Malik Ram
Encyclopedia
Malik Ram Baveja or Malik Ram (1906–1993) was a renowned Urdu, Persian and Arabic scholar. His monumental work “Tazkirah-e-Muasireen” was awarded the 1983 Sahitya Akademi
Award.
: مالک رام ) ( Hindi
: मालिक राम ) was born on 22 December 1906 in Phalia, Punjab. He was educated at Government College, Lahore. Between 1931 and 1937 Malik Ram worked as a journalist.
At first he was the Joint-Editor of the Lahore monthly literary
journal Nairang-i-Khayal and subsequently its Editor when
Hakim Yusuf Hassan was the Chief Editor.
At the same time, Malik Ram was also the de facto
editor of the Lahore weekly Arya Gazette when its
official editor, Yogendra Pal Vidyarthi, became terminally ill.
Later, from January 1936 until June 1936, when it ceased publication,
Malik Ram was an assistant editor of the Lahore daily newspaper
Bharat Mata then edited by Lala Ram Prashad.
From 1939 until 1965, Malik Ram was in the Indian Foreign Service
which gave him the opportunity to travel to many countries and to study oriental texts and manuscripts lodged in their archives, libraries and museums. After retiring from Government service, he joined India's National Academy of Letters, the Sahitya Akademi, in New Delhi, where he was in charge of its Urdu section and also edited the complete works of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
. During this period he was also actively associated with Ilmi Majlis, Delhi, as the Editor of the Urdu quarterly literary review “Tahreer”.
Shortly before he died, Malik Ram donated his entire library of books and manuscripts to the Jamia Hamdard
University Library in Delhi. He died on 16 April 1993.
"Zikr-e-Ghalib", the book with which Malik Ram established his reputation and fame as an authority on Ghalib, ran into five editions in his lifetime. The comprehensively revised fifth edition was published in 1976 and it remains an authoritative work on the poet.
Malik Ram's "Mirza Ghalib" in English, an introduction to Ghalib,
was first published in 1968 by the National Book Trust, India
and has been re-issued regularly. It has also been translated into many languages.
“Talamiza-e-Ghalib” was published in 1958 and records the biographical details and samples of poetical works of 146 disciples of Ghalib. A revised and enlarged edition was published in 1984.
Malik Ram was instrumental in organising the Ghalib Centenary celebrations of 1969. He also wrote two special articles in English
(Ghalib: Man and Poet and The Works of Ghalib ) on this occasion which were published by the Press Information Bureau of the Government of India and released to the international press.
Malik Ram also published a new edition of Diwan-e-Ghalib in 1969 to coincide with the poet's centenary.
In step with the trend set by Maulana Syed Sulaiman Nadvi of “Maarif” Malik Ram popularised obituary-writing (Tazkirahs). This resulted in the eventual publication of “Tazkirah-e-Muasireen” which, in four volumes, enlists the lives and works of over 200 writers who died between 1967 and 1977. This work received the 1983
Sahitya Akademi
Urdu Award.
However, Malik Ram did not ignore the then living Urdu writers, as is reflected by the publication in 1977 of his book “Zia Fatehabadi Shakhs aur Shair”. This work presents a detailed appraisal of the life and works of the renowned Urdu poet Mehr Lal Soni Zia Fatehabadi
, carried out under Malik Ram’s supervision and guidance, and is considered a valuable addition to Urdu literary criticism. In 1988, he published “Nazre Mukhtar” which included his article on Mukhtaruddin Ahmad "Arzoo". Malik Ram likewise edited and published “Nazre Zaidi”, “Nazre Hameed” and “Nazre Arshi”.
Malik Ram's main works on a variety of subjects, with dates of publication, are listed on the Open Library website.
From 1983 to 1987, Malik Ram was the President of the long-established and influential 'Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu (Hind)' - the autonomous body concerned with all matters relating to the promotion of Urdu, which has over 600 branches in India.
