Sahir : The Magician of Words

While Ghazals singers are an important source for people coming to Urdu; the contribution of Indian movies songs is preserving the Urdu language in India is immense. Movie directors early on recognized that songs are a good way to sell a movie. The formula still works and Bollywood continues to churn out the super-hit musical movies.

Early on poets were attracted to the movie industry and this relationship between Indian movies and Urdu writers/poets has been mutually beneficial. Sahir is the biggest name when it comes to Urdu poets who gave super-hit songs and still made a name in the Urdu literature. Other important names are Kaifi Azmi, Majrooh Sultanpuri who enjoy important status in both Bollywood lyrics world and Urdu literary history.

Sahir continues to have a big fan followings even today, 24 years after his death. Sahir means magicians and true to his pen name he was a magician of the words, his most bitter poems still sound sweet, and that's the power of Sahir and Urdu language.

Here is the biography of Urdu on Urdustan
http://www.urdustan.com/adeeb/shaayar/sahir.htm

and a profile by Outlook Indian magazine:
The Poetry Of 'No' : Profile of Sahir Ludhiyanvi

... sweetness of Urdu : ghazals

A number of people have been attracted to Urdu thanks to Ghazal singers. Ghazals are a form of Urdu poetry consisting of couplets. Probably you have heard the experession ' A picture is worth a thousand words' for ghazals one can say 'two lines are worth a thousand page book'. A lot can be conveyed in two words of a ghazal's couplet.

Singers specializing in Ghazals like Mehdi Hasan, Ghulam Ali, Jagjeet Singh, Pankaj Udhas etc. have kept the enrollment in Urdu fan club growing. Read the interview below of Pankaj Udhas.

I started singing in Urdu as the language is smooth and incomparable: Pankaj Udhas

First post

Welcome!
or as we say in Urdu : Khush Aamdeed
 
This blog is intended for people who are interested in Urdu language and wants to learn this language. So, let's get started.
 
I would like to start this blog, by sharing with you the sad news of death of an Urdu icon. First the news then my comments.
 
Noted Urdu poet Jagannath Azad dead
New Delhi, July 25
 
Noted Urdu poet and President of Anjuman Urdu Hind Jagannath Azad died of cancer at a hospital here last night.
He was 86 and survived by wife and five children.
Mr Azad during his illustrious career had served as Director Press Information Bureau (PIB), Head of the department of Urdu at Jammu University and Assitant Editor Milap, according to Anjuman Taraqqui Urdu Hind, a national body for the promotion of Urdu under the Human Resource Development Ministry.
Mr Azad is the son of great Urdu poet Taluq Chand Mehrum and born at Isakhel of Punjab in Pakistan on December 15, 1918.
After finishing school education at his village, he joined DAV College Rawalpindi for intermediate course.
He graduated from Garden College in Rawalpindi in 1937. He did his post-graduation from Punjab University in 1944.He started his career as a journalist with 'Advi Dunia', a urdu magazine in 1941 and after a year switched over to 'Jai Hind'.During the partition of the country in 1947 he came to India and joined 'Milap' as its assistant editor. Later he joined PIB.
 
After his retirement from government job, he was appointed professor to teach urdu at Jammu University.Mr Azad was honoured with several literary awards, including Soviet Land Nehru Award
 
first of all a correction : father of Dr. Azad was Tilok Chand Mahroom.
 
Some people have this misconception that Urdu is the language of Muslims of South Asia. Dr. Azad was not a muslim and Urdu in fact was not his mother tongue. Which proves the point that Urdu belongs to anyone who wants to accept Urdu without any descrimination of region, religion or mother tongue.
 
links to some of Dr. Jagannath Azad's poetry :
 
http://www.urdupoetry.com/azad.html

http://www.urdustan.com/anam/1998/september.htm