Urdu literature
Encyclopedia
Urdu literature has a long and colorful history that is inextricably tied to the development of that very language, Urdu
, in which it is written. While it tends to be heavily dominated by poetry
, the range of expression achieved in the voluminous library of a few major verse forms, especially the ghazal
and nazm
, has led to its continued development and expansion into other styles of writing, including that of the short story, or afsana. Being the national language, Urdu literature is mostly popular in Pakistan
. Additionally, it enjoys substantial popularity in India
and is widely understood in Afghanistan. Urdu is finding interest in foreign countries primarily through South Asians.
amongst the sophisticated gentry of Persian courts. The presence of the Muslim gentry in a largely Hindu
India, while clearly acknowledged, did not so nearly dominate the consciousness of the Urdu poet as much as did the continuing traditions of Islam
and Persia. The very color of the Urdu language, with a vocabulary almost evenly split between Sanskrit
-derived Prakrit
and Arabo
-Persian
words, was a reflection of the newness of cultural amalgamation and yet the insistence on retaining what was best and most beautiful about the lands of Afghanistan
and Persia.
A man who exercised great influence on the initial growth of not only Urdu literature, but the language itself (which only truly took shape as distinguished from both Persian and proto-Hindi
around the 14th century) was the famous Amir Khusro
. Credited, indeed, with the very systematization of northern Indian classical music
, known as Hindustani, he wrote works in both Persian and Hindavi, frequently engaging in ingenious mixes of the two. While the couplets that come down from him in are representative of a latter-Prakrit
Hindi bereft of Arabo-Persian vocabulary, his influence on court viziers and writers must have been mighty, for but a century after his passing Quli Qutub Shah was seen to take to a language that may be safely said to be Urdu
.
(داستان) often originally written in Persian
. These long-epic stories would deal with magical and otherwise fantastic creatures and events in a very complicated plot.
Dastan, as a genre, originated in Iran and was disseminated by folk storytellers. It was assimilated by individual authors. Dastan's plots are based both on folklore and classical literary subjects. Dastan was particularly popular in *Urdu literature, typologically close to other narrative genres in Eastern literatures, such as Persian masnawi, Punjabi qissa, Sindhi waqayati bait, etc., and also reminiscent of the European novel. The oldest known Urdu dastans are Dastan-i-Amir Hamra, recorded in the early seventeenth century, and the extinct Bustan-iKhayal ('The Garden of Imagination' or 'The Garden of Khayal') by Mir Taqi Khayal (d. 1760). Most of the narrative dastans were recorded in the early nineteenth century, representing contaminations of 'wandering', motifs borrowed from the folklore of the Middle East, central Asia and northern India. These include Bagh-oBahar ('The Garden and Spring') by Mir Amman, Mazhab-i-Ishq (The Religion of Love) by Nihalchand Lahori, Araish-i-Mahfil ('The Adornment of the Assembly') by Hyderbakhsh Hyderi, Gulzar-i-Chin ('The Flower Bed of Chin') by Khalil Ali Khan Ashq, and the smaller dastans.
Examples of famous dastans in Urdu include:
, which has by far exceeded all other forms of Urdu poetry by its quality and quantity within the cosmos of Urdu.
16th century:
17th century:
18th century:
19th century:
20th century:
21st century:
19th Century Urdu Novelists:
20th Century Urdu Novelists:
In respect of themes the Urdu novel initially undertook social life, followed by widening its scope with rural social life. It also covered the changing times under progressive writing movement under inspiration by Sajjad Zaheer.However the horror of partition had great impact and the novel remained under serious grip of questions of identity and migration as can be seen in the major works of Abdullah Hussain & Quratul Ain Haider. towards the end of the last century the novel took a serious turn towards the contemporary life and realities and the aspiring young generations of India.The most significant novels of the current generation of Indian novelists in Urdu demonstrating a new confidence in contemporary life are MAKAAN by Paigham Afaqui
, Do Gaz Zameen by Abdus Samad, PANI by Ghazanfer. These Urdu novels, specially Makaan brought the Urdu novel out of the prevailing themes of partition and identity issues and took it into the realm of modern day realities and issues of life in India. In fact the impact of Makaan was so much roaring that many writers in English like Vikram Seth turned to novel writing. These Urdu novels impacted the writing of Urdu novels in such a way that a large number of novels have been written ever since some of which like Andhere Pag by Sarwat Khan, Numberdar Ka Neela by S M Ashraf and Fire Area by Ilyas Ahmed Gaddi have come to significantly contribute to urdu fiction. MAKAAN translated in English is a widely known novel for pre-eminence of a female character in novel and considered to be the best feminist novel in Urdu and probably the first one.
. His notable short stories are, among many others, "Kafan" and "Poos Ki Raat". The Urdu short story gained momentum with the phenomenal publication of Angare, a collection of many writers towards the end of the life of Premchand. Writers like Ghulam Abbas, Manto
, Rajinder Singh Bedi
, Krishan Chander
, and Ismat Chughtai
, to name but a few, turned the short story into a major genre of Urdu literature.
The next generation was Urdu short story writers included Qurratulain Hyder
, Qazi Abdul Sattar
, and Joginder Paul. The short story tradition continues with younger generation writers like Zahida Hina
and Paigham Afaqui
, Syed Mohd Ashraf, and Salam Bin Razzaq.
Urdu short stories have dealt with a wide range of the dimensions of life though the most famous stories belong are about the trauma of the partition of the sub-continent
and violence generated out of it. Towards the end of the last century, short stories became grounded in the complexity of daily life which can be seen in the unique collection of short stories in Paigham Afaqui
's Mafia. Entirely different in approach is the collection of short stories Taus Chaman Ka Maina by Nayyer Masood.
Notable Urdu Short Fiction (Afsana) writers of 19th and 20th century include:
In some way or other, Urdu theatre tradition has greatly influenced modern Indian theatre. Among all the languages Urdu(which was called Hindi by early writers), along with Gujrati,Marathi and Bengali theatres have kept flourishing and demand for its writers and artists has not subsided by the drama aficionados. For Urdu drama, no place is better than Bombay Film industry otherwise known as Hindi film industry. All the early gems of Urdu Theatre (performed by Parsi Companies) were made into films. Urdu Dramatic tradition has been a spectator’s delight since 100 years and counting.
Drama as a theme is made up of several elements. It focuses on life and different aspects of it. The thing to be noticed here is that drama on stage imitates drama in life. It has been said that, there has always been a mutual relationship between theatre and real life. Great historical personalities like Shakespeare have influenced Modern Urdu tradition to a large extent when Indian, Iranian, Turkish stories and folk was adapted for stage with heavy doses of Urdu Poetry.
In modern times writers like Imtiaz Ali Taj, Rafi Peer, Krishan Chander, Manto, Upender Nath Ashk, Ghulam Rabbani, Prof. Mujeeb and many others shaped this tradition.
While Prof Hasan, Ghulam jeelani, J.N,Kaushal, Shameem Hanfi, Jameel Shaidayi etc. belong to the old generation, contemporary writers like Danish Iqbal, Sayeed Alam, Shahid Anwar,Iqbal Niyazi and Anwar are few post modern Play wrights actively contributing in the field of Urdu Drama.
Sayeed Alam is known for his wit and humour and more particularly for Plays like 'Ghalib in New Delhi' 'Big B'and many other gems which are regularly staged for massive turn out of theatre lovers. Maulana Azad is his magnum opus both for its content and style.
