Agha Hasan Amanat
Encyclopedia
Agha Hasan Amanat was an Urdu
poet, writer and playwright of the nineteenth century from the India
n city of Lucknow
. He was affiliated with the court of Wajid Ali Shah
, the princely ruler of Awadh
. His name was Agha Hasan Ali, while "Amanat" was his nom de plume (or takhallus). He is also referred to as Amanat Lakhnavi (i.e. Amanat of Lucknow) and Mirza Amanat.
, which was seminal in the development of Urdu theatre. He is also credited with beginning the geet tradition in Urdu.
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
poet, writer and playwright of the nineteenth century from the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n city of Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
. He was affiliated with the court of Wajid Ali Shah
Wajid Ali Shah
Wajid Ali Shah was the fifth King of Oudh, holding the position from 13 February 1847 to 7 February 1856....
, the princely ruler of Awadh
Awadh
Awadh , also known in various British historical texts as Oudh or Oude derived from Ayodhya, is a region in the centre of the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh...
. His name was Agha Hasan Ali, while "Amanat" was his nom de plume (or takhallus). He is also referred to as Amanat Lakhnavi (i.e. Amanat of Lucknow) and Mirza Amanat.
Personal history
Agha Hasan Amanat was descended from a family of Iranian immigrants who moved to Lucknow in 1815.Works
Amanat's many compositions and works include the first stage play in the Urdu language, Inder SabhaInder Sabha
Inder Sabha is an Urdu play and opera written by Agha Hasan Amanat, and first staged in 1853. It is regarded as the first complete Urdu stage play ever written. The play was translated into German in 1863 by Friedrich Rosen, and published to positive critical reception...
, which was seminal in the development of Urdu theatre. He is also credited with beginning the geet tradition in Urdu.