“Malik Ram - Ek Mutaalah” (Malik Ram - A Study) was published in 1986 and edited by the prolific Urdu writer and poet Ali Jawad Zaidi
, who has also written the foreword. This volume consists of contributions from prominent Urdu scholars, conversant with different aspects of Malik Ram's writings, who have attempted to evaluate his work in some detail.
Earlier in 1972, Ali Jawad Zaidi
had compiled and edited the “Malik Ram Felicitation Volume" in which he describes
Malik Ram as one of the four pillars of Urdu research.
The two companion felicitation volumes in Urdu titled "Armaghan-i Malik" were compiled and edited by Gopi Chand Narang
. The three books were published to commemorate Malik Ram's 65th birthday, in appreciation of his erudition, scholastic versatility and manifold contributions to Urdu, Islamic and oriental literature, and were presented to him by V.V. Giri, the President of India. at a reception he gave in Malik Ram's honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan
in New Delhi in April 1972.
Jagan Nath Azad, the distinguished Urdu poet, who wrote the first national anthem of Pakistan and was an authority on Iqbal, had this to say about Malik Ram in his review of the award-winning Tazkirah-i-Muasireen:
Malik Ram, an internationally-known authority on Ghalib, is a versatile man of letters. A legend in his own life-time, he has a remarkable capability to deal with many subjects. He is, at the same time, an essayist, a biographer, a memoir-writer, a literary critic, a research scholar as also an authority on Islamic literature and culture.
"Tazkirah-i-Muasireen" is a work of encyclopaedic nature...
Two other publications in Urdu dwell on the life and works of Malik Ram, as seen by contemporary figures from the world of academia and by eminent Urdu writers of the day: Malik Nama (1987) edited by Bashir Hussain Zaidi
and Malik Ram published by the Ghalib Institute in New Delhi, which also contains the text of tributes paid to Malik Ram at a function hosted by the Ghalib Institute in 1991, to celebrate his life in his 85th year. Malik Ram died aged 86.
Malik Ram, Qazi Abdul Wadood (1896–1984) and Imtiyaz Ali Khan "Arshi" (1904–81)
were the three leading Urdu research scholars for over five decades during the 20th
century. All three shunned the limelight, regarding their research activities as a pleasurable, exciting and rewarding pursuit. Individually and collectively, they had established new benchmarks for Urdu literary research. Acknowledging their achievements in this field, the Government of India sponsored National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language
states:
"Urdu Historical Background - Progressive Writing"
The great trio, Qazi Abdul Wadood, Malik Ram and Imtiyaz Ali "Arshi", will be known not only for their research on Ghalib but also for giving our research a new depth and modern methodology. Accurate fixation of periods and dates is also one of their achievements. (2.81)
To mark the first anniversary of his death, two Urdu monthly literary
journals, Qaumi Zaban in Karachi and Aaj Kal in New Delhi, devoted their April 1994 editions respectively to Malik Ram and his contribution to Urdu and Islamic literature. Some writers, who had known Malik Ram personally, have added hitherto unpublished information about him in both journals. The "Malik Ram Number" as the Qaumi Zaban edition was called, and the Aaj Kal special issue also carried different versions of an article by M. Habib Khan, one of the very few people from the literary world, who was able to visit Malik Ram in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital where he died. Habib Khan has written a moving account of the last months of Malik Ram's life and of their last meeting.
In 1996, the Ghalib Academy in New Delhi published "Ghalib Shanas Malik Ram" (Ghalib Scholar Malik Ram) by Gian Chand Jain, the noted Urdu writer, who received the 1982 Sahitya Akademi Urdu Award. In this work, Jain recalls and examines Malik Ram's lifetime research on Ghalib and reflects on his literary legacy. This volume complements an earlier work published in 1975 by Shahid Azmi entitled "Urdu Tahqiq aur Malik Ram" (Urdu Research and Malik Ram ) one of the earliest books written about Malik Ram's contribution to Urdu research.