Danish Iqbal's 'Dara Shikoh' directed by M S Sathyu is considered a modern classic for the use of newer theatre techniques and contemporary perspective. His other Plays are 'Sahir' on the famous lyricist and revolutionary poet. 'Kuchh Ishq kiya Kuchh Kaam' is another Play written by Danish which is basically a Celebration of the Faiz's Poetry, featuring events from the early part of his life, particularly the events and incidents of pre-partition days which shaped his life and ideals. 'Chand Roz Aur Meri Jaan' - another Play inspired from Faiz's letters written from various jails during the Rawalpindi Conspiracy days. He has written 14 other Plays including 'Dilli Jo Ek Shehr Thaa' and 'Main Gaya Waqt Nahin hoon'.
Shahid's 'Three B' is also a significant Play. He has been associated with amny groups like 'Natwa'and others. Zaheer Anwar has kept the flag of Urdu Theatre flying in Kolkata. Unlike the writers of previous generartion Sayeed, Shahid, Danish iqbal and Zaheer do not write bookish Plays but their work is a product of vigorous performing tradition.Iqbal Niyazi of Mumbai has written several plays in urdu.his play"AUR KITNE JALYANWALA BAUGH??"won National award other awards. Hence this is the only generartion after Amanat and Agha Hashr who actually write for stage and not for libraries.
Aamir Sohail(Abbottabad Public School,Abbottabad,Pakistan)
On 14 January 1850, Munshi Harsukh Rai started the weekly Kohinoor, which had a remarkably high (for those times) circulation of 350 copies. In 1858, Manbir Kabiruddin started the Urdu Guide, the first Urdu daily, from Calcutta. Another important paper founded that year was Roznamha-e-Punjab from Lahore. Oudh Akhbar by Munshi Nawal Kishore was the first Urdu newspaper from Lucknow, also begun in 1858.
The first Urdu newspapers of Delhi were Fawaid-ul-Nazarin and Kiran-us-Sadai, founded by Rama Chandra in 1852. The Urdu press in Delhi became highly critical of the British government. The best example of them is the Urdu Akhbar, edited by Syed Hasan, which highlighted many civic issues like drainage, sanitation, adulteration of food, and corruption.
In 1877, Maulvi Nasir Ali, one of the founders of Anjuman Islamia- the Islamic intellectual and political movement- founded 3 newspapers- Nusrat-ul-Akhbar, Nusrat-ul-Islam and Mihir-e-Darakhshan. All three focused on current civil and political affairs and were valuable aids of Muslim empowerment. In 1877, Oudh Punch, the first humour magazine in Urdu was started by Sajjid Hussain. The first women’s journal in Urdu was Akhbar-un-Nisa.
Urdu journalism took on a strongly nationalistic note towards the turn of the 20th century. Zameendar, was started in Lahore in 1903. It was the first Urdu newspaper to subscribe to news agencies. Zameendar was intensely nationalistic, which boosted its circulation to over 30,000 copies. In 1902, Maulvi Sanaullah Khan started the weekly Watan, meaning motherland. Watan was intensely nationalistic and continued for 33 years. Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar started Naqeeb-e-Hamdard in 1912. Another powerful political periodical was the Madina, edited by Hamidul Ansari.
The greatest Urdu periodical that time was Al Hilal, started by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. (refer notes).
In 1919, the Pratap was started in Lahore by Mahshe Krishnan. It vigorously supported Gandhi’s policies and the Indian National Congress. It was a victim of government harassment and suspended publication several times. It had great influence among the Urdu reading Hindus of Punjab and Delhi.
In 1923, Swami Shraddhanand founded the Tej with Lala Deshbandhu Gupta as editor. It had a wide circulation in Rajasthan, U.P. and Delhi. It was confiscated several times by the government and banned in a number of princely states. In the same year, 1923, the Arya Samaj started the Milap, a daily in Lahore. It was known for its powerful nationalistic editorials. Jawaharlal Nehru founded Qaumi Awaaz in 1945.
Urdu journalism suffered heavily, during and after Partition. Riots in Lahore lead to mobs raiding the office of Milap and burning machines and newsprint. Its Managing Editor, Ranbir was stabbed and the paper was closed for six weeks. It then shifted to Delhi. Due to the unrest, the Pratap also shifted to Delhi.
Some of the Urdu newspapers after partition in India are Dawat, now a bi-weekly, started by the Jamat-e-Islami Hind. Maulana Abdul Waheed Siddiqui started Nai Duniya, a popular Urdu weekly, now run by his son Shaheed Siddiqui. The Sahara Group started a weekly-Aalmi Sahara.There are more number of urdu newspapers published in hyderabad, IndiaThe Siasat Daily
, The Munsif Daily
, Indian Etemaad
and Rehnuama E Deccan.Bombay now Mumbai
also have some good publication of urdu
daily The inquilab daily and Urdu Times
and from West Bengal Urdu newspapers like The Azad Hind daily, The Akhbaar -e- Mashriq daily, The Aabshaar daily and The rashtriya Sahara daily are also being brought out from CALCUTTA at present Kolkata
In Pakistan the Daily Jang
is one of the most widely circulated newspapers in the country. Other popular news papers are Daily Imroze
, Daily Mashriq
, Khabrain
, Millat
and Nawa-i-Waqt
.
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...
, in which it is written. While it tends to be heavily dominated by poetry
Urdu poetry
Urdu poetry is a rich tradition of poetry and has many different types and forms. Borrowing much from the Persian language, it is today an important part of Pakistani and North Indian culture....
, the range of expression achieved in the voluminous library of a few major verse forms, especially the ghazal
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
and nazm
Nazm
Urdu Nazm is a major part of the Urdu poetry, that is normally written in rhymed verse and also in modern prose style poems. Nazm has many different forms as,* Doha * Geet * Hamd * Hazal * Hijv...
, has led to its continued development and expansion into other styles of writing, including that of the short story, or afsana. Being the national language, Urdu literature is mostly popular in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Additionally, it enjoys substantial popularity in 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...
and is widely understood in Afghanistan. Urdu is finding interest in foreign countries primarily through South Asians.
The beginnings
Urdu literature may be said to find its provenance some time around the 14th century in North IndiaIndia
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...
amongst the sophisticated gentry of Persian courts. The presence of the Muslim gentry in a largely Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
India, while clearly acknowledged, did not so nearly dominate the consciousness of the Urdu poet as much as did the continuing traditions of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and Persia. The very color of the Urdu language, with a vocabulary almost evenly split between Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
-derived Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
and Arabo
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
-Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
words, was a reflection of the newness of cultural amalgamation and yet the insistence on retaining what was best and most beautiful about the lands of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Persia.
A man who exercised great influence on the initial growth of not only Urdu literature, but the language itself (which only truly took shape as distinguished from both Persian and proto-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...
around the 14th century) was the famous Amir Khusro
Amir Khusro
Ab'ul Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrow , better known as Amīr Khusrow Dehlawī , was an Indian musician, scholar and poet. He was an iconic figure in the cultural history of the Indian subcontinent...
. Credited, indeed, with the very systematization of northern Indian classical music
Indian classical music
The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music...
, known as Hindustani, he wrote works in both Persian and Hindavi, frequently engaging in ingenious mixes of the two. While the couplets that come down from him in are representative of a latter-Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
Hindi bereft of Arabo-Persian vocabulary, his influence on court viziers and writers must have been mighty, for but a century after his passing Quli Qutub Shah was seen to take to a language that may be safely said to be 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...
.
Dastaan/ (داستان)
Urdu literature was generally composed more of poetry than of prose. The prose component of Urdu literature was mainly restricted to the ancient form of long-epic stories called DastaanDastaan
Dastaan is a music album produced by Pakistani pop singer, Ali Haider. It was a blend of Pop and Rock style music which Haider tried for a new genre type of music.-Track listing:#"Dastaan"#"Jaania"#"Koi Darwazah"#"Maria"#"Meri Jaan"#"Papa Mummi"...
