Sajjad Zaheer
Encyclopedia
Syed Sajjad Zaheer ( November 5, 1905 – September 13, 1973) was a renowned Urdu writer, Marxist thinker and revolutionary
.
, former Chief Justice of the Oudh Chief Court. Following into his father's footsteps he studied law at Oxford and became a barrister. His brother Syed Ali Zaheer
is India's Ambassador to Iran. He was one of the founding members of the Communist Party of India
and later in 1948, the Communist Party of Pakistan
, along with Faiz Ahmad Faiz. Both were later jailed in Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case along with Mohammad Husain Ata, Zafarullah Poshni and others. Major General Akbar Khan was allegedly the main conspirator. He was extradited to India in 1954 and revived his activities in that country through Progressive Writers' Association, Indian People's Theatre Association
(IPTA
) and Afro-Asian Writers' Association. Sajjad Zaheer was also a founder and leading figure of the three associations. 2005 was observed as his birth centenary year.
A collection of short stories, Angaray, which had stories by Sajjad Zaheer, Ahmed Ali, Rashid Jahan and Mahmud-uz-Zafar was published in 1932 and was immediately banned in India by the British Government in 1933, "for hurting the religious susceptibilities of a section of the community." This gave rise to the All-India Progressive Writers' Movement & Association of which both Sajjad Zaheer and Ahmed Ali were co-founders. The first official conference of the Association was held in Lucknow in 1936 which was presided over by Munshi Premchand.
His wife Razia Sajjad Zaheer, was an Urdu short story writer and novelist and they had four daughters. The eldest daughter, Najma Zaheer is a Prof. Emiretus of Biochemistry at JNU and is an expert in Diabetes. Second daughter, Naseem Bhatia, is an academic. Third daughter, Nadira Zaheer
is probably the leading theatre artist in India and married to the Bollywood star-turned politician Raj Babbar
. Arya Babbar
and Juhi Babbar
are his two grandchildren from Nadira Zaheer
. The youngest daughter, Noor Zaheer is a trained Kathak dancer and author of the best seller - My God is a Woman.
Sajjad Zaheer died on 13 September, 1973, at the age of 68, while attending a conference of Afro Asian writers at Alma Ata, Kazakhistan (then one of the republics of USSR).
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
.
Life
Famously known as Bannay Mian, Zaheer was born in Lukhnow, the former state of Oudh on November 5, 1905. He was one of the four sons of Sir Sir Syed Wazir HasanSir Syed Wazir Hasan
Syed Wazir Hasan was Indian jurist and Secretary and later President of the All-India Muslim League. A practitioner in the Judicial Commissioner's Court, he was the first Indian Chief Justice of the Awadh Chief Court ....
, former Chief Justice of the Oudh Chief Court. Following into his father's footsteps he studied law at Oxford and became a barrister. His brother Syed Ali Zaheer
Syed Ali Zaheer
Syed Ali Zaheer was an Indian politician and a member of the First Indian Cabinet, under Jawahar Lal Nehru. He was one of the four sons of Sir Syed Wazir Hasan, former Chief Justice of the Oudh Chief Court. He was married to Begum Aliya who was the Chairperson of the Central Social Welfare...
is India's Ambassador to Iran. He was one of the founding members of the Communist Party of India
Communist Party of India
The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925...
and later in 1948, the Communist Party of Pakistan
Communist Party of Pakistan
The Communist Party of Pakistan is a communist party affiliated with Communist Party of the Russia. Before the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the party had long association and ties with the Communist Party of the Soviet Union ....
, along with Faiz Ahmad Faiz. Both were later jailed in Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case along with Mohammad Husain Ata, Zafarullah Poshni and others. Major General Akbar Khan was allegedly the main conspirator. He was extradited to India in 1954 and revived his activities in that country through Progressive Writers' Association, Indian People's Theatre Association
Indian People's Theatre Association
Indian People’s Theatre Association was an association of leftist theatre-artists and others mostly based in Kolkata, West Bengal, Mumbai and Assam, India. Its goal was to bring cultural awakening among the people of India. It was the cultural wing of the Communist Party of India...
(IPTA
Ipta
IPTA can refer to:* Indian People's Theatre Association* International Pulsar Timing Array...
) and Afro-Asian Writers' Association. Sajjad Zaheer was also a founder and leading figure of the three associations. 2005 was observed as his birth centenary year.
A collection of short stories, Angaray, which had stories by Sajjad Zaheer, Ahmed Ali, Rashid Jahan and Mahmud-uz-Zafar was published in 1932 and was immediately banned in India by the British Government in 1933, "for hurting the religious susceptibilities of a section of the community." This gave rise to the All-India Progressive Writers' Movement & Association of which both Sajjad Zaheer and Ahmed Ali were co-founders. The first official conference of the Association was held in Lucknow in 1936 which was presided over by Munshi Premchand.