In 2010, Muhammad Arshad published "Malik Ram: Hayat aur Karname" ( Malik Ram: Life and Works ) in Aligarh, India. In this volume, Malik Ram, the research scholar, has himself become the subject of research.
for his essay in Urdu on 'Religion and Reason' which he wrote
for a literary competition in 1925 in his student days. This award,
suggests Ali Jawad Zaidi
in Armaghan-i Malik
always meant a lot to him.
Some significant Urdu Literary Awards
( listed in Malik Ram - Ek Mutaalah edited by
Ali Jawad Zaidi
) :
Uttar Pradesh Government: for Gul-e-Raana (1971)
Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy, Lucknow: for Tazkirah-e-Muasireen - Volume 1 (1973)
Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy, Lucknow: for Woh Surten Ilahi (1974)
Sahitya Kala Parishad, Delhi: Urdu Award (1975)
Bihar Urdu Academy, Patna: for Tazkirah-e-Muasireen - Volume 2 (1975)
Ghalib Institute, New Delhi: Ghalib Award (1976)
Mir Academy, Lucknow: Imtiyaz-e Mir Award (1977)
Mir Academy, Lucknow: Iftikhar-e Mir Award (1981)
Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy, Lucknow: for Tazkirah-e-Muasireen - Volume 4 (1982)
Sahitya Akademi
(National Academy of Letters) New Delhi:
Urdu Award for Tazkirah-e-Muasireen - Volume 4 (1983)
Urdu Academy, Delhi: for Talamiza-e-Ghalib (1984)
Bihar Urdu Academy, Patna: Services to Urdu Literature (1984/65)
Dr Zakir Hussain
Urdu Prize: Urdu Literature and Research (1987)
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi ', India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India...
Award.
Early life
Malik Ram ( UrduUrdu
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...
: مالک رام ) ( Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
: मालिक राम ) was born on 22 December 1906 in Phalia, Punjab. He was educated at Government College, Lahore. Between 1931 and 1937 Malik Ram worked as a journalist.
At first he was the Joint-Editor of the Lahore monthly literary
journal Nairang-i-Khayal and subsequently its Editor when
Hakim Yusuf Hassan was the Chief Editor.
At the same time, Malik Ram was also the de facto
editor of the Lahore weekly Arya Gazette when its
official editor, Yogendra Pal Vidyarthi, became terminally ill.
Later, from January 1936 until June 1936, when it ceased publication,
Malik Ram was an assistant editor of the Lahore daily newspaper
Bharat Mata then edited by Lala Ram Prashad.
From 1939 until 1965, Malik Ram was in the Indian Foreign Service
Indian Foreign Service
The Indian Foreign Service is the foreign service of India. It is the body of career diplomats of India.The Indian Foreign Service is part of the Central Civil Services of the Government of India...
which gave him the opportunity to travel to many countries and to study oriental texts and manuscripts lodged in their archives, libraries and museums. After retiring from Government service, he joined India's National Academy of Letters, the Sahitya Akademi, in New Delhi, where he was in charge of its Urdu section and also edited the complete works of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Maulana Abul Kalam Muhiyuddin Ahmed was an Indian Muslim scholar and a senior political leader of the Indian independence movement, who lived from 11 November 1888 – 22 February 1958. He was one of the most prominent Muslim leaders to support Hindu-Muslim unity, opposing the partition of India on...
. During this period he was also actively associated with Ilmi Majlis, Delhi, as the Editor of the Urdu quarterly literary review “Tahreer”.
Shortly before he died, Malik Ram donated his entire library of books and manuscripts to the Jamia Hamdard
Jamia Hamdard
Jamia Hamdard is a university located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1989.Our Revered Founder Janab Hakeem Abdul Hameed Saheb, a true Gandhian in spirit and simplicity was born in Delhi on September 14, 1908. No account of Hakeem Saheb can be complete without the mention of his...
