Today is Josh Malihabadi's 31st death anniversary. PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
He was born as Shabbir Hasan Khan on December 5, 1894 and died as Shair-e-Inqilab and Shair-e-Shabab (poet of revolution and youth) on February 22, 1982.
Josh Malihabadi is reputed to have had a masterful command over Urdu and was quite strict about respecting the grammar and rules of the language. The first collection of his poetry was published in 1921.
He was not only a poet but also an intellectual and prolific writer as he wrote about religion, history and politics as well. He fought for the independence of the Indian sub-continent with his pen. A number of his poems were written against the British rule.
He is remembered as one of the greatest revolutionary poets of the pre-independence era. Some of his poems were broadcasted by German radio during the Second World War. He was awarded the highest Indian medal, “Padma Bhoshan” in 1954.
His poetry and publications include Shola-o-Shabnam, Junoon-o-Hikmat, Fikr-o-Nishaat, Sunbal-o-Salaasal, Harf-o-Hikaayat, Sarod-o-Kharosh, Irfaniyat-e-Josh and Yaadon Ki Baraat.
Efforts from some experts on literary and research work on Josh Malihabadi have become a movement of “Josh Shanasi” in Pakistan.
The main objective of the literary movement is to authentically discover the hidden but luminous features of the great poet especially among the admirers of Urdu literature.
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I have been reading Josh Sahib since my childhood and I fully understand that the current generation of Pakistanis can't even read a verse of his poetry correctly, let alone its meanings!
I have read his autobiography and a lot of his poetry, but I don't think that it is so difficult that a whole movement "Josh Shnasai" should be launched