(داستان) often originally written in Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
. These long-epic stories would deal with magical and otherwise fantastic creatures and events in a very complicated plot.
Dastan, as a genre, originated in Iran and was disseminated by folk storytellers. It was assimilated by individual authors. Dastan's plots are based both on folklore and classical literary subjects. Dastan was particularly popular in *Urdu literature, typologically close to other narrative genres in Eastern literatures, such as Persian masnawi, Punjabi qissa, Sindhi waqayati bait, etc., and also reminiscent of the European novel. The oldest known Urdu dastans are Dastan-i-Amir Hamra, recorded in the early seventeenth century, and the extinct Bustan-iKhayal ('The Garden of Imagination' or 'The Garden of Khayal') by Mir Taqi Khayal (d. 1760). Most of the narrative dastans were recorded in the early nineteenth century, representing contaminations of 'wandering', motifs borrowed from the folklore of the Middle East, central Asia and northern India. These include Bagh-oBahar ('The Garden and Spring') by Mir Amman, Mazhab-i-Ishq (The Religion of Love) by Nihalchand Lahori, Araish-i-Mahfil ('The Adornment of the Assembly') by Hyderbakhsh Hyderi, Gulzar-i-Chin ('The Flower Bed of Chin') by Khalil Ali Khan Ashq, and the smaller dastans.
Examples of famous dastans in Urdu include:
- Nau tarz-i murassa‘ - Husain ‘Atā Khān Tahsīn
- Nau ā'īn-i hindī (Qissa-i Malik Mahmūd Gīti-Afroz) - Mihr Chand Khatrī
- Jazb-i ‘ishq - Shāh Husain Haqīqat
- Nau tarz-i murassa‘ - Muhammad Hādī a.k.a. Mirzā Mughal Ghāfil
- Ārā'ish-i mahfil (Qissa-i Hātim Tā'ī) - Haidar Bakhsh Haidarī
- Bāgh o bahār(Qissa-i chahār darwesh) - Mīr AmmanMir AmmanMir Amman was an employee of Fort William College at Calcutta, variously also known as Mir Amman of Delhi, Mir Amman of Dilhi, Mir Amman Dihlavi, and Meer Ummun....
- Dāstān-i Amīr HamzaHamzanamaThe Hamzanama or Dastan-e-Amir Hamza narrates the legendary exploits of Amir Hamza, the uncle of the prophet of Islam, though most of the story is extremely fanciful, "a continuous series of romantic interludes, threatening events, narrow escapes, and violent acts"...
- Khalīl ‘Alī Khān Ashk - Talism Hoshruba - Muhammad Husain Jah
Tazkiras
Tazkiras, are compilation of literary memoirts that include verses and maxims of the great poets along with biographical information and commentary on their styles. This is often a mere collection of names with a line or two of information about each poet, followed by specimen of his composition. On the other hand it may be the history of Urdu poetry with copious illustrative extracts. There are really no good tazkiras. The best give biographical details, but fail in literary criticism, and we get little idea of style or poetical power, still less of contents of poems. Even the large anthologies do not systematically review an author's work. Most of them have the names in alphabetical order, but one or two prefer historical order. The majority quote only lyrics, and the quotations, usually chosen at random, do not illustrate poetryUrdu poetry
Urdu poetry reached is peak in the 19th century. The most well-developed vessel of poetry has turned out to be the ghazalGhazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
, which has by far exceeded all other forms of Urdu poetry by its quality and quantity within the cosmos of Urdu.
Poets
13th-century:- Amir KhusroAmir KhusroAb'ul Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrow , better known as Amīr Khusrow Dehlawī , was an Indian musician, scholar and poet. He was an iconic figure in the cultural history of the Indian subcontinent...
16th century:
- Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah - wrote poetry primarily in Persian, but also in Hindavi
17th century:
- Wali Mohammed WaliWali Mohammed WaliWali Muhammad Wali , was a classical Urdu poet of the subcontinent....
Deccani - Mirza Mazhar Jan-e-JanaanMirza Mazhar Jan-e-JanaanMirzā Mazhar Jān-i Jānān , also known by his laqab Shamsuddīn Habībullāh , was a renowned Naqshbandī Sufi poet of Dehli, distinguished as one the "four pillars of Urdu poetry." He was also known to his contemporaries as the sunnītarāsh, "Sunnicizer", for his absolute, unflinching commitment to and...
18th century:
- Faaiz Dehlvi
- Khan Arzu
- Mubarak Abru
- Mir Taqi MirMir Taqi MirKhuda-e-sukhan Mir Taqi Mir , whose real name was Muhammad Taqi and takhallus was Mir , was the leading Urdu poet of the 18th century, and one of the pioneers who gave shape to the Urdu language itself...
- Nazeer AkbarabadiNazeer AkbarabadiNazeer Akbarabadi was an 18th century Indian poet known as "Father of Nazm", who wrote Urdu ghazals and nazms under nom de plume "Nazeer", most remembered for his poems like Banjaranama , a satire...
- Khwaja Mir DardKhwaja Mir DardKhwaja Mir Dard was born in 1721 and died in 1785. He is one of the three major poets of the Delhi School—the other two being Mir Taqi Mir and 'Sauda'—who could be called the pillars of the classical Urdu ghazal.-Philosophy:...
19th century:
- Mirza Salaamat Ali DabeerMirza Salaamat Ali DabeerMirza Salaamat Ali Dabeer was a leading Urdu poet who excelled and perfected the art of Marsiya writing. He is considered the leading exponent of Marsiya Nigari or marsiya writing along with Mir Anis....
- Mir Babar Ali AnisMir Babar Ali AnisMir Babbar Ali Anees was a renowned Urdu poet. He was born in Faizabad in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in 1803 and died in 1874....
- Bahadur Shah IIBahadur Shah IIHis Royal Highness Abu Zafar Sirajuddin Muhammad Bahadur Shah Zafar , also known as Bahadur Shah or Bahadur Shah II was the last of the Mughal emperors in India, as well as the last ruler of the Timurid Dynasty.He was the son of Akbar Shah II and Lalbai, who was a Hindu Rajput...
- Mirza Sauda
- Mirza GhalibMirza GhalibDabir-ul-Mulk, Najm-ud-Daula Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan , pen-name Ghalib and Asad , was a classical Urdu and Persian poet from India during British colonial rule...
- Mohammad Ibrahim ZauqMohammad Ibrahim ZauqSheikh Muhammad Ibrahim Zauq was noted Urdu poets . He wrote poetry under nom de plume "Zauq", and remained poet laureate of the Mughal Court in Delhi....
- Dagh Dehlvi
20th century:
- Altaf Hussain Maulana HaliMaulana HaliMaulana Altaf Hussain Hali was an Urdu poet, and Writer. Hali occupies a special position in the history of Urdu literature. He was a poet, a critic, a teacher, a reformer and an impressive prose-writer...
- Akbar AllahabadiAkbar AllahabadiSyed Akbar Hussain Rizvi popularly known as Akbar Allahabadi was an Indian Urdu poet.-Early life:...
- Muhammad IqbalMuhammad IqbalSir Muhammad Iqbal , commonly referred to as Allama Iqbal , was a poet and philosopher born in Sialkot, then in the Punjab Province of British India, now in Pakistan...
- Hasrat MohaniHasrat MohaniMaulana Hasrat Mohani was a romantic poet of Urdu language, journalist, politician, parliamentarian and a fearless freedom fighter of Indian Sub-continent . His real name was Syed Fazl ul Hasan. He was born in 1875 at Mohan in Unnao district of U.P...
