Tag Archives: Asrar Ul Haq Majaz (aka) Majaz Lakhnavi

Tracing the roots of Aligarh and its famous university, often hailed as a mini-India

Aligarh, UTTAR PRADESH:

Aligarh Muslim University has given the town itself a facelift. Many luminaries have graced the halls of AMU, and it remains an oasis of learning amid uncertainties and controversies that surround the old town

A view of the Aligarh Muslim University Campus | Photo Credit: Sandeep Saxena

There is something about Aligarh that tells us that the past never dies. It merely reinvents itself to suit contemporary demands. Back in 1937, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, soon to transform into Quaid-e-Azam, took the route with a rare flourish. Recalling the Muslim League session in Lucknow in 1937, author-journalist Mohammed Wajihuddin writes in his persuasively argued, lucidly expressed book, Aligarh Muslim University, “The October 1937 Lucknow session was so important to Jinnah that he discarded his well-cut suits and donned flowing trousers and a long coat. From Mr. Jinnah, he transformed into Janab Jinnah and Quaid-e-Azam. While he had kept himself aloof from ordinary Muslims, now he began mingling with them….He travelled extensively, and Aligarh became a regular place to visit during these travels.” Around the same time, he raised the rhetorical slogan of ‘Islam in danger’ too.

Passing storm(s)

The following year when Jinnah visited AMU, which had begun as the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College in 1875, he was given a rousing welcome. The students’ union made him an honorary life member. “It was a tradition the union had followed since 1920, when Mahatma Gandhi was given this membership. In those days they would also put up a portrait of the guests they honoured on the Union Club’s wall. It was such a portrait of Jinnah’s at the AMU Students’ Union Club that created a storm on the campus on May 2, 2018,” writes Wajihuddin.

The storm, essentially a passing one, was caused by local MP Satish Gautam writing to the Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor demanding the removal of Jinnah’s portrait from the campus. The demand was not conceded but it made sure the university was in the spotlight, and as a consequence, Aligarh remained in the headlines for days on end. Like it did when the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests hit the campus in December 2019. Controversies and Aligarh seem to go together. Yet, AMU, despite frequent protests, occasional violence and various stirs, seems to be an island by itself wherein students seek knowledge, chart out great careers and soak in its culture just as the university’s founder Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, would have advised them. As academic-literary critic Shafey Kidwai, author of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan: Reason, Religion and Nation, said, “The question of his (Jinnah’s) glorification does not arise, but the university’s job is to protect the truth of history. His photo was there as the hall carried the names and photographs of all who visited it. The list incudes Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Maulana Azad and Sarojini Naidu.” Unsurprisingly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it ‘mini-India’ in an online address.

The story of a name

AMU has the unique distinction of taking along with it the name of the township where it is based, and giving the town itself a facelift. Otherwise, known for its brassware and lock industries, Aligarh has a chequered past, one that has seen many a nawab, maharaja or local leader make an attempt to leave an indelible impression on the town; the most recent one being an attempt by zila panchayat members to rename the place Harigarh. Vijay Singh, zila panchayat chairman, stated, “It was a long-pending demand to rename Aligarh as Harigarh.” He was probably referring to a similar call given in the late 1970s by members of the Jan Sangh, the precursor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). At that time, a new temple was also called Harigarh Mandir. Nevertheless, the demand to rename the place died down soon enough.

There is an interesting tale behind the name of Aligarh. It was initially called Kol or Koil. Though obscurity surrounds the origin of Kol, according to Edwin Atkinson, who compiled the first gazetteer of the district, the name Kol was given by Balram who slew the great Asura called Kol over here. Noted medieval India historian, Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi, explained the genealogy of the place, at the height of the Harigarh controversy, stating, “Sometime before the Muslim invasion, Kol is said to have been held by the Dor Rajputs. Sultanate period sources, both Persian and non-Persian, mention Kol as a centre for the production of distilled wine. The sources of the period of Alauddin Khalji mention this town as Iqta Kol; Iqta was an administrative unit.” It continued to be called Kol during the Mughal age too with Emperor Jahangir calling it Kol in his memoirs.