University Library in Delhi. He died on 16 April 1993.
Literary life and works
Malik Ram devoted much of his life to the study of the famous Urdu and Persian poet Asadullah Khan Ghalib. He was fascinated by Urdu literature and Mirza Ghalib. He edited Ghalib’s works - “Sabd-e-Chin”, “Diwan-e-Ghalib”, “Gul-e-Raana” and “Khutoot-e-Ghalib” - and, at the age of 31, he presented his own research on Ghalib’s life and works in “Zikr-e-Ghalib” which was first published in 1938. This book prompted Kausar Chandpuri (1904–1990), the Urdu novelist, short-story writer and critic, to write “Jahan-e-Ghalib” presenting the dark side of Ghalib."Zikr-e-Ghalib", the book with which Malik Ram established his reputation and fame as an authority on Ghalib, ran into five editions in his lifetime. The comprehensively revised fifth edition was published in 1976 and it remains an authoritative work on the poet.
Malik Ram's "Mirza Ghalib" in English, an introduction to Ghalib,
was first published in 1968 by the National Book Trust, India
and has been re-issued regularly. It has also been translated into many languages.
“Talamiza-e-Ghalib” was published in 1958 and records the biographical details and samples of poetical works of 146 disciples of Ghalib. A revised and enlarged edition was published in 1984.
Malik Ram was instrumental in organising the Ghalib Centenary celebrations of 1969. He also wrote two special articles in English
(Ghalib: Man and Poet and The Works of Ghalib ) on this occasion which were published by the Press Information Bureau of the Government of India and released to the international press.
Malik Ram also published a new edition of Diwan-e-Ghalib in 1969 to coincide with the poet's centenary.
In step with the trend set by Maulana Syed Sulaiman Nadvi of “Maarif” Malik Ram popularised obituary-writing (Tazkirahs). This resulted in the eventual publication of “Tazkirah-e-Muasireen” which, in four volumes, enlists the lives and works of over 200 writers who died between 1967 and 1977. This work received the 1983
Sahitya Akademi
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi ', India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India...
Urdu Award.
However, Malik Ram did not ignore the then living Urdu writers, as is reflected by the publication in 1977 of his book “Zia Fatehabadi Shakhs aur Shair”. This work presents a detailed appraisal of the life and works of the renowned Urdu poet Mehr Lal Soni Zia Fatehabadi
Mehr Lal Soni Zia Fatehabadi
Zia Fatehabadi , born Mehr Lal Soni , was a renowned Urdu ghazal and nazm writer. He was a disciple of Syed Aashiq Hussain Siddiqui Seemab Akbarabadi who was a disciple of Nawab Mirza Khan Daagh Dehlawi...
, carried out under Malik Ram’s supervision and guidance, and is considered a valuable addition to Urdu literary criticism. In 1988, he published “Nazre Mukhtar” which included his article on Mukhtaruddin Ahmad "Arzoo". Malik Ram likewise edited and published “Nazre Zaidi”, “Nazre Hameed” and “Nazre Arshi”.
Malik Ram's main works on a variety of subjects, with dates of publication, are listed on the Open Library website.
From 1983 to 1987, Malik Ram was the President of the long-established and influential 'Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu (Hind)' - the autonomous body concerned with all matters relating to the promotion of Urdu, which has over 600 branches in India.
Theses
Since Mukhtaruddin Ahmad "Arzoo" wrote his detailed article on Malik Ram in the “Shakhsiat Number” of “Nuqoosh”, Lahore, several major works on Malik Ram's literary career have been published.“Malik Ram - Ek Mutaalah” (Malik Ram - A Study) was published in 1986 and edited by the prolific Urdu writer and poet Ali Jawad Zaidi
Ali Jawad Zaidi
Syed Ali Jawad Zaidi is a much feted Urdu poet, scholar and author of over 80 books in many languages.He was also a freedom fighter, lawyer & later bureaucrat, however he is primarily known as one of the most prominent figures in Urdu Literature.Internationally renowned as a poet-scholar-critic...