- Amjad HyderabadiAmjad HyderabadiAmjad Hyderabadi, Syed Amjad Hussain Pen-name Amjad Hyderabadi . In Urdu poetic circle he is also known as Hakim-al-Shuara....
- Fani BadayuniFani BadayuniShaukat Ali Khan Fani Badayuni was noted Urdu poet. Shaukat Ali Khan was born in Islamnagar, Badaun, Uttar Pradesh, . He graduated from Barreilly College in 1901, studied law at Aligarh Muslim University, earning his L.L.B.degree in 1906. He practiced law in Bareilly and Lucknow but could not...
- Yagana ChangeziYagana ChangeziMirza Yaas Yagana Changezi was one of the most important Urdu poets of the twentieth century and indeed among the masters of Urdu poetry. Real name was Mirza Wajid Hussain . He was born in Azeemabad, now Patna in 1884...
- Akhtar Shirani
- Miraji
- Seemab AkbarabadiSeemab AkbarabadiSeemab Akbarabadi , born Aashiq Hussain Siddiqui, was a renowned Urdu poet belonging to the Daagh School. He hailed from Agra where his family had lived for nearly three hundred years.-Early life:...
- Aarzoo Lakhnawi
- Jigar MoradabadiJigar MoradabadiJigar Moradabadi was the nom de plume of Ali Sikandar , one of the most famous Urdu poets of the 20th century and a celebrated Urdu ghazal writer...
- Firaq GorakhpuriFiraq GorakhpuriRaghupati Sahay , better known under his pen name Firaq Gorakhpuri , was a writer, critic, and one of the most noted contemporary Urdu poets from India...
- Hafeez Jalandhari
- Ahsan Danish
- Saghar NizamiSaghar NizamiSaghar Nizami or Samdayaar Khan was a renowned Urdu ghazal and nazm writer. He was one of the earliest disciples of Seemab Akbarabadi . He was a recipient of the Padma Bhushan Award and the 1982 Ghalib Award....
- Mehr Lal Soni Zia FatehabadiMehr Lal Soni Zia FatehabadiZia 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...
- Noon Meem RashidNoon Meem RashidNazar Mohammed Rashed commonly known as Noon Meem Rashed or N.M. Rashed, was born as Raja Nazar Muhmmad Janjua...
- Majeed AmjadMajeed AmjadMajeed Amjad was one of the greatest of modern Urdu poets of the Indian subcontinent. In the popular culture he is not as well known or widely read as Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Noon Meem Rashid, Nasir Kazmi or Meeraji but amongst the cognoscenti and many critics he is widely regarded as a philosophical...
- Faiz Ahmad Faiz
- Jan Nisar AkhtarJan Nisar AkhtarJan 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....
- Nasir KazmiNasir KazmiSyed Nasir Raza Kazmi, was a renowned Urdu poet of Pakistan. He was one of the greatest poets of this era, especially in the use of "ista'aaray" and "chhotee beher". Kazmi was born on December 8, 1925 at Ambala in British India.-Education and Career:Kazmi was educated at Ambala, Simla and Lahore...
- Sahir LudhianviSahir LudhianviSahir Ludhianvi was a popular Urdu poet and Hindi lyricist and songwriter. Sahir Ludhianvi is his pseudonym...
- Jagan Nath Azad
- Majrooh SultanpuriMajrooh SultanpuriMajrooh Sultanpuri was an Urdu poet, lyricist and songwriter...
- Asrarul Haq Majaz
- Syed Mahmood KhundmiriSyed Mahmood KhundmiriSyed Mahmood Khundmiri was an Indian Urdu language poet, humorist, architect, artist, orator, and one of the leading Urdu poets of the 20th and 21st centuries...
- Ibn-e-InshaIbn-e-InshaIbn-e-Insha was a Pakistani Leftist Urdu poet, humorist, travelogue writer and columnist. Along with his poetry, he was regarded one of the best humorists of Urdu...
- Munir Niyazi
- Ada Jaffery
- Zafar IqbalZafar IqbalZafar Iqbal , an Urdu poet, based in Okara, Pakistan, is known for his innovative style of poetry, in the genre of ghazal. The diction of his ghazal is entirely different from traditional Urdu poetry, making him popular and unpopular at the same time. He is a lawyer by profession, and regularly...
- Habib JalibHabib JalibHabib Jalib was a Pakistani revolutionary poet. A left-wing activist and politician, he was a staunch democrat who opposed martial law, authoritarianism and state oppression.-Early life:...
21st century:
- Tanwir PhoolTanwir PhoolTanwir Phool is the pen name of Tanwiruddin Ahmad Siddiqui, a Pakistani author and poet, writing in Urdu and English.-Education and career:...
- Ahmad Faraz
- Raees WarsiRaees WarsiRaees Warsi is an Urdu poet, writer and lyricist from Pakistan. He has blended contemporary issues into classic rhyme. Where Urdu poetry was confined to the issues of love, romance and its tragedies till the early 20th century, Warsi and some other notable contemporary poetry have expanded Urdu...
- Akhlaque Bandvi
- Rahat IndoriRahat IndoriRahat Indori is an eminent Urdu language poet and a bollywood lyricist, prior to this he was a pedagogist of Urdu literature at Indore University.-Early life and education:...
- Manzar Bhopali
Novels
- Mirat-al-Urus (The Bride's Mirror)-1868–1869-is regarded as the first novel of Urdu by Deputy Nazeer Ahmed. After its release in 1869, within twenty years it was reprinted in editions totalling over 100,000 copies; and was also translated into Bengali, Braj, Kashmiri, Punjabi, and Gujarati.It has never been out of print in Urdu from that day of its first publication. In 1903 an English translation was published in London by G. E. Ward.
- Bina-tul-Nash- (The Daughters of the Bier, a name for the constellation Ursa Major),is another great Novel by Deputy Nazeer Ahmed. It was his 2nd novel after Mirat-tul-uroos. Like Mira-tul-Uroos, this novel is also on education of women and their character building.
- Taubat-un-Nasuh (Repentance of Nasuh)1873-1874- Deputy Nazeer Ahmed earned a good name in writing novels for developing moral values and guidance of young generation. His entire work is full of teachings of moral values.
- Fasaana-e-Mubtalaa(1885)- another novel for developing moral values and guidance of young generation
- Umrao Jaan AdaUmrao Jaan AdaUmrao Jaan Ada is an Urdu novel by Mirza Hadi Ruswa , first published in 1899. It is considered the first Urdu novel by many and tells the story of a courtesan and poetess by the same name from 19th century Lucknow, as recounted by her to the author.-History and theme:According to the novel, the...
- Khuda Ki Basti (novel)Khuda Ki Basti (novel)Khuda Ki Basti is an Urdu novel written by author Shaukat Siddiqui.- Description :A modern classic of Urdu literature by Shaukat Siddiqui, Khuda Ki Basti , takes place during the 1950s in the slums of Karachi and Lahore in a newly-independent Pakistan. The story revolves around a poor but...
- Dil, Diya, DehleezDil, Diya, DehleezDil, Diya, Dehleez is a Pakistani novel written by Rifat Siraj published by Ibn Husan Press, Karachi . The novel is about a woman named Zaitoon Bano and her life revolving around her of sorrow and pain. Based on her own revenge, she influences the lives of many without realizing how her actions...
- Raja GidhRaja GidhRaja Gidh by Bano Qudsia is one of the most widely read and acclaimed Urdu novels. Gidh is the Urdu word for a vulture and Raja is a Hindi synonym for king. The name anticipates the kingdom of vultures. In fact, parallel to the main plot of the novel, an allegorical story of such a kingdom is...
