Ali Haider Tabatabai
Encyclopedia
Ali Hyder Tabatabai, born 1854 at Awadh
, died 1933 at Hyderabad Deccan, India
, was a poet, translator and a scholar of languages. He descended from a long line of soldiers. He is known for his poetic translation into Urdu
of Thomas Gray
's masterpiece "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
".
s under the Qajar dynasty
of Iran, came with the troops given as dowry to an Iranian princess perhaps grand mother of Wajid Ali Shah
married to the ruler of Awadh
and settled in Awadh after retirement. Tabatabai is a large family still resides in large parts of Iranian Western district of Kerman Shah (Bakhtaran) and also in eastern parts of Turkey
. They are descendants of Hasan ibn Ali
from his son Hassan Musannah (Hassan the second), he used to lisp while talking which is called "tabtabah" in Arabic.
As a young man Ali Hyder was employed by the Nawab of Awadh
, Wajid Ali Shah
as Shahi Attaleeq. This did not continue for very long, Wajid Ali Shah
who was sort of a prisoner with the British, died. Since all the salaries and other expenditures of the Royal Family were controlled by the British, it stopped with the death of Wajid Ali Shah
. British offered Ali Hyder to work for them and his salary will continue on enhanced rates, Ali Hyder turned down the offer saying he can not be employed by "Thugs" and "Plunderers", since he believed that British had wrongly occupied India and had no right to rule it. He left Awadh
and moved to Calcutta Kolkata
, he remained unemployed and saw many difficult days there. He was well known for his command over Urdu. The European serving the British Crown were encouraged to have knowledge of the local language, this included monitory benefits, so many Europeans eager to learn Urdu came to him to learn the language. He taught several on the condition that they will teach him their language. This is how he learned several European languages, i.e. English, French and German.
Gor e Gharibaan
His famous Gor e Gharibaan (Graves of the poors) is a translation of Thomas Gray
's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
. The most remarkable thing is that its a poem translated into a poem, those who master both in Urdu
and English can understand the extent of accuracy in meanings and sense. If either of the poem is translated into other language in text the reader will find no resemblance what so ever, but translating an idiom of English into an idiom of Urdu
conveying exactly the same sense though word to word meanings might be different. This can very easily be seen in the Titles of two poems, Thomas Grays elegy's title is "elegy written in Country Churchyard" and Gor e Gharibaan is Persian meaning Graves of the poor, sense is the same while word to word translation is different.
Osmania University
Mir Mahboob Ali Khan,Asaf Jah VI had heard about Ali Hyder, a Shahi Ataleeq of Wajid Ali Shah
, Asaf Jah though a very powerful ruler under the British Crown apparently didn't need to be impressed by any one, specially Wajid Ali Shah
dead and the state taken by the British. Asaf Jah invited Ali Hyder probably to give him some post in his court, as Asaf Jah himself did poetry and patronized scholars and poets. He offered Ali Hyder to critique his work, Ali Hyder had heard from the other people in court that the Nizam
had been very rude to the gentleman who worked in that place, so he tactfully declined. Later Nizam offered him the job of Head of the Translation Department (Dar ul Tarjuma) of an Urdu Medium University, the Nizam had plans to build. Later the University was named Osmania University
. Since all the subjects in this university were to be taught in Urdu, previously there were no Urdu Medium Universities in British India, syllabus of many other institutions was collected, this was in different languages mostly European, selection of appropriate books and literature and then organizing it in a way to form syllabus of different faculties of the University, that included Engineering, Medicine, subjects like Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Astronomy, and others. and then translating it into Urdu and publishing the books was all done by (Dar ul Tarjuma) under Ali Hyder.
Syed Ali Hyder Nazm Tabatabai is now seen as a Master of all subjects and professions by his admirers, that was probably due to his work in Dar ul Tarjuma, where he had to study several books in the process of organizing the University's syllabus
1. Khadija Begum
2. Syed Ahmad Tabatabai - 1898, Calcutta India
1969 Dera Ismail Khan
Pakistan
3. Syed Amjad Tabatabai - 1896 Calcutta, India
.
4. Fatima Begum
5. Sajida Begum -
6. Tayaba Begum - 1904 Hyderabad Deccan, India
, 1965 Karachi
Pakistan
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...
, died 1933 at Hyderabad Deccan, 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...
, was a poet, translator and a scholar of languages. He descended from a long line of soldiers. He is known for his poetic translation into 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...
of Thomas Gray
Thomas Gray
Thomas Gray was a poet, letter-writer, classical scholar and professor at Cambridge University.-Early life and education:...
's masterpiece "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard is a poem by Thomas Gray, completed in 1750 and first published in 1751. The poem’s origins are unknown, but it was partly inspired by Gray’s thoughts following the death of the poet Richard West in 1742. Originally titled Stanza's Wrote in a Country...
".