However, things changed in the 18th century. The Jats captured the fort briefly and called it Ramgarh, quite removed from the earlier nomenclature of Sabitgarh and Muhammadgarh. Then came the Marathas who dubbed the fort as Aligarh after their governor Najaf Ali Khan. By the 19th century, the town itself came to be called Aligarh. Some locals dispute this fact-based assertion, claiming Aligarh is named after Hazrat Ali, the last caliph and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad.

City of joy

In reality, Aligarh, not Kolkata, was the original City of Joy; it was only in 1985 that Dominique Lapierre called Kolkata the City of Joy. Some 50 years before that, popular Urdu poet Asrar-ul-Haq Majaz had called Aligarh as ‘Shahr-e-Tarab’ or the City of Joy! Moreover, Aligarh, and AMU, whose tarana (anthem) was penned by Majaz, transmits joy.

Here studied Begum Para, the heroine of the first talkie Alam Ara. In her painstakingly researched and elegantly produced book, The Allure of Aligarh, Huma Khalil writes, “The musical leanings of Padma Bhushan winner Talat Mahmood…can be traced back to when he used to sing the works of Ghalib and Mir, at the age of 16 in the school functions of Minto Circle. Award-winning film and theatre actor Naseeruddin Shah is still remembered as the finest badminton player of the university.” Not to forget Anubhav Sinha, Surekha Sikri and Zarina Hashmi. Incidentally, Hashmi brought Aligarh to her canvas. A mathematics graduate from AMU, Hashmi had seen villages burning around Aligarh in 1947 and could never forget her home and relatives who were dispersed in the violence.

If violence was here, could prayers have been far behind? Not quite. Hence, besides its historic mosque where countless students stand in neat rows for prayers, Aligarh has the age-old Khereshwar temple which, Khalil tells us, “is the oldest Shiva temple”. Tansen’s guru, Swami Haridas, lived here and Mughal emperors are said to have come down to the temple “to witness the magic of raga Malhaar”.

The persistence of knowledge

Of course, Aligarh has been a happy host to the annual numaish (exhibition) and for years its students frequented Tasveer Mahal, one of a dozen cinema halls in the city. Tasveer Mahal was more than a cinema. It was like a gateway to the University, a rendezvous point for students in the evening. It’s all gone now. What remains untouched is the determination of the students to learn. As Khalil recounts in her book, “Ilm (knowledge) is the second most used word in the Quran after Allah; Aligarh’s motto captures this ethos, ‘(Allah) taught man what he knew not’.” As youngsters seek to know more and more, Aligarh is like the body and AMU its soul.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Books / by Zia Us Salam / February 09th, 2023

Remembering Majaz Lakhnavi, the Keats of Urdu poetry

Rudauli (British India / Lucknow, UTTAR PRADESH :

Majaz, uncle of lyricist Javed Akhtar, was one of those rare gems whose poetry reflected two most important aspects: romance and revolution.

Born in Rudauli (then in Barabanki, UP) during Diwali celebrations, he was named Asrarul Haque and later took up the name ‘Majaz Lakhnavi’. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Two days ago, a nazm reverberated across Aligarh Muslim University as the institution celebrated its founder’s day on October 17. Alumni across the globe, who proudly address themselves as ‘Alig’, sang: Ye Mera Chaman, Ye Mera Chaman.

The author of this famous nazm, Asrarul Haque, popularly known as ‘Majaz Lakhnavi’, whose poetry still rules the heart of millions, was born on October 19, 1911.

Regarded as the Keats of Urdu poetry, Majaz was one of those rare gems whose poetry reflected two most important aspects: romance and revolution. In an era when legendary Urdu poets as Faiz, Jazbi, Sardar Jafri, Sahir Ludhiyanvi were in their prime, Majaz rose to fame and carved a niche for himself.