- Haasil GhaatHaasil GhaatHasil Ghaat is a novel by Bano Qudsia. Though there is some controversy as to whether this book be classified as a novel or not, there is no doubt in the richness of the book. Sometimes the book appears to be a collection of scattered mystic thoughts...
- Makaan
19th Century Urdu Novelists:
- Deputy Nazir Ahmad
- Pandit Ratan Nath Sarshar
- Maulana Abdul Halim ShararAbdul Halim ShararAbdul Halim Sharar was an essayist and historian of Lucknow. His book "Guzishta Lucknow" is a rich source of information on the genesis of the city and its culture.He wrote famous tales with historical content...
- Maulana Rashid-ul-Khairi
- Mirza Hadi RuswaMirza Hadi RuswaMirza Muhammad Hadi Ruswa was an Urdu poet and writer of fiction, plays, and treatises . He remained on the Nizam of Awadh's advisory board on language matters for years...
- Premchand
- Qazi Abdul Gaffar
- Krishn Chander
- Aziz AhmedAziz AhmedAziz Ahmed, , HPk, was a career Pakistani statesman and diplomat during the Cold war served as 12th Foreign Minister, serving under executed Prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto...
- Balwant SinghBalwant SinghBalwant Singh is an Indian football player. He is currently playing for Salgaocar in the I-League in India as a striker.-External links:* http://goal.com/en-india/people/india/25142/balwant-singh...
20th Century Urdu Novelists:
- Qurratul-ain Haider
- Bano QudsiaBano QudsiaBano Qudsia is a writer, intellectual, playwright and spiritualist from Pakistan who wrote Urdu novels and short storiesregarded among the best Urdu novelists and short story writers of modern times.She is best known for her novel Raja Gidh.She has written for television and stage in both the...
- Ashfaq AhmedAshfaq AhmedFor disambiguation also see Ashfaq Ahmad, Ishfaq Ahmed and Ishfaq AhmadAshfaq Ahmed, PP, SI was a distinguished writer, playwright, broadcaster, intellectual and spiritualist from Pakistan. His prime qualities of heart and hand earned appreciations across the world...
- Shaukat ThanviShaukat ThanviShaukat Thanvi , was a Pakistani essayist, columnist, novelist, short story writer, broadcaster, playwright, sketch-writer and poet....
- Abdullah HussainAbdullah HussainDatuk Abdullah Hussain is a Malaysian novelist and writer. He received the Malaysian National Laureate in 1996 which makes him the 8th recipient of the award.-Early years:Hussain was born on 25 March 1920 in Sungai Limau Dalam, Yan, Kedah...
- Fatima Surayya BajiaFatima Surayya BajiaFatima Surayya Bajia PP , is a renowned Urdu novelist, playwright and drama writer of Pakistan. She has been awarded various awards at home and abroad including Japan's highest civil award in recognition of her works...
- Shaukat SiddiquiShaukat SiddiquiShaukat Siddiqui was a Pakistani writer of fiction who wrote in Urdu. He is known for his novels Khuda Ki Basti and Jangloos.- Life :...
- Paigham AfaquiPaigham AfaquiPaig̲h̲ām Āfāqī , also written Paigham Afaqi pr Paigham Afaqui is the literary name of Akhtar Ali Farooquee , an Indian writer, known particular for his Urdu novels and short stories....
- Mustansar Hussein Tarar
- Hasan Manzar
- Muhammad Asim ButtMuhammad Asim ButtMuhammad Asim Butt is an Urdu novelist, short story writer, translator, researcher, editor, critic and journalist. He has published one novel and two collections of short stories along with a number of books translated from English into Urdu and vice versa.Butt also writes in English and has...
- Muhammad IlyasMuhammad IlyasHazrat Mawlana Ilyas was born in 1885 in a small town in the United Province of British India in a family of religious scholars. As a response to degradation in practice of Islamic principles and values among the common Muslim folk and efforts by organizations such as Arya Samaj to convert poorer...
In respect of themes the Urdu novel initially undertook social life, followed by widening its scope with rural social life. It also covered the changing times under progressive writing movement under inspiration by Sajjad Zaheer.However the horror of partition had great impact and the novel remained under serious grip of questions of identity and migration as can be seen in the major works of Abdullah Hussain & Quratul Ain Haider. towards the end of the last century the novel took a serious turn towards the contemporary life and realities and the aspiring young generations of India.The most significant novels of the current generation of Indian novelists in Urdu demonstrating a new confidence in contemporary life are MAKAAN by Paigham Afaqui
Paigham Afaqui
Paig̲h̲ām Āfāqī , also written Paigham Afaqi pr Paigham Afaqui is the literary name of Akhtar Ali Farooquee , an Indian writer, known particular for his Urdu novels and short stories....
, Do Gaz Zameen by Abdus Samad, PANI by Ghazanfer. These Urdu novels, specially Makaan brought the Urdu novel out of the prevailing themes of partition and identity issues and took it into the realm of modern day realities and issues of life in India. In fact the impact of Makaan was so much roaring that many writers in English like Vikram Seth turned to novel writing. These Urdu novels impacted the writing of Urdu novels in such a way that a large number of novels have been written ever since some of which like Andhere Pag by Sarwat Khan, Numberdar Ka Neela by S M Ashraf and Fire Area by Ilyas Ahmed Gaddi have come to significantly contribute to urdu fiction. MAKAAN translated in English is a widely known novel for pre-eminence of a female character in novel and considered to be the best feminist novel in Urdu and probably the first one.
Short Story / Afsanah
Urdu literature has included the short story form for slightly more than one hundred years. During this period it has passed through some major phases like early romantic period, progressive writings, modernist writings and current phase. Although a number of writers, both men and women, contributed to the Urdu short story literature in the first phase (including both romantic stories and social criticisms), the short story crystallized as a regular part of Urdu literature in the growth of writings of Munshi PremchandMunshi Premchand
Munshi Premchand , was a famous writer of modern Hindi-Urdu literature. He is generally recognized in India as the foremost Hindi-Urdu writer of the early twentieth century...
. His notable short stories are, among many others, "Kafan" and "Poos Ki Raat". The Urdu short story gained momentum with the phenomenal publication of Angare, a collection of many writers towards the end of the life of Premchand. Writers like Ghulam Abbas, Manto
Saadat Hasan Manto
Saadat Hassan Manto was a short story writer of the Urdu language. He is best known for his short stories, 'Bu' , 'Khol Do' , 'Thanda Gosht' , and his magnum opus, 'Toba Tek Singh'....
, Rajinder Singh Bedi
Rajinder Singh Bedi
Rajinder Singh Bedi was an eminent progressive Urdu writer, playwright and a Hindi film director, screenwriter and noted dialogue writer....
, Krishan Chander
Krishan Chander
Krishan Chander was an Urdu and Hindi Afsaana Nigaar, or short story writer. He wrote mainly in Urdu, but was well-versed in Hindi and English....
, and 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...
, to name but a few, turned the short story into a major genre of Urdu literature.
The next generation was Urdu short story writers included Qurratulain Hyder
Qurratulain Hyder
Qurrat-ul-Ain Haider was an influential Urdu novelist and short story writer, an academic, and a journalist. One of the most outstanding literary names in Urdu literature, she is most known for her magnum opus, Aag Ka Darya , a novel first published in Urdu in 1959, from Lahore, Pakistan, that...
