By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net
Lucknow: “Ek tum hi nahin tanha ulfat mein meri ruswa; is sheher mein tum jaise deewane hazaaron hain…” Shaharyar.
For some he may be one film wonder for his memorable ghazals in Umaraojan but Shaharyar was a timeless wonder. His meaningful creations found place in some films but their few numbers did not undermine his ability. Going by that film maker Muzaffar Ali finds himself speechless. “It appears as if I had lost my voice,” was his first reaction.
Such was his greatness that while bestowing him litetreture’s highest award Jnanpith Award, superstar Amitabh Bachan had remarked that he felt honored by giving prize to Shaharyar.
The pen has stopped. Shaharyar is no more. His works will still remain. They will be immortalized by research and Phd through coming generations. Though Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) gave many renowned Urdu poets but after Majaz, the name which was on everyone’s lips was of Shaharyar.
Prof. Shaharyar receiving the Jnanpith Award on 19th September 2011 in New Delhi from Amitabh Bachchan
A doyen of Urdu poetry and Jnanpith Award winner, Prof. A. M. K. Shaharyar was 76 and suffering from cancer. Prof. Shahryar is survived by a daughter and two sons. He will be laid to rest at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) graveyard on Wednesday at 2:30 pm.
Born in Anwla town of Bareilly district of UP on June 16, 1936, Prof. Sharyar’s father was a police officer. He moved to Aligarh in 1948 along with his father and passed high school examination from AMU City High School in 1954 and received the graduation, post graduation and doctorate degrees from AMU.
He was appointed lecturer in the Urdu department in 1966, Reader in 1983 and Professor in 1987. He also became Chairman of the department of Urdu and held several honorary posts in the University like Editor of Urdu literary journal, Fikr-o-Nazar and Member Incharge of the Public Relations Office of the University. He retired from University services in 1996.
Shaharyar’s first poetic collection was published in 1965 with the title ‘Ism-e-Azam’. His second book of poetry entitled ‘Satwan Dar’ was published in 1969. His fourth collection ‘Khwab Ka Dar Band Hai’ published in 1985 brought him the prestigious Sahitya Academy Award.
Shaharyar also penned the songs for superhit movies like Umrao Jan, Gaman and Fasle, which brought him international fame and prominence. In 1995, his book ‘Neend Ki Kirchein’ was published and in 1998 his book “Mere Hisse Ki Zameen’ was published in devnagri. His last book till date ‘Hasil-e-Sair-e-Jahan’ was published in 2001.
Prof. Shaharyar received a number of prestigious awards besides the highest literary award in India, the Jananpith Award, most prominent of which are Sahitya Academy Award, Bahadur Shah Zafar Award, Iqbal Samman, Gangadhar Puraskar and UP Urdu Academy Award. He has also been awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed by the AMU Alumni Association of UK.