parineeta, Biraj Bahu, Madhumati, Sujata, and Bandini, making him an important director of Hindi cinema...
strove to create the “New Cinema”, writers like Sahir Ludhianvi
Sahir Ludhianvi
Sahir Ludhianvi was a popular Urdu poet and Hindi lyricist and songwriter. Sahir Ludhianvi is his pseudonym...
, Jan Nisar Akhtar
Jan Nisar Akhtar
Jan Nisar Akhtar was an important 20th century Indian poet of Urdu ghazals and nazms, and a part of the Progressive Writers' Movement, who was also a lyricist for Bollywood....
, Majrooh Sultanpuri
Majrooh Sultanpuri
Majrooh Sultanpuri was an Urdu poet, lyricist and songwriter...
, and Kaifi changed the tenor and vocabulary of the Hindi film song, creating a fresh new wave in Hindi film lyrics that lasted many years. http://www.kaifiaurmain.com/kaifi.html
His greatest feat as a writer was Chetan Anand's Heer Raanjha
Heer Raanjha
Heer Raanjha is a 1970 Hindi movie, produced by son Ketan Anand and directed by father Chetan Anand. The film stars Raaj Kumar, Priya Rajvansh, Pran, Prithviraj Kapoor, Ajit, Jayant, Sonia Sahni, Kamini Kaushal, Indrani Mukherjee, Achla Sachdev and Tun Tun...
(1970) wherein the entire dialogue of the film was in verse. It was a tremendous achievement and one of the greatest feats of Hindi film writing. Azmi also won great critical accolades for the script, dialogues and lyrics of M.S. Sathyu's Garam Hawa
Garam Hawa
Garm Hava is a 1973 Urdu film directed by M. S. Sathyu, based on an unpublished Urdu short story by Ismat Chughtai and adapted for screen by Kaifi Azmi, who also wrote its lyrics....
(1973), based on a story by Ismat Chughtai
Ismat Chughtai
Ismat Chughtai 1 was an eminent Urdu writer, known for her indomitable spirit and a fierce feminist ideology. She was considered the grand dame of Urdu fiction, as one of the four pillars of modern Urdu short story, the other three being Saadat Hasan Manto, Krishan Chander, and Rajinder Singh Bedi...
. Azmi also wrote the dialogues for Shyam Benegal
Shyam Benegal
Shyam Benegal is a prolific Indian director and screenwriter. With his first four feature films Ankur , Nishant Manthan and Bhumika he created a new genre, which has now come to be called the "middle cinema" in India although he himself has expressed dislike in the term preferring his work to...
's Manthan
Manthan
Manthan was a 1976 Hindi film made by Shyam Benegal, based on a story written jointly by Verghese Kurien and director Shyam Benegal...
(1976) and Sathyu's Kanneshwara Rama (1977).
As a lyricist and songwriter, though he wrote for numerous films, he will always be remembered for Guru Dutt
Guru Dutt
Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone , popularly known as Guru Dutt, was an Indian film director, producer and actor. He is often credited with ushering in the golden era of Hindi cinema...
's Kaagaz Ke Phool
Kaagaz Ke Phool
Kaagaz Ke Phool, , is a 1959 Hindi film produced and directed by Guru Dutt, who also played the lead role in the film .The film was a box office disaster of its time but was later resurrected as a world cinema cult classic in the 1980s. The film's music was composed by S. D...
(1959) and Chetan Anand
Chetan Anand (producer & director)
Chetan Anand was an acclaimed Hindi film producer, screenwriter and director from India, whose debut film, Neecha Nagar, bagged the Palme d'Or award, at the Cannes Film Festival in 1946....
's Haqeeqat
Haqeeqat
Haqeeqat is a 1964 Hindi war-film directed by Chetan Anand. It was supported by the Government of India.The movie stars Balraj Sahni, Dharmendra, Rajender Kumar, Priya Rajvansh, Sanjay Khan and Vijay Anand. the music is by Madan Mohan and the lyrics by Kaifi Azmi. The movie was based on the 1962...