, Qazi Abdul Sattar
Qazi Abdul Sattar
Professor Qazi Abdul Sattar was born on 8 February, 1933 at Machreta near Sitapur. He is an Urdu Novelist and Short Story writer.He has penned down multiple Urdu novels such as Shab Gazida, Dara Shikoh, Salahuddin Ayyubi, Khalid Ibn-e-Waleed, Ghalib and many more.Most of his novels are written on...
, and Joginder Paul. The short story tradition continues with younger generation writers like Zahida Hina
Zahida Hina
Zahida Hina is a noted Urdu columnist, essayist, short story writer, novelist and dramatist from Pakistan.- Life :...
and Paigham Afaqui
Paigham Afaqui
Paig̲h̲ām Āfāqī , also written Paigham Afaqi pr Paigham Afaqui is the literary name of Akhtar Ali Farooquee , an Indian writer, known particular for his Urdu novels and short stories....
, Syed Mohd Ashraf, and Salam Bin Razzaq.
Urdu short stories have dealt with a wide range of the dimensions of life though the most famous stories belong are about the trauma of the partition of the sub-continent
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
and violence generated out of it. Towards the end of the last century, short stories became grounded in the complexity of daily life which can be seen in the unique collection of short stories in Paigham Afaqui
Paigham Afaqui
Paig̲h̲ām Āfāqī , also written Paigham Afaqi pr Paigham Afaqui is the literary name of Akhtar Ali Farooquee , an Indian writer, known particular for his Urdu novels and short stories....
's Mafia. Entirely different in approach is the collection of short stories Taus Chaman Ka Maina by Nayyer Masood.
Notable Urdu Short Fiction (Afsana) writers of 19th and 20th century include:
- Munshi PremchandMunshi PremchandMunshi Premchand , was a famous writer of modern Hindi-Urdu literature. He is generally recognized in India as the foremost Hindi-Urdu writer of the early twentieth century...
- Saadat hasan mantoSaadat Hasan MantoSaadat Hassan Manto was a short story writer of the Urdu language. He is best known for his short stories, 'Bu' , 'Khol Do' , 'Thanda Gosht' , and his magnum opus, 'Toba Tek Singh'....
- Ali Abbas Hussaini
- Hayatullah Ansari
- Krishan chanderKrishan ChanderKrishan Chander was an Urdu and Hindi Afsaana Nigaar, or short story writer. He wrote mainly in Urdu, but was well-versed in Hindi and English....
- Rajinder Singh BediRajinder Singh BediRajinder Singh Bedi was an eminent progressive Urdu writer, playwright and a Hindi film director, screenwriter and noted dialogue writer....
- 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...
- Upendranath Ashk
- Mumtaz MuftiMumtaz MuftiMumtaz Mufti SI , was a distinguished writer from Pakistan.-Early life:...
- Balwant SinghBalwant SinghBalwant Singh is an Indian football player. He is currently playing for Salgaocar in the I-League in India as a striker.-External links:* http://goal.com/en-india/people/india/25142/balwant-singh...
- Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi
- Ghulam Abbas
- Shaukat SiddiquiShaukat SiddiquiShaukat Siddiqui was a Pakistani writer of fiction who wrote in Urdu. He is known for his novels Khuda Ki Basti and Jangloos.- Life :...
- Qudrat Ullah ShahabQudrat Ullah ShahabQudrat Ullah Shahab was an eminent Urdu writer and civil servant from Pakistan. He is best known for his autobiography Shahabnama.-Early life:...
- Ashfaq AhmedAshfaq AhmedFor disambiguation also see Ashfaq Ahmad, Ishfaq Ahmed and Ishfaq AhmadAshfaq Ahmed, PP, SI was a distinguished writer, playwright, broadcaster, intellectual and spiritualist from Pakistan. His prime qualities of heart and hand earned appreciations across the world...
- Khwaja Ahmad AbbasKhwaja Ahmad AbbasKhwaja 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...
- Joginder Paul
- Abdul Hameed
- khadija Mastoor
- Intizar HussainIntizar HussainIntizar Hussain, SI, is eminent living Urdu fiction writer.- Biography :Intizar Hussain was born on December 7, 1923 in Dibai, Bulandshahr India but migrated to Pakistan in 1947. He did his masters in Urdu and later on in English literature. He writes short stories and novels in Urdu, and also...
- Masaud Mufti
- Syed Qasim MahmoodSyed Qasim MahmoodSyed Qasim Mahmood Pakistani intellectual and Urdu short story writer, novelist, editor, publisher, translator and for most encyclopedist of Pakistan...
- Wajida tabassum
- Iqbal Mateen
- jeelani bano
- Bano QudsiaBano QudsiaBano Qudsia is a writer, intellectual, playwright and spiritualist from Pakistan who wrote Urdu novels and short storiesregarded among the best Urdu novelists and short story writers of modern times.She is best known for her novel Raja Gidh.She has written for television and stage in both the...
- Asad Muhammad Khan
- Mansha YaadMansha YaadFor disambiguation also see Mansha Yaad, Muhammad Mansha Yaad and YaadMansha Yad, , was a distinguished writer and playwright from Punjab, Pakistan. He received Pride of Performance in 2004 from the government of Pakistan...
- Rasheed AmjadRasheed AmjadRasheed Amjad is a prominent Urdu fiction writer, critic and scholar. He was born on March 5, 1940 in Srinagar, Indian state of Kashmir but migrated to Pakistan during partition and now lives in Rawalpindi, Pakistan....
- Salam Bin Razzaq
- Bushra Rehman
- Musharaf Alam Zauqi
- Asif FarrukhiAsif FarrukhiAsif Aslam Farrukhi , Tamgha-e-Imtiaz is a Pakistani doctor, writer, translator and one of the founders of the Karachi Literature Festival. He has translated widely from English into Urdu and vice versa. He has edited and compiled many anthologies of Pakistani writers...
- Muhammad IlyasMuhammad IlyasHazrat Mawlana Ilyas was born in 1885 in a small town in the United Province of British India in a family of religious scholars. As a response to degradation in practice of Islamic principles and values among the common Muslim folk and efforts by organizations such as Arya Samaj to convert poorer...
- Khakan SajidKhakan SajidKhakan Sajid is an Urdu short story writer from Pakistan. His native town is Bhera, a historical place near Sargodha. He was born on February 15, 1965 at Wah, a small town near the capital city of Islamabad, where his father Mirza Muhammad Saleem served as Railways Station Master. He acquired his...
- Hamid Saraj
- Muhammad Asim ButtMuhammad Asim ButtMuhammad Asim Butt is an Urdu novelist, short story writer, translator, researcher, editor, critic and journalist. He has published one novel and two collections of short stories along with a number of books translated from English into Urdu and vice versa.Butt also writes in English and has...
- Zafar Oganvi
- Anis Rafi
- Shahira Masroor
- Abdus Samad
- Paigham Afaqi
- Muhammad IlyasMuhammad IlyasHazrat Mawlana Ilyas was born in 1885 in a small town in the United Province of British India in a family of religious scholars. As a response to degradation in practice of Islamic principles and values among the common Muslim folk and efforts by organizations such as Arya Samaj to convert poorer...
Urdu Drama
Urdu Drama evolved from the prevailing dramatic traditions of North India shaping Rahas or Raas as practiced by exponents like Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh. His dramatic experiments led to the famous Inder Sabha of Amanat and later this tradition took the shape of Parsi Theatre. Agha Hashr Kashmiri is culmination of this tradition.In some way or other, Urdu theatre tradition has greatly influenced modern Indian theatre. Among all the languages Urdu(which was called Hindi by early writers), along with Gujrati,Marathi and Bengali theatres have kept flourishing and demand for its writers and artists has not subsided by the drama aficionados. For Urdu drama, no place is better than Bombay Film industry otherwise known as Hindi film industry. All the early gems of Urdu Theatre (performed by Parsi Companies) were made into films. Urdu Dramatic tradition has been a spectator’s delight since 100 years and counting.
