Majaz Lucknawi
October 25th, 2008
Majaz (pronounced Majaaz), who is sometimes called Keats of Urdu Poetry wrote Ghazals and Nazms that, if at once place speak of beauty and optimism and wit – create such a feeling of bitter despair that it leaves an ardent fan of Urdu Poetry like me and many others gasping for air. I have never seen despair and hopelessness as I have in Sahir Ludhianvi’s and Majaaz’s Poetry. Majaz’s life, however, ended way earlier than it should have.
He was one of the foremost Urdu Poets during the Progressive Writers Movement in and around 1930s and was a contemporary of noted Poets like Jigar Moradabadi, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Jan Nisar Akhtar, Sahir Ludhianvi and Asgar Gondavi. I hadn’t read much of Majaaz until recently when I found a copy of the TV show “Kahkashaan” that was shown on Indian Television in early 1990s. As the story goes, he fell in love with a married woman from Delhi’s high society and by the time he left Delhi, his heart was reduced to nothing. After having multiple nervous breakdowns (and even landing in a Ranchi Mental Hospital) and attempting to come back to normal, he finally met his end on a bitter cold night in Lucknow when some callous friends left him on the roof of a Maikhana (tavern) after a night of drinking. People would often get him drunk to hear his Poetry. He died alone (some say due to cold) that night on 5th of December 1955 in Lucknow. Part of Lucknow died with him that night and Urdu Poetry suffered a huge vacuum, never to be filled again.
Here are some verses from one of his lachrymose Ghazals. Also taken is an excerpt from the TV show Kahkashaan in Jagjit Singh’s voice. Here is the MP3.
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Ai Gam e Dil Kya Karoon, one of Majaz’s creations has been sung by many generations of singers, with the most popular version by Talat Mahmood. Majaaz’s sister was married to Jan Nisar Akhtar (his son is Javed Akhtar), another master Shayar from that era.
- This entry was posted on Saturday, October 25th, 2008 at 7:48 pm and is filed under Urdu/Hindi Poetry.
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on 25 Oct 2008 at 9:46 pm 1.Janki said …
absolutely lovely…Jagjit Singh’s voice ki aawaaz mein sunkar mahshallah ghazal aur bhi haseen ho jaati hai
on 26 Oct 2008 at 12:58 am 2.anupam dhar said …
Beautiful nazm.
Rendered beautifully.
The static managed to steal some of the charm,though.
Keep hunting for such gems.
Here is wishing you a puff of joy to lift some of the gloom from the California skies.
on 27 Oct 2008 at 12:57 pm 3.akaul said …
wonderful……got to read it today only..sorry for delay
arz kiya hai…..instant one ..lol
yeh kambaqt Ishq kuch cheez hi aisi hai
aam insaan ko bhi shayar ka khitab deti hai
abh jabh majaaz ke mizaaz hi bigad jayein
to puri awaam par khuda hi reham khayein
on 18 Dec 2008 at 12:20 pm 4.moonbeam said …
good job reviving the mystique of majaz lucknawi
someone should write a film script on his life.
on 10 Apr 2009 at 7:17 am 5.arif sahaab said …
majaz jese azeem shair sadyun ma paida hote hain . un ki sawaneh hayat tafseel se net pe milni chaye
on 12 Aug 2009 at 8:50 am 6.MUSHTAQ KHAN said …
Kisi had tak MAJAZ,manto,ismat,faiz,faraq,ali sardar waghaira shayeri ki had tak to aaj bhi zinda hain lekin afsos wo zaban jis se ye log ishq ki had tak wabista the wo zaban jaan-ba-lab hai.Thodi bahut bol-chaal me to shayad suni bhi jaati ho rasm-ul-khat me to taqriban na-paed hi samajhiye.
Saathiyo aap sab karam-farmaon se haath jod kar iltaja hai ki URDU ko zinda karen.kaise:-
* Ek URDU akhbar roz khareeden.
* Urdu ke maah-naame,haftaavaar,sah-maahi jareede khareeden.
* apne ghar ki takhti,shaadi/saalgirah etc. ke card Urdu me likhen.
* Naame, khatoot,tahreeron ke aaghaz urdu me karen.
* Dokaano/Office ki takhti me Urdu zaroor ho.
* Apne bachhon aur masturaat ko URDU padhaen.
* Likhne me Urdu kam-az-kam 20% roz istemal ho.
* Election/ehtajaj/awami jalson ke ishtaharat urdu me ho
on 12 Aug 2009 at 9:02 am 7.MUSHTAQ KHAN said …
Kya ajab hai ke shaayere inquilaab Majaz Lakhnavi jinko KEATS ke ham-palla qarar diya ja chuka tha ,ab Aligarh wa Lukhnow me shayad hi unke naam leva maujood hon,jabke Keats aa-limi shohrat yafta shayar hain.