(1964), India's greatest war film. Some notables films for which he wrote lyrics include Kohra
Kohra
Kohra is a 1964 Indian thriller film directed by Biren Nag, starring Waheeda Rehman, Biswajeet and Lalita Pawar. The movie is version of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca though some supernatural elements were added to it...
(1964), Anupama
Anupama
"Anupama" is a Sanskrit word meaning "unparalleled", or "uncomparable" . It has a feminine gender and refers to the goddess or Shakti. It is also a given name....
(1966), Uski Kahani (1966), Saat Hindustani
Saat Hindustani
Saat Hindustani is a 1969 film written and directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. The film portrays the heroic story of seven Indians who attempt to liberate Goa from the Portuguese colonial rule. The cast included Utpal Dutt, Madhu, A. K. Hangal and Amitabh Bachchan who made his debut with this film...
(1969), Shola Aur Shabnam, Parwana
Parwana
Parwana is a 2003 Bollywood drama film directed by Deepak Bahry. The film stars Ajay Devgan as an orphan and Amisha Patel.Summary='PARWANA' is a story of an orphan - who lives in a basti. He has one mission to help the poor people of basti - for that he does odd jobs without harming any body...
(1971), Bawarchi
Bawarchi
Bawarchi is a 1972 Indian film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee starring Rajesh Khanna and Jaya Badhuri with Asrani, A.K...
(1972), Pakeezah
Pakeezah
Pakeezah is a 1972 Indian film. It was directed by Kamal Amrohi who was known for his perfectionism. The music is by Ghulam Mohammed and Naushad...
(1972), Hanste Zakhm
Hanste Zakhm
Hanste Zakhm is a 1973 Indian Hindi film produced and directed by Chetan Anand with music by Madan Mohan, and lyrics by Kaifi Azmi. The film stars Navin Nischol, Priya Rajvansh, Balraj Sahni, and Nadira in lead roles.-Plot & Textual Analysis:...
(1973), Arth
Arth (film)
Arth is a 1982 film directed by Mahesh Bhatt, starring Shabana Azmi, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Smita Patil, Raj Kiran and Rohini Hattangadi. It features a memorable soundtrack by Ghazal duo, Jagjit Singh and Chitra Singh....
(1982) and Razia Sultan
Razia Sultan (film)
Razia Sultan is 1983 Urdu film, written and directed by Kamal Amrohi, and starring Hema Malini and Dharmendra in lead roles.The film's music was provided by Khayyam, with lyrics by Jan Nisar Akhtar and two songs by Nida Fazli who walked into the project when Akhtar died...
(1983). He also played a memorable role of Naseem's grandfather in Naseem
Naseem (film)
Naseem, , is an 1995 Hindi film directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza based on his own story.Naseem is considered an important socio-political film that marks a turning point in the Hindu-Muslim dynamics in India as it is based around the Babri Masjid demolition of 1992. It stands amidst great films of...
(1995).
Azmi died on May 10, 2002 at around the age of eighty-three. He was survived by his wife, daughter and son.
His autobiography is included in a collection of his works, Aaj Ke Prashid Shayar: Kaifi Azmi.
In Media
Azmi was the subject of a documentary film called Kaifi Azmi (1979), directed by Raman Kumar. In 1997, he recited his own poems for Kaifiyaat, an audio book on his collected works.Kaifi Aur Mein, a play based on his life, his works and the memoir of his wife, Shaukat Azmi - Yadon Ki Rahguzar (Down Memory Lane), was written and performed by Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar
Javed Akhtar is a poet, lyricist and scriptwriter from India. Some of his most successful work was done in the late 1970s and 1980s with Salim Khan as half of the script-writing duo credited as Salim-Javed...
and Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
, and performed in India as well as abroad in 2006.http://readerswords.wordpress.com/2006/12/03/kaifi-aur-main/ Another play, directed by Rani Balbir, Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Hasin Sitam, based Kaifi Azmi’s life and writings was staged in 2005, and received rave reviews.http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050320/spectrum/main6.htm
Awards
He was the recipient of Padma ShriPadma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
one of the Indian Government's highest civilian awards. Besides he was awarded the Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy Award and the Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
for his collection Awaara Sajde, Special Award of Maharashtra Urdu Academy, Soviet Land Nehru Award, Lotus Award from the Afro-Asian Writers' Association, and President’s Award for national integration. In 1998, Government of Maharashtra
Government of Maharashtra
Government of Maharashtra is the government for the state of Maharashtra in Western India.It is an elected government with 288 MLAs elected to the legislative assembly for a 5 year term.-Ministers:...