, who has also written the foreword. This volume consists of contributions from prominent Urdu scholars, conversant with different aspects of Malik Ram's writings, who have attempted to evaluate his work in some detail.
Earlier in 1972, Ali Jawad Zaidi
Ali Jawad Zaidi
Syed Ali Jawad Zaidi is a much feted Urdu poet, scholar and author of over 80 books in many languages.He was also a freedom fighter, lawyer & later bureaucrat, however he is primarily known as one of the most prominent figures in Urdu Literature.Internationally renowned as a poet-scholar-critic...
had compiled and edited the “Malik Ram Felicitation Volume" in which he describes
Malik Ram as one of the four pillars of Urdu research.
The two companion felicitation volumes in Urdu titled "Armaghan-i Malik" were compiled and edited by Gopi Chand Narang
Gopi Chand Narang
Gopi Chand Narang is an Indian scholar of Urdu language and literature, an eminent Urdu writer, scholar, critic and linguist. He is author of many books in Urdu, Hindi and English....
. The three books were published to commemorate Malik Ram's 65th birthday, in appreciation of his erudition, scholastic versatility and manifold contributions to Urdu, Islamic and oriental literature, and were presented to him by V.V. Giri, the President of India. at a reception he gave in Malik Ram's honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan
Rashtrapati Bhavan
The Rashtrapati Bhavan or The Official Residence of the Head of the State is the official residence of the President of India, located at Raisina hill in New Delhi, India. Until 1950 it was known as "Viceroy's House" and served as the residence of the Viceroy and Governor-General of India...
in New Delhi in April 1972.
Jagan Nath Azad, the distinguished Urdu poet, who wrote the first national anthem of Pakistan and was an authority on Iqbal, had this to say about Malik Ram in his review of the award-winning Tazkirah-i-Muasireen:
Malik Ram, an internationally-known authority on Ghalib, is a versatile man of letters. A legend in his own life-time, he has a remarkable capability to deal with many subjects. He is, at the same time, an essayist, a biographer, a memoir-writer, a literary critic, a research scholar as also an authority on Islamic literature and culture.
"Tazkirah-i-Muasireen" is a work of encyclopaedic nature...
Two other publications in Urdu dwell on the life and works of Malik Ram, as seen by contemporary figures from the world of academia and by eminent Urdu writers of the day: Malik Nama (1987) edited by Bashir Hussain Zaidi
Bashir Hussain Zaidi
Colonel Bashir Hussain Zaidi was a member of the first Lok Sabha and Vice Chancellor of AMU.He also served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India from United Province . He was awarded Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian honour, by Government of India in 1976.- References :...
and Malik Ram published by the Ghalib Institute in New Delhi, which also contains the text of tributes paid to Malik Ram at a function hosted by the Ghalib Institute in 1991, to celebrate his life in his 85th year. Malik Ram died aged 86.
Malik Ram, Qazi Abdul Wadood (1896–1984) and Imtiyaz Ali Khan "Arshi" (1904–81)
were the three leading Urdu research scholars for over five decades during the 20th
century. All three shunned the limelight, regarding their research activities as a pleasurable, exciting and rewarding pursuit. Individually and collectively, they had established new benchmarks for Urdu literary research. Acknowledging their achievements in this field, the Government of India sponsored National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language
National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language
The National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language is an autonomous regulatory body in the Government of India. It is the main authority of Urdu language and education in India, being one of two authorities responsible for the regulation of Urdu, the other being the National Language Authority...