Drama as a theme is made up of several elements. It focuses on life and different aspects of it. The thing to be noticed here is that drama on stage imitates drama in life. It has been said that, there has always been a mutual relationship between theatre and real life. Great historical personalities like Shakespeare have influenced Modern Urdu tradition to a large extent when Indian, Iranian, Turkish stories and folk was adapted for stage with heavy doses of Urdu Poetry.
In modern times writers like Imtiaz Ali Taj, Rafi Peer, Krishan Chander, Manto, Upender Nath Ashk, Ghulam Rabbani, Prof. Mujeeb and many others shaped this tradition.
While Prof Hasan, Ghulam jeelani, J.N,Kaushal, Shameem Hanfi, Jameel Shaidayi etc. belong to the old generation, contemporary writers like Danish Iqbal, Sayeed Alam, Shahid Anwar,Iqbal Niyazi and Anwar are few post modern Play wrights actively contributing in the field of Urdu Drama.
Sayeed Alam is known for his wit and humour and more particularly for Plays like 'Ghalib in New Delhi' 'Big B'and many other gems which are regularly staged for massive turn out of theatre lovers. Maulana Azad is his magnum opus both for its content and style.
Danish Iqbal's 'Dara Shikoh' directed by M S Sathyu is considered a modern classic for the use of newer theatre techniques and contemporary perspective. His other Plays are 'Sahir' on the famous lyricist and revolutionary poet. 'Kuchh Ishq kiya Kuchh Kaam' is another Play written by Danish which is basically a Celebration of the Faiz's Poetry, featuring events from the early part of his life, particularly the events and incidents of pre-partition days which shaped his life and ideals. 'Chand Roz Aur Meri Jaan' - another Play inspired from Faiz's letters written from various jails during the Rawalpindi Conspiracy days. He has written 14 other Plays including 'Dilli Jo Ek Shehr Thaa' and 'Main Gaya Waqt Nahin hoon'.
Shahid's 'Three B' is also a significant Play. He has been associated with amny groups like 'Natwa'and others. Zaheer Anwar has kept the flag of Urdu Theatre flying in Kolkata. Unlike the writers of previous generartion Sayeed, Shahid, Danish iqbal and Zaheer do not write bookish Plays but their work is a product of vigorous performing tradition.Iqbal Niyazi of Mumbai has written several plays in urdu.his play"AUR KITNE JALYANWALA BAUGH??"won National award other awards. Hence this is the only generartion after Amanat and Agha Hashr who actually write for stage and not for libraries.
Urdu Literary Criticism
- Abdul Qavi DesnaviAbdul Qavi DesnaviAbdul Qavi Desnavi was born on November 1, 1930 in village Desna of block Asthawan in Nalanda district of Bihar. He was an eminent Writer, Critic, Bibliographist, Linguist & Scholar of Urdu language...
- Muhammad Husain AzadMuhammad Husain AzadMuhammad Husain Azad , known as Ehsan Azad, was an Urdu writer, who is regarded as the best Urdu prose writer. He wrote prose as well as poetry but he is mostly remembered for his prose. He contribution and impact is immense to Urdu literature and prose in particular. He is famous for his...
- Altaf Hussain Maulana HaliMaulana HaliMaulana Altaf Hussain Hali was an Urdu poet, and Writer. Hali occupies a special position in the history of Urdu literature. He was a poet, a critic, a teacher, a reformer and an impressive prose-writer...
- Shibli NomaniShibli NomaniAllamah Shibli Nomani was a respected scholar of Islam from Indian subcontinent during British Raj. He was born at Bindwal in Azamgarh district of present-day Uttar Pradesh. He is known for the founding the Shibli National College in 1883 and the Darul Mussanifin in Azamgarh...
- Abdur Rahman Bijnori
- Allama Niyaz Fatehpuri
- Rasheed Ahmad Siddiqi
- Syed Abid Ali Abid
- Ehtesham Hussain
- Syed Waqar Azeem
- Majnun GorakhpuriMajnun GorakhpuriAhmad Siddiq "Majnun Gorakhpuri" Urdu:احمد صدیق مجنوں گورکھپوری was an eminent and leading Urdu short story writer, poet and literary critic of his time.- Life :...
- Mumtaz HussainMumtaz Hussain- History and Education :Mumtaz Hussain , artist, filmmaker, graphic designer, was born in Jhang, Pakistan, where he also began his education. Jhang is the center for Sufi culture in Pakistan, so Hussain was immersed in Sufi culture during his childhood. Hussain's early artistic education was...
- Ali Sardar JafriAli Sardar JafriAli 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....
- Malik RamMalik RamMalik Ram Baveja or Malik Ram was a renowned Urdu, Persian and Arabic scholar. His monumental work “Tazkirah-e-Muasireen” was awarded the 1983 Sahitya Akademi Award.- Early life :...
- Gopi Chand NarangGopi Chand NarangGopi 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....
- Shamsur Rahman FaruqiShamsur Rahman FaruqiShamsur Rahman Faruqi is an eminent Urdu critic, poet and theorist, who has nurtured a whole generation of Urdu writers since the 1960s. He is regarded as the founder of the new movement in Urdu literature and has formulated fresh models of literary appreciation...
- Gyan Chand
- Wazir Agha
- Waris Alwi
- Gopi Chand NarangGopi Chand NarangGopi 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....
- Muzaffar Hanfi
- Aslam FarrukhiAslam FarrukhiDr. Aslam Farrukhi, PP, is a noted Urdu author, critic, poet, linguist, scholar and broadcaster of Pakistan. He is also known for children's writings. He remained associated as Professor and Chairman with Department of Urdu, University of Karachi for many years.- Life :Aslam Farrukhi was born on...
Progressive Writers Movement/ ( ترقی پسند تحریک)
According to The Dawn, "Progressive Writers Movement" in Urdu literature was the strongest movement after Sir Syed's education movement. The progressives contributed to Urdu literature some of the finest pieces of fiction and poetry. Undoubtedly, they were the trend-setters for the coming generation of writers, and their role cannot be denigrated or denied." [1]Aamir Sohail(Abbottabad Public School,Abbottabad,Pakistan)
Modernism
The modernist movement started in Urdu literature near 1960. The two most eminent names in this movement emerged are Shamsur Rehman Farooqui and Gopichand Narang. Eminent poets like Noon Meem Rashid and Meeraji are related to it. Apart from them a number of other poets like Zafer Iqbal, Nasir Kazmi, Bashir Bader and Shahryar are related to this movement. This movement laid more stress on symbolic and other indirect expressions as opposed to direct and clear expressionsPost-Modernism
The post modernism was introduced in a big way by Gopi Chand Narang. There are many other critics in Urdu literature who are also attached to this approach of criticism. The post modernism does not claim to be a movement and does not demand any writer to adopt a particular style of writing. It generally concentrates on a method of understanding the contemporary literature in the light of its content - mostly to the features like feminism, dalit, regional and other types of literature as opposed to a seeking uniformity in the global literature on the basis of internationally established trends.Independent Writers
By the end of the 1980s the atmosphere in Urdu literature became very depressing.The progressive movement was almost dead and the modernist movement had started showing it's complete infertility. But this was also time for upsurge of new creative forces which was basically rooted in the new life that was metamorphosing the socio-economic and political climate in the sub-continent after the days of partition and freedom. It was under this climate that the a new era of fiction started with the publication of Paigham Afaqui's novel Makaan. Almost allergic and fed up with the attempts of various literary movements to influence the styles and thoughts of the writers and the literary politics emerging out of the commitments to the movements which created a vicious circle of promoting chosen writers and misuse of resources and awards for promoting their own brands by these movements,Paigham Afaqui and other writers refused to be identified by any movement and displayed complete independence in using personally developed styles and technique for writing novel and explored their own philosophy and vision of life that suited their need.It was a serious departure from the theme of partition which dominated writers like Qurtul Ain haider and Abdullah Hussain and the theme of existentialism which was the benchmark of modernism. Writers like Ghazanfer and Musharraf Alam Zauqi have further widened the horizons of new themes and concerned.Urdu Journalism
The Persian newspapers of West Bengal were fore-runners of the Urdu press. Two prominent periodicals were Jam-i-Jahan-Numa, founded by Lal Sadasukh Lal in 1822 and Mirat-ul-Akhbar (Mirror of News) by Raja Rammohan Roy. After the decline of Persian as an official language, Urdu gained prominence. There was extensive growth in Urdu jurnalism from the 1850s till Independence in 1947.On 14 January 1850, Munshi Harsukh Rai started the weekly Kohinoor, which had a remarkably high (for those times) circulation of 350 copies. In 1858, Manbir Kabiruddin started the Urdu Guide, the first Urdu daily, from Calcutta. Another important paper founded that year was Roznamha-e-Punjab from Lahore. Oudh Akhbar by Munshi Nawal Kishore was the first Urdu newspaper from Lucknow, also begun in 1858.