Yqeen na ho to 100 talba-Aligarh se Tarana-Aligarh ke Khaliq ka naam poochh len, majaz jaise alamghir haisiyat ke shayar ki maqbooliyat ka andaza ho jaega.Urdu to kuja.
on 27 Sep 2009 at 10:05 am 8.kashif ali said …
really this is amazing , you are doing good job . i am one of the MAJAAZ fan like you all, but i am very close to him and meet him on 3 or 4 time in a month ………. thinking ?……..
MAJAAZ grave is in lucknow , nishatganj paper mill KABRISTAN , where is resting with his sister SAFIYA AKHTAR ( SAFIYA BAJI ) , SHE IS javed akhter mom . and with his father ,
MAAJAZ live at nishatganj , lucknow . his house name was JABR AS SIRAJ. but now sold to other person . and the road for kabristan is named after him MAJAAZ LUCKNAWI ROAD.
somting after reciting FATIHA for him , i usually recite one of the master by him AMU TARANA ( nazr e alighar) YE MERA CHAMAN YE MERA CHANAM , MAI APNE CHAMAN KA BUBUL HO.
on 08 Oct 2009 at 11:02 am 9.MUSHTAQ KHAN said …
I loved your way of remembering Majaz ,Kashif Sb..You are really condemnable who visits his last resting place and his then residence. You know what we did with our legends when they died unsung and mostly in destitude in utter poverty? We dug a grave and buried them with their works,memories,passion and everything and covered the graves with heap of dust,then never returned back to them.
Our children hardly know anything about GHALIB, MEER, IQBAL,MAJAZ,CHAKBAST,AMEER MEENAI,ABDUL HAQ,FAROOQI,ABDUL MAJID DARIYABADI,HAIDER,ISMAT,MANTO,JAAN NISAR,KALIM AAJIZ,INSHA,ZAUQ ,HALI, NARANG, GULZAR DEHELVI, and hundreds more just because we all prefer to forget them unlike English and french and Germens who do whatever they can for their poets,writers,dramatists,artists. That is why we all know very well people like Keats,Sheiley,Shakespear, Bernad Shaw,Oscar Wild,Chekov,Toltoy etc. but not our own.
on 23 Feb 2010 at 1:48 am 10.Dastagir said …
To : M/s. Raju Hirani… Vidhu Vinod Chopra ; Aamir Khan ; Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.
Sub: Majaaz.
Gentlemen,
I request you to consider making a beautiful film on the life of Majaaz… Imagine Shah Rukh Khan.. singing “Aye Gham-e-Dil Kya Karoon”… or Aamir singing a Majaz ghazal.
The last Muslim Social (Nikaah) was released in 1980. It has been 30 yrs., and no muslim social has hit the cinema screens. There is a huge market.
Dare to venture. Introduce younger generations of India(ns) to the genius of Majaz’s poetry.
Kind rgds…
on 02 Jun 2011 at 12:52 am 11.husain said …
hum paper mill colony, nishantgunj, me rehte hai hai . yaha k kabristan me majaz sahab dafan hain us graveyard k paas hi rehte hain humme garv hai ki un jaise mashhoor shayar ki kabr yaha hai…………………………
on 08 Aug 2011 at 11:30 pm 12.Iftakhar said …
Tthank u for sharing information. I am fan of Majaz from Sindh Pakistan. Although i m sindhi speaking but ve high regards for Majaz n who still remember Majaz.
on 18 Aug 2011 at 10:13 am 13.Bhavit Mehta said …
I am looking for someone in the UK who knows the poetry of Majaz sahib and can recite the Urdu poetry and translate into English to take part in a literature festival in London. Do any of you know someone in the UK who can do this? Many thanks.
on 19 Aug 2011 at 11:30 am 14.kashif said …
Hi Bhavit , thats a awsome job u guys are going to organize, i wish u best of luck and REGARDS for this wonderful job , i will try my best to provide u links as per ur reqmnt , beside this i would like you to prepare a documentry on MAJAZ when u organize this fest , right from his childhood in RUDAULI to ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY BACK TO LUCKNOW -DELHI- bombay-delhi -lucknow and his last day 5 december in cold night , this doc will make majaz lover to understand the way he live and enjoy with his companion . if u need any help from me i will be available at kashifali.siddiqui@zte.com.cn or at kashif_int@yahoo.co.in.
on 05 May 2012 at 11:56 am 15.kashif said …
Hussain sahab Adab : Aap jab nishatganj kabristan jaye , waha pe bilkul shuruat hi mein lest hand side pe majaz sahab ki kabr hain , and u can also ask from kabristan khadim ABID , he knew all majaz family member graves.
on 08 May 2012 at 1:25 am 16.husain said …
kashif bhai i know his grave hum usse colony me rehte hai jaha vo kabristan hai unki famliy members ki bhi humme pata hai
on 16 May 2012 at 4:15 am 17.Fowad said …
Majaz sb ki shayari unki zidagi ki tarjuman hain.