Syed Ali Jawad Zaidi (10 March 1916 – 6 December 2004) was an Indian
Urdu poet, scholar, and author of over 80 books in several languages.[1] He was also an
Indian independence activist,[2] lawyer and later, a civil servant,[3] but is best known for his work in
Urdu literature.[4]
He has received several awards for his contributions to literature and other fields.
Early life and education
Zaidi was born in the village
Karhan, Uttar Pradesh, then in
Azamgarh district (now
Mau district) in eastern
Uttar Pradesh, the eldest of six children in a
zamindar family of Mohammadabad-Gohna, Azamgarh. He was born at his maternal grandfather's home in Karhan. Belonging to a Saiyid family and being the eldest son in his family, he was sent to the local
Arabicmadarsa to gain education and proficiency in Islamic theology and religious matters.
When Zaidi was 11 years old, his father died. His early formal education took place in
Mahmudabad, the princely state. He then graduated from Government Jubilee College,
Lucknow and an
LLB from
Lucknow University).[7]
Indian independence activism
During his graduation and later while doing his LLB, he came into contact with leaders of the
Indian independence movement, which he joined in the late 1930s. He wrote revolutionary poetry while he led the student's movement along with other student leaders such as
Shankar Dayal Sharma, who later went on to become the president of India. His poetry drew praise from
Sarojini Naidu, and he was subsequently elected as the secretary-general of the All India Student's Federation. He remained the secretary-general of the
All India Students Federation during the
Quit India Movement (1942) launched by
Mahatma Gandhi.[8]
His poems were proscribed by the British Colonial Government for inciting rebellion against the
British Raj. The British government issued an arrest warrant in order to stop him from organising student rallies and mobilising students against the Raj. He continued his work underground, organising students throughout India. He was later arrested at
Nagpur, and was sentenced to jail for anti-British activity and sent to serve his term at the Nagpur Central Prison and later transferred to the
Benares Central Jail.
He was laid to rest at the Malka Jahan burial grounds, Lucknow, India, with full state honours provided to an Indian freedom fighter.
Government service
With India's independence, Zaidi ended his active involvement in politics. He joined the Information Department of the
Government of Uttar Pradesh and was a deputy director there until he was inducted into the
Indian Information Service and posted to
Srinagar.
Although he had taken up Government Service for a full-time job, and chosen that as a career, he remained active in arts and cultural activities in
Jammu and Kashmir, organising and conducting the annual Kashmir festival during the summer months. He was appointed as the secretary general of the Society of Arts and Culture,
Government of Jammu and Kashmir.
In the early 1960s he was transferred to
Delhi and posted with the
Press Information Bureau in Delhi and
Mumbai. His final posting was in
Tehran and he retired from active Government service as Joint Director, News Services,
All India Radio in August 1978.
He also worked as the editor of Naya Daur, an
Urdu monthly digest, and Al-Ilm, a monthly published from Mumbai. Naya Daur ran a series on his memoirs on a monthly basis for a time[when?], as well as a special issue in his memory of Ali Jawad Zaidi (Nov/Dec issue, 2004) after his death. He also did some translation work (into English) for the
Sahitya Akademi.
Throughout his years with the government, Zaidi continued writing.[13] Seven of his books[which?] have won State Government Awards[which?]. He was the author of over 80 books in Urdu,[14] English,
Hindi and
Persian. Many of his works are now reference material for research students. He has been the subject of research scholars, and
Doctor of Philosophy degrees have been awarded to four students[which?] for research done on his life and works.[citation needed]
He was president of the
Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy, Lucknow and as the president of the Zainabbiya Institute of Islamic Studies, Mumbai, and was on the board of
Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi and the
Sangeet and Natya Akademi, New Delhi and other social, literary and cultural organizations. He was also an advisor to the Government of Uttar Pradesh.
Amongst his notable works are Qasida Nigaran-e-Uttar Pradesh (in 2 Volumes), Uttar Pradesh ke Marsiyago (in 2 Volumes) & Do Adabi School, which have been published in Urdu-speaking Pakistan[16] as well. These books along with his History of Urdu Literature[17][18] (English),[19] Mirza Ghalib – Ek Parichay (Hindi), Mir Anis, are unique[how?] in their approaches to their subjects.
He was also a member of the Committee for Promotion of Urdu (appointed by the Government of India Resolution No. F. 15-25/72-L. 1 dated 5 May 1972)[21]
Confined to his home in Lucknow due to poor health and failing eyesight during his last years, he wrote using an
amanuensis. He died on 6 December 2004.[22]
Awards
The Government of India conferred on him the
Padma Shri[23] in recognition of his contributions to
Urdu literature.[24] (1988),[25][24] He also received a Tamra Patra award for his role in the freedom movement, and the Ghalib award[26]
Other awards included:
Anis Award in recognition of Expertise on Mir Anis
Ghalib Award in recognition of Expertise on Mirza Ghalib
Certificate of Honour presented by The Rotary Club, Lucknow
Awards presented to his various books by Governments and Literary Organizations are marked in the list of his books below.
In 1987, Zaidi asked government bodies and literary organizations not to consider his works for awards.[citation needed]
The Jawad Memorial Prize[27] was instituted in his remembrance in 2019 for awarding outstanding translations of Urdu works to English.[28]