Born in Rudauli (then in Barabanki, UP) during Diwali celebrations, he was named Asrarul Haque and later took up the name ‘Majaz Lakhnavi’. He belonged to a zamindar family. At a young age, Majaz had an inclination towards Urdu poetry. His fame came when he reached AMU as a student where he got the company of literary legends as Ali Sardar Jafri, Ismat Chugtai, and others. During one of the mushairas, Majaz, dressed in sherwani, delivered his famous poem:

Khoob Pehchan lo Asrar Hoon Main,
Jinse-Ulfat ka talabghar hoon, Main,
Ishq hi Ishq hai Duniya Meri,
Fitna-e-Aql se Bezar hoon Main,
Ek Lapakta ho Shola ho, Ek Chalti Hui Talwar Hoon Main.

The audience was mesmerised; the silence established that Majaz had arrived on the scene. There was no looking back. Majaz gave his alma mater a famous nazm, which is now the university tarana (anthem).

Majaz’s popularity rose by leaps and bounds and there were more females than males among his admirers. At AMU, girls used to keep his book ‘Aahang’ beneath their pillows. They would commit to keeping ‘Majaz’ as the name of their children.

Himanshu Bajpai, Daastango, who has rendered several daastans on Majaz, recalls one incident: “Once, Ismat Chugtai told Majaz that girls love him and Majaz quickly replied, ‘And they marry a rich person’.”

Truly, Majaz had a failed love life, and the dejection got him admitted to a mental asylum at Ranchi. His addiction to liquor took its toll. Chugtai asked him, “Liquor or wine, who destroyed your life, Majaz?” Witty and humorous as always, he replied, “I have given this right to both of them.”

His poem Awara was also an instant hit.

Shahar ki raat aur main naashaad o nakara phirun
Jagmagati jagti sadko pe awara phirun
Ghair ki basti hai kab tak dar-badar maara phurin
Ai Gham-e-Dil kya karun, Ai Vahshat-e-Dil kya karun.

Majaz had recited this nazm on the request of people at White Baradari in Lucknow, which eventually turned out to be his last public gathering before his demise.

His poetry, as said earlier, had both romance and revolution. Some of his lines for women empowerment are still relevant.

Tere Mathe pe ye anchal bahut hi khub hai lekin,
Tu is aanchal se ek parcham bana leti toh achcha tha.

Bajpai narrates an incident: “Once, famous film actress Nargis came to meet Majaz. She requested for his autograph and Majaz obliged by writing the above lines on her white dupatta. He identified himself with every deprived person — perhaps this brought him closer to the progressive movement.” In his poetry, Majaz had raised the issues of women liberation and feminism, which are still discussed today.

Majaz’s revolutionary couplets, too, ruled the masses. While other poets raised the pitch in their revolutionary couplets, Majaz rendered his lines that could be sung with revolution. ‘Bol, Ari O Dharti Bol, Raj Sinhasan Daanwa Dol‘ is one such poem. It is simply unbelievable to see anyone write on the worldly intricacies so beautifully — ‘Bahut Mushkil hai Duniya ka Sanwarna, Teri Zulfo ka Pencho Kham nahi Hai‘.

Alas, Majaz remained a loner. Josh Malihabadi even advised him to keep a ghadi (watch) with him while drinking, but Majaz laughed it off, saying, “You drink keeping a ghadi, I drink keeping a ghada (pitcher).”

In December 1955, his end came abruptly, after he collapsed in Lucknow, and passed away before reaching Balrampur Hospital. The present generation may recall him as the uncle of Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar.

The poet, whose kingdom was in the hearts of millions, is buried in a six-feet grave at Nishatganj graveyard with his own lines from a nazm on the epitaph.

Ab iske baad subah hai aur subah-e-Nau Majaz
Ham par hai khatm Sham-e-Gareebaan-e-Lucknow

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Books & Literature / by Faisal Fareed, New Delhi / October 19th, 2021