His wife Razia Sajjad Zaheer, was an Urdu short story writer and novelist and they had four daughters. The eldest daughter, Najma Zaheer is a Prof. Emiretus of Biochemistry at JNU and is an expert in Diabetes. Second daughter, Naseem Bhatia, is an academic. Third daughter, Nadira Zaheer
Nadira Babbar
Nadira Babbar is an Indian theatre actress, director and an actress in Hindi cinema, who is the recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2001. A leading name in Indian theatre, Nadira founded a Mumbai-based theatre group called Ekjute, a known name in Hindi theatre in 1981...
is probably the leading theatre artist in India and married to the Bollywood star-turned politician Raj Babbar
Raj Babbar
Raj Babbar is a Hindi & Punjabi film actor since 1977 and the current Member of Parliament from Firozabad which he won by defeating Dimple Yadav, wife of Akhilesh Yadav & daughter-in-law of Mulayam Singh Yadav. This is his fourth term as MP, in previous terms he was the part of Samajwadi...
. Arya Babbar
Arya Babbar
Arya Babbar is an Indian actor.-Life:Aarya Babbar was born at Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai into a well-known family; his father is the renowned actor Raj Babbar and his mother the prominent theatre personality Nadira Zaheer Babbar...
and Juhi Babbar
Juhi Babbar
Juhi Babbar is an Indian film actress and the daughter of actor Raj Babbar. Her brother Arya Babbar is also an actor. She was married to Bejoy Nambiar in 2007 after a two year courtship; the couple divorced in early 2009. She also has a half-brother, Prateik Babbar, who is also an actor.She made...
are his two grandchildren from Nadira Zaheer
Nadira Babbar
Nadira Babbar is an Indian theatre actress, director and an actress in Hindi cinema, who is the recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2001. A leading name in Indian theatre, Nadira founded a Mumbai-based theatre group called Ekjute, a known name in Hindi theatre in 1981...
. The youngest daughter, Noor Zaheer is a trained Kathak dancer and author of the best seller - My God is a Woman.
Sajjad Zaheer died on 13 September, 1973, at the age of 68, while attending a conference of Afro Asian writers at Alma Ata, Kazakhistan (then one of the republics of USSR).
Literary Contributions
- London Ki Ek Raat- a novel.
- Roshnai, a collection of essays on progressive writing and the progressive writers movement.
- Zikre Hafiz, his research based book on Persian poet HafezHafezKhwāja Shamsu d-Dīn Muhammad Hāfez-e Shīrāzī , known by his pen name Hāfez , was a Persian lyric poet. His collected works composed of series of Persian poetry are to be found in the homes of most Iranians, who learn his poems by heart and use them as proverbs and sayings to this day...
. - Pigalhta Nilam, his last book,a collection of his poetry.
Translations
- OthelloOthelloThe Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
- CandideCandideCandide, ou l'Optimisme is a French satire first published in 1759 by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled Candide: or, All for the Best ; Candide: or, The Optimist ; and Candide: or, Optimism...
- Gora (Rabindranath TagoreRabindranath TagoreRabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
) - The ProphetThe Prophet (book)The Prophet is a book of 26 poetic essays written in English by the Lebanese artist, philosopher and writer Kahlil Gibran. It was originally published in 1923 by Alfred A. Knopf. It is Gibran's best known work...
(Khalil GibranKhalil GibranKhalil Gibran Jubrān Khalīl Jubrān,Jibrān Khalīl Jibrān, or Jibrān Xalīl Jibrān; Arabic , January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931) also known as Kahlil Gibran, was a Lebanese American artist, poet, and writer...
)
External links
- http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:Qs9Ol7zGGGAJ:www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fline/fl2317/stories/20060908000707800.htm+Majnun+Gorakhpuri&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=12&gl=us Urdu & secularism by A.G. Noorani FrontlineFrontline (magazine)Frontline is a fortnightly English language magazine published by The Hindu Group of publications from Chennai, India. Narasimhan Ram is the editor-in-chief of the magazine. As a current affairs magazine, it covers domestic and International news. Frontline gives a prominent place to various...
Volume 23 - Issue 17 :: Aug. 26-Sep. 08, 2006 - Madhu Singh's article about Sajjad Zaheer's novel A Night in London / London ki Ek Raat
Further reading
- Naresh Nadeem, 'Sajjad Zaheer: A Life of Struggle & Creativity', People's Democracy 29:51 (18 December 2005)
- Bose, Hiren K. Sajjad Zahir: The Voice of the Common Man in ChowkChowkOriginally in Urdu , a chowk is a Town square, an open area commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings, Market square or simply traffic intersection:* Ashram Chowk Delhi* Banaras Chowk, Karachi...
- http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/feb2007-weekly/books&people-01-02-2007/ Mughanni-I-Aatish Nafas: Sajjad Zaheer
- http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0B13FA3458177B93C4A9178AD85F478585F9&scp=1&sq=Sajjad%20Zaheer&st=cse 6 jan-1953- New york times Sajjad Zaheer is secretary of the Communist party in Pakistan
- http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10817F8345E10728DDDA00A94DC405B8189F1D3&scp=3&sq=Sajjad%20Zaheer&st=cse Apr 29, 1951-New York Times, Pakistani Red Chief Seized