states:
"Urdu Historical Background - Progressive Writing"
The great trio, Qazi Abdul Wadood, Malik Ram and Imtiyaz Ali "Arshi", will be known not only for their research on Ghalib but also for giving our research a new depth and modern methodology. Accurate fixation of periods and dates is also one of their achievements. (2.81)
To mark the first anniversary of his death, two Urdu monthly literary
journals, Qaumi Zaban in Karachi and Aaj Kal in New Delhi, devoted their April 1994 editions respectively to Malik Ram and his contribution to Urdu and Islamic literature. Some writers, who had known Malik Ram personally, have added hitherto unpublished information about him in both journals. The "Malik Ram Number" as the Qaumi Zaban edition was called, and the Aaj Kal special issue also carried different versions of an article by M. Habib Khan, one of the very few people from the literary world, who was able to visit Malik Ram in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital where he died. Habib Khan has written a moving account of the last months of Malik Ram's life and of their last meeting.
In 1996, the Ghalib Academy in New Delhi published "Ghalib Shanas Malik Ram" (Ghalib Scholar Malik Ram) by Gian Chand Jain, the noted Urdu writer, who received the 1982 Sahitya Akademi Urdu Award. In this work, Jain recalls and examines Malik Ram's lifetime research on Ghalib and reflects on his literary legacy. This volume complements an earlier work published in 1975 by Shahid Azmi entitled "Urdu Tahqiq aur Malik Ram" (Urdu Research and Malik Ram ) one of the earliest books written about Malik Ram's contribution to Urdu research.
In 2010, Muhammad Arshad published "Malik Ram: Hayat aur Karname" ( Malik Ram: Life and Works ) in Aligarh, India. In this volume, Malik Ram, the research scholar, has himself become the subject of research.
Literary Awards
Malik Ram received his first ever literary prize, a wrist-watch,for his essay in Urdu on 'Religion and Reason' which he wrote
for a literary competition in 1925 in his student days. This award,
suggests Ali Jawad Zaidi
Ali Jawad Zaidi
Syed Ali Jawad Zaidi is a much feted Urdu poet, scholar and author of over 80 books in many languages.He was also a freedom fighter, lawyer & later bureaucrat, however he is primarily known as one of the most prominent figures in Urdu Literature.Internationally renowned as a poet-scholar-critic...
in Armaghan-i Malik
always meant a lot to him.
Some significant Urdu Literary Awards
( listed in Malik Ram - Ek Mutaalah edited by
Ali Jawad Zaidi
Ali Jawad Zaidi
Syed Ali Jawad Zaidi is a much feted Urdu poet, scholar and author of over 80 books in many languages.He was also a freedom fighter, lawyer & later bureaucrat, however he is primarily known as one of the most prominent figures in Urdu Literature.Internationally renowned as a poet-scholar-critic...
) :
Uttar Pradesh Government: for Gul-e-Raana (1971)
Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy, Lucknow: for Tazkirah-e-Muasireen - Volume 1 (1973)
Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy, Lucknow: for Woh Surten Ilahi (1974)
Sahitya Kala Parishad, Delhi: Urdu Award (1975)
Bihar Urdu Academy, Patna: for Tazkirah-e-Muasireen - Volume 2 (1975)
Ghalib Institute, New Delhi: Ghalib Award (1976)
Mir Academy, Lucknow: Imtiyaz-e Mir Award (1977)
Mir Academy, Lucknow: Iftikhar-e Mir Award (1981)
Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy, Lucknow: for Tazkirah-e-Muasireen - Volume 4 (1982)
Sahitya Akademi
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi ', India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India...
(National Academy of Letters) New Delhi:
Urdu Award for Tazkirah-e-Muasireen - Volume 4 (1983)
Urdu Academy, Delhi: for Talamiza-e-Ghalib (1984)
Bihar Urdu Academy, Patna: Services to Urdu Literature (1984/65)
Dr Zakir Hussain
Zakir Hussain
Zakir Hussain may refer to:* Zakir Hussain , classical tabla player* Zakir Hussain , president of India* Zakir Hussain , Bollywood actor whose films include Sarkar and Johnny Gaddaar...
Urdu Prize: Urdu Literature and Research (1987)