The first Urdu newspapers of Delhi were Fawaid-ul-Nazarin and Kiran-us-Sadai, founded by Rama Chandra in 1852. The Urdu press in Delhi became highly critical of the British government. The best example of them is the Urdu Akhbar, edited by Syed Hasan, which highlighted many civic issues like drainage, sanitation, adulteration of food, and corruption.
In 1877, Maulvi Nasir Ali, one of the founders of Anjuman Islamia- the Islamic intellectual and political movement- founded 3 newspapers- Nusrat-ul-Akhbar, Nusrat-ul-Islam and Mihir-e-Darakhshan. All three focused on current civil and political affairs and were valuable aids of Muslim empowerment. In 1877, Oudh Punch, the first humour magazine in Urdu was started by Sajjid Hussain. The first women’s journal in Urdu was Akhbar-un-Nisa.
Urdu journalism took on a strongly nationalistic note towards the turn of the 20th century. Zameendar, was started in Lahore in 1903. It was the first Urdu newspaper to subscribe to news agencies. Zameendar was intensely nationalistic, which boosted its circulation to over 30,000 copies. In 1902, Maulvi Sanaullah Khan started the weekly Watan, meaning motherland. Watan was intensely nationalistic and continued for 33 years. Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar started Naqeeb-e-Hamdard in 1912. Another powerful political periodical was the Madina, edited by Hamidul Ansari.
The greatest Urdu periodical that time was Al Hilal, started by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. (refer notes).
In 1919, the Pratap was started in Lahore by Mahshe Krishnan. It vigorously supported Gandhi’s policies and the Indian National Congress. It was a victim of government harassment and suspended publication several times. It had great influence among the Urdu reading Hindus of Punjab and Delhi.
In 1923, Swami Shraddhanand founded the Tej with Lala Deshbandhu Gupta as editor. It had a wide circulation in Rajasthan, U.P. and Delhi. It was confiscated several times by the government and banned in a number of princely states. In the same year, 1923, the Arya Samaj started the Milap, a daily in Lahore. It was known for its powerful nationalistic editorials. Jawaharlal Nehru founded Qaumi Awaaz in 1945.
Urdu journalism suffered heavily, during and after Partition. Riots in Lahore lead to mobs raiding the office of Milap and burning machines and newsprint. Its Managing Editor, Ranbir was stabbed and the paper was closed for six weeks. It then shifted to Delhi. Due to the unrest, the Pratap also shifted to Delhi.
Some of the Urdu newspapers after partition in India are Dawat, now a bi-weekly, started by the Jamat-e-Islami Hind. Maulana Abdul Waheed Siddiqui started Nai Duniya, a popular Urdu weekly, now run by his son Shaheed Siddiqui. The Sahara Group started a weekly-Aalmi Sahara.There are more number of urdu newspapers published in hyderabad, IndiaThe Siasat Daily
The Siasat Daily
Siasat is a popular Urdu newspaper from the south Indian city of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.Established in 1948 and based out of Hyderabad, Siasat is the largest circulated Urdu daily . The founder Editor Mr. Abid Ali Khan started The Siasat Daily in 1948 with his friend Mr. Mehboob Hussain Jigar....
, The Munsif Daily
The Munsif Daily
The Munsif Daily is a Urdu language newspaper published from Hyderabad in India. Its editor is Khan Abdul Lateef Khan. The Munsif Daily is the largest circulating Urdu newspaper in the area ....
, Indian Etemaad
Indian Etemaad
Indian Etemaad is an Urdu newspaper based in Hyderabad, India, owned by a local political family . Its editor is Burhanuddin Owaisi, son of Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi who was the president of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen. Etemaad Daily is located in the Darrussalam area of Hyderabad....
and Rehnuama E Deccan.Bombay now Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
also have some good publication of 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...
daily The inquilab daily and Urdu Times
Urdu Times
Urdu Times is a free Urdu newspaper from New York. It was first published in 1980. Over the years, Urdu Times extended the area of publication and is now being published in New York, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Miami, Detroit, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Mississauga , Montreal, London,...
and from West Bengal Urdu newspapers like The Azad Hind daily, The Akhbaar -e- Mashriq daily, The Aabshaar daily and The rashtriya Sahara daily are also being brought out from CALCUTTA at present Kolkata
In Pakistan the Daily Jang
Daily Jang
The Daily Jang is an Urdu newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the oldest newspaper of Pakistan in continuous publication since its foundation in 1939. Its current Group Chief Executive & Editor-in-Chief is Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman....
is one of the most widely circulated newspapers in the country. Other popular news papers are Daily Imroze
Daily Imroze
Daily Imroze is an Urdu language newspaper in Pakistan.The editor-in-chief of Imroze was Iftekhar-ud-Din. It was the first newspaper to introduce photo journalism in Pakistan. It improved the standard and quality of the newspapers in Pakistan with its style, content and layout.Daily Imroze was...
, Daily Mashriq
Daily Mashriq
Mashriq is an Urdu daily newspaper in Pakistan published from Peshawar, provincial headquarter of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa....
, Khabrain
Khabrain
Khabrain is an Urdu daily newspaper Pakistan. It was started on 26 September, 1992 from Lahore, Punjab by Zia Shahid.-External links:* *...
, Millat
Millat
This article is about the Pakistani newspaper. For the Afghan TV channel, see Millat TVMillat is a bilingual Gujarati and Urdu daily newspaper based in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan....
and Nawa-i-Waqt
Nawa-i-Waqt
Nawa-i-Waqt is an Urdu daily newspaper in Pakistan. Nawa-i-Waqt started its publishing on March 23, 1940 under the leadership of Hameed Nizami. The tradition is continued by his brother Majid Nizami. Nawa-i-Waqt is one of the largest circulating newspapers in the country...
.
See also
- UrduUrduUrdu 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...
- Urdu poetryUrdu poetryUrdu poetry is a rich tradition of poetry and has many different types and forms. Borrowing much from the Persian language, it is today an important part of Pakistani and North Indian culture....
- List of Urdu language poets
- List of Urdu writers
- Progressive Writers' MovementProgressive Writers' MovementThe 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....