conferred the Jyaneshwara Award on him. He was also honoured with the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Fellowship
Sahitya Akademi Fellowship
The Sahitya Akademi Fellowship is a literary honour in India. Awarded by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, to the "immortals of literature," and limited to twenty one individuals at any given time, it is the highest literary honour conferred by the Government of India...
for lifetime achievement.
In 2000, he was conferred the first Millennium Award by the Government of Delhi
Government of Delhi
The Government of Delhi is the supreme governing authority of the Indian national capital territory of Delhi and its 9 districts. It consists of an executive, led by the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, a judiciary and a legislative...
and the Delhi Urdu Academy. He has also been honoured with a doctorate from Vishva Bharati University
Visva-Bharati University
Visva Bharati University is a Central University for research and teaching in India, located in the twin towns of Santiniketan and Sriniketan in the Indian state of West Bengal. It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore who called it Visva Bharati, which means the communion of the world with India...
, Santiniketan
Santiniketan
Santiniketan is a small town near Bolpur in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India, approximately 180 kilometres north of Kolkata . It was made famous by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, whose vision became what is now a university town that attracts thousands of visitors each year...
. http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/01062002/0106200231.htm
Sahitya Akademi Award
- 1975: Sahitya Akademi AwardSahitya Akademi AwardSahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
: Awara Sajde - 2002: Sahitya Akademi FellowshipSahitya Akademi FellowshipThe Sahitya Akademi Fellowship is a literary honour in India. Awarded by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, to the "immortals of literature," and limited to twenty one individuals at any given time, it is the highest literary honour conferred by the Government of India...
(Immortals of Literature)
Filmfare Awards
- 1975:Filmfare Best Dialogue AwardFilmfare Best Dialogue AwardThe Filmfare Best Dialogue Award is given by the Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films. Here is a list of the award winners since 1958 and the films for which they won.-Superlatives:Most AwardsGulzar - 4...
: Garam HawaGaram HawaGarm Hava is a 1973 Urdu film directed by M. S. Sathyu, based on an unpublished Urdu short story by Ismat Chughtai and adapted for screen by Kaifi Azmi, who also wrote its lyrics.... - 1975:Filmfare Best Screenplay AwardFilmfare Best Screenplay AwardThe Filmfare Best Screenplay Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.-Superlatives:Most AwardsSalim-Javed - 3Basu Chatterjee - 2Mani Ratnam - 2Vijay Tendulkar - 2Rajkumar Hirani - 2...
: Garam HawaGaram HawaGarm Hava is a 1973 Urdu film directed by M. S. Sathyu, based on an unpublished Urdu short story by Ismat Chughtai and adapted for screen by Kaifi Azmi, who also wrote its lyrics....
(with Shama ZaidiShama ZaidiShama Zaidi is an Indian screenwriter, costume designer, art director, theatre person, art critic, and documentary filmmaker.-Biography:...
) - 1975:Filmfare Best Story AwardFilmfare Best Story AwardThe Filmfare Award for Best Story is an given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a writer who wrote a film's story.-1950s:* 1955 Mukhram Sharma - Aulad...
: Garam HawaGaram HawaGarm Hava is a 1973 Urdu film directed by M. S. Sathyu, based on an unpublished Urdu short story by Ismat Chughtai and adapted for screen by Kaifi Azmi, who also wrote its lyrics....
(with Ismat ChughtaiIsmat ChughtaiIsmat Chughtai 1 was an eminent Urdu writer, known for her indomitable spirit and a fierce feminist ideology. She was considered the grand dame of Urdu fiction, as one of the four pillars of modern Urdu short story, the other three being Saadat Hasan Manto, Krishan Chander, and Rajinder Singh Bedi...