Family background
The founder of Tabatabai family was most likely Ali Hyder's grandfather who was a member of the Royal GuardRoyal Guard
A Royal Guard describes any group of military bodyguards, soldiers or armed retainers responsible for the protection of a royal person, such as Emperor/Empress, King/Queen, or Prince/Princess...
s under the Qajar dynasty
Qajar dynasty
The Qajar dynasty was an Iranian royal family of Turkic descent who ruled Persia from 1785 to 1925....
of Iran, came with the troops given as dowry to an Iranian princess perhaps grand mother 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....
married to the 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...
and settled in Awadh after retirement. Tabatabai is a large family still resides in large parts of Iranian Western district of Kerman Shah (Bakhtaran) and also in eastern parts of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. They are descendants of Hasan ibn Ali
Hasan ibn Ali
Al-Hasan ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib is an important figure in Islam, the son of Fatimah the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and of the fourth Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib. Hasan is a member of the Ahl al-Bayt and Ahl al-Kisa...
from his son Hassan Musannah (Hassan the second), he used to lisp while talking which is called "tabtabah" in Arabic.
Life
As Shahi Attaleeq (Royal Teacher) with Wajid Ali Shah's Grand SonsAs a young man Ali Hyder was employed by the Nawab 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...
, 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....
as Shahi Attaleeq. This did not continue for very long, 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....
who was sort of a prisoner with the British, died. Since all the salaries and other expenditures of the Royal Family were controlled by the British, it stopped with the death 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....
. British offered Ali Hyder to work for them and his salary will continue on enhanced rates, Ali Hyder turned down the offer saying he can not be employed by "Thugs" and "Plunderers", since he believed that British had wrongly occupied India and had no right to rule it. He left 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...
and moved to Calcutta Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, he remained unemployed and saw many difficult days there. He was well known for his command over Urdu. The European serving the British Crown were encouraged to have knowledge of the local language, this included monitory benefits, so many Europeans eager to learn Urdu came to him to learn the language. He taught several on the condition that they will teach him their language. This is how he learned several European languages, i.e. English, French and German.
Gor e Gharibaan
His famous Gor e Gharibaan (Graves of the poors) is a translation of Thomas Gray
Thomas Gray
Thomas Gray was a poet, letter-writer, classical scholar and professor at Cambridge University.-Early life and education:...
's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard is a poem by Thomas Gray, completed in 1750 and first published in 1751. The poem’s origins are unknown, but it was partly inspired by Gray’s thoughts following the death of the poet Richard West in 1742. Originally titled Stanza's Wrote in a Country...
. The most remarkable thing is that its a poem translated into a poem, those who master both 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...
and English can understand the extent of accuracy in meanings and sense. If either of the poem is translated into other language in text the reader will find no resemblance what so ever, but translating an idiom of English into an idiom of 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...
conveying exactly the same sense though word to word meanings might be different. This can very easily be seen in the Titles of two poems, Thomas Grays elegy's title is "elegy written in Country Churchyard" and Gor e Gharibaan is Persian meaning Graves of the poor, sense is the same while word to word translation is different.
Osmania University
Mir Mahboob Ali Khan,Asaf Jah VI had heard about Ali Hyder, a Shahi Ataleeq 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....
, Asaf Jah though a very powerful ruler under the British Crown apparently didn't need to be impressed by any one, specially 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....
dead and the state taken by the British. Asaf Jah invited Ali Hyder probably to give him some post in his court, as Asaf Jah himself did poetry and patronized scholars and poets. He offered Ali Hyder to critique his work, Ali Hyder had heard from the other people in court that the Nizam
Nizam
Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad popularly known as Nizams of Hyderabad was a former monarchy of the Hyderabad State, now in the states of Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , and Maharashtra in India...
had been very rude to the gentleman who worked in that place, so he tactfully declined. Later Nizam offered him the job of Head of the Translation Department (Dar ul Tarjuma) of an Urdu Medium University, the Nizam had plans to build. Later the University was named Osmania University
Osmania University
Osmania University , , since 1918, is a public university located in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established and named after the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. It is one of the oldest modern universities in India. It is the first Indian University to have Urdu and...
. Since all the subjects in this university were to be taught in Urdu, previously there were no Urdu Medium Universities in British India, syllabus of many other institutions was collected, this was in different languages mostly European, selection of appropriate books and literature and then organizing it in a way to form syllabus of different faculties of the University, that included Engineering, Medicine, subjects like Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Astronomy, and others. and then translating it into Urdu and publishing the books was all done by (Dar ul Tarjuma) under Ali Hyder.
Syed Ali Hyder Nazm Tabatabai is now seen as a Master of all subjects and professions by his admirers, that was probably due to his work in Dar ul Tarjuma, where he had to study several books in the process of organizing the University's syllabus
Marriage
While living in Calcutta and being of Iranian descent he learned of another family of Iranian descent living in the city anonymously, learning about he went to pay a visit to the family. The lady of the house was grand daughter of Siraj-Ud-Daulah, his daughter's daughter. This acquaintance finally resulted in the marriage of one of the daughters of the family, Siraj-Ud-Daulah's great grand daughter to Ali Hyder. He had two sons and four daughters.1. Khadija Begum
2. Syed Ahmad Tabatabai - 1898, Calcutta 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...
1969 Dera Ismail Khan
Dera Ismail Khan
Dera Ismail Khan is a city in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. It is situated on the west bank of the Indus River, west of Lahore and northwest of Multan. The city is the capital of the district and tehsil of the same name. In Pakistan, its name is often abbreviated to D. I...
Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
3. Syed Amjad Tabatabai - 1896 Calcutta, 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...
.
4. Fatima Begum
5. Sajida Begum -
6. Tayaba Begum - 1904 Hyderabad Deccan, 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...
, 1965 Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...