)
Famous verses
- Aaj ki raat bahut garam hawa chalti hai
Aaj ki raat na neend aayegi
Hum sub uthen, main bhi uthun, tum bhi utho
Koi khidki isi deewar mein khul jayegi
- Makaan
- Tu jo bejaan khilonon se behel jaati hai
Tapti saanson ki haraarat se pighal jaati hai
Paaon jis raah mein rakhti hai fisal jaati hai
Banke seemaab har ik zarf mein dhal jaati hai
Zist ke aahni saanche main dhalna hai tujhe
uth meri jaan mere saath hi chalna hai tujhe…
- Aurat (Woman)
- Waqt Ni Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam
Hum Rahe na Hum, tum rahe na tum.
- Film Kaagaz Ke Phool
Kaagaz Ke Phool
Kaagaz Ke Phool, , is a 1959 Hindi film produced and directed by Guru Dutt, who also played the lead role in the film .The film was a box office disaster of its time but was later resurrected as a world cinema cult classic in the 1980s. The film's music was composed by S. D...
1959
- Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho
Kya gum hai jisko Chupa rahe Ho.
- Film Arth
Arth (film)
Arth is a 1982 film directed by Mahesh Bhatt, starring Shabana Azmi, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Smita Patil, Raj Kiran and Rohini Hattangadi. It features a memorable soundtrack by Ghazal duo, Jagjit Singh and Chitra Singh....
(1982)
- zindeji bhar mujhe nafrat si rahi asko se
Meri khwabo ko tum asko me dubote keu ho?
Jo meri tarha jia karte hai kab marte hai
Thak gaya hu mujhe solene do rote keu ho?
Soke bhi jagte rahte hai janbaz suno.
.......keu sazai ho chandan ke chita mere liey
mai koi jism nahi jalao ge mujhe
rakh ke saath bikhar jaunga dunia me
thokar jahan khaogey waha paogey mujhe.
Select bibliography
- Kaifi Azmi- Fan Aur Shaqsiyat (Urdu), Mayar Publications, 2004.
- Kaifiyaat:Kulliyat-e-Kaifi Azmi(URDU)), Educational Publishing House,2003.ISBN 8187667788.
- Zehr-e-Ishq (Hindi), Vani Prakashan, 2003.
- Heer Ranjha (Hindi), Vani Prakshan 2003.
- Steel Man was Here, Penguin, 2002.
- Kaifi Azmi- Selected Poems and Life Sketch, Rajpal Publishers, 2002. ISBN 8170283957.
- Aaj Ke Prashid Shayar: Kaifi Azmi-Chuni Hui Shayari (Hindi), Rajpal & Sons, 2002.ISBN 8170285429.
- Meri Awaz Suno (Hindi), Rajkamal Prakashan, 2002.
- Nai Gulistan Vol.1 (Hindi), Rajkamal Prakashan, 2001.
- Nai Gulistan Vol.2 (Hindi), Rajkamal Prakashan, 2001.
- Doosra Banwas (Hindi), Diamond Pocket Books Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 8128809822.
- Awara Sajde (Hindi), Lokbharti Prakashan, 1995.
- Sarmaya (Urdu), Mayar Publications, 1994.
http://www.kaifiaurmain.com/collection.html
Articles on Kaifi Azmi
- Kaifi Azmi: Symbol of resistance - Ranjit Hoskote.The Hindu, Sunday, 19 May 2002.http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2002/05/19/stories/2002051900280300.htm
- Kaifi Azmi: A poet and a gentleman. The Times Of India, 10 May 2002.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/9451468.cms
- Kaifi Azmi: the last comrade-poet - Tarique Omum. The Milli Gazette. http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/01062002/0106200231.htm
External links
- Kaifi Azmi at Kavita Kosh (Hindi)
- Recordings of Kaifi Azmi at Library of Congress
- http://www.kaifiaurmain.com/kaifi.html Kaifi Aur Main, a tribute site by IPTA.
- A collection of verses and mushaira recordings by Kaifi Azmi
- Poetry of Kaifi Azmi
- Songs by Kaifi Azmi
- Urdu poet Kaifi Azmi dead
- Now,Read Kaifi in Hindi on urdu.blogspot.com