Jon Elia
Encyclopedia
Jaun Elia was a notable Pakistan
i Urdu
poet
, philosopher, biographer and scholar. He was widely praised for his unique style of writing. He was the brother of renowned journalist and psychoanalyst Rais Amrohvi
and journalist and world-renowned philosopher Syed Muhammad Taqi, and husband of famous columnist Zahida Hina
. He was a man of letters, well versed in Arabic, English
, Persian
, Sanskrit
and Hebrew.
Jaun Elia was born on December 14, 1931 in an illustrious family of Amroha
, Uttar Pradesh
. He was the youngest of his siblings. His father, Allama Shafiq Hasan Elia, was deeply involved in art
and literature
and also an astrologer
and a poet. This literary environment modeled him along the same lines, and he wrote his first Urdu couplet
when he was just 8.
Jaun was very sensitive in his early teen age. His preoccupations in those days were his imaginary beloved character, Sophia, and his anger at the English occupiers of India. He used to do dramatic presentations of the early Muslim period, and hence his knowledge of Muslim history was recognized by many. According to him, his early poetry reflected the dialogue nature of stage drama.
A close relation of Elia's, Syed Mumtaz Saeed, recalled that Elia also went to Syed-ul-Madaris in Amroha, a Madressah (Koranic school). "Jaun had a way with languages. He could learn them effortlessly. Apart from Arabic
and Persian
that he had learnt at the Madressah, he acquired great proficiency in English
and a smattering of Hebrew
."
During his youth, the united India was involved in a Muslim-Hindu feud, which led to the partition
of the country on religious lines once British rule ended. Being a Communist, Elia was averse to the idea, but finally accepted it as a compromise. Elia migrated to Pakistan in 1957, and made Karachi
his home. Before long, he became popular in the literary circles of the city. His poetry, which bears ample testimony to his wide-ranging reading habits, won him acclaim and approbation. Poet Pirzada Qasim
said: "Jaun was very particular about language. While his diction is rooted in the classical
tradition, he touches on new subjects. He remained in quest of an ideal all his life. Unable to find the ideal eventually, he became angry and frustrated. He felt, perhaps with reason, that he had squandered his talent."
He was a prolific writer, but could not be convinced to publish his work. His first poetry collection Shayad (an Urdu word which means "Maybe") was published in 1991, when he was 60. The poetry presented in this collection added Jaun Elia's name in the Urdu literary canon forever. Jaun Elia's preface in this collection provided deep insights into his works and the culture within which he was expressing his ideas. The preface can also be considered as one of the finest examples of modern Urdu prose. It covered his intellectual evolution in different periods of time, and his philosophy of poetry, science, religion, etc. The second collection of his poetry Ya'ani was published posthumously in 2003 . Afterwords Jaun's trustworthy companion Khalid Ansari has compiled and published his three consecutive collections, “Gumaan” (an Urdu word which means "Illusion") in 2004, “Lekin” 2006 and “Goya” 2008, one more collection ‘Kyon’ is now under processing.
An eminent Urdu literary critic, Dr. Muhammad Ali Siddiqui
has called Jaun Elia one of the three most eminent ghazal poets of Urdu of the second half of the twentieth century.
Jaun Elia was an unabashed open anarchist and nihilist
in generally a conservative
and religious society. His elder brother, Rais Amrohvi
, himself a poet and influential intellectual
, was brutally murdered , and ever after his death, Jaun was conscious about what he would say in public.
Jaun was also involved in translation, editing and other activities. He briefly worked as an editor with Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board (ITREB), in Karachi Pakistan. His translation of various Mautazalite
treatises, a book on 12th century Fatimid revolutionary Hasan Bin Sabah, and also various texts about the Ismaili
sect in Islam are a major contribution to the Urdu language and literature. His prose and other translation of major Ismaili philosophical works are not easily available, yet some of these can be found at Ismaili Tariqah Board libraries in Karachi and elsewhere.
He acquired encyclopedic knowledge of philosophy
, logic
, Islamic history, the Muslim Sufi tradition, Muslim religious sciences, Western literature, and Kabbala
. He also synthesized this knowledge into his poetry that also differentiates him from his modern contemporaries.
He also edited Urdu literary magazine "Insha", where he came to know of another prolific Urdu writer Zahida Hina
, and finally married her. Zahida Hina, a progressive intellectual in her own right, still writes for dailies, Jang
and Express
, on current political and social issues. He had 2 daughters and a son with her. Jaun and Zahida were divorced in mid 1980s. This left Jaun devastated and alone. He became alcoholic and depressed
.
He died after a protracted illness on November 8, 2002 in Karachi.
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...
i 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
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, philosopher, biographer and scholar. He was widely praised for his unique style of writing. He was the brother of renowned journalist and psychoanalyst Rais Amrohvi
Rais Amrohvi
Syed Muhammad Mehdi, known as Rais Amrohvi was a noted scholar, Urdu poet and psychoanalyst of Pakistan, however he can not be classified as a psychoanalyst in a traditional sense, as he looked at psychology through a spiritual perspective rather than scientific.He was born on September 12,...
and journalist and world-renowned philosopher Syed Muhammad Taqi, and husband of famous columnist Zahida Hina
Zahida Hina
Zahida Hina is a noted Urdu columnist, essayist, short story writer, novelist and dramatist from Pakistan.- Life :...
. He was a man of letters, well versed in Arabic, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
and Hebrew.
Jaun Elia was born on December 14, 1931 in an illustrious family of Amroha
Amroha
Amroha is a small town in the north-western Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. It is located north-west of Moradabad, near the Sot River...
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
. He was the youngest of his siblings. His father, Allama Shafiq Hasan Elia, was deeply involved in art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and also an astrologer
Astrologer
An astrologer practices one or more forms of astrology. Typically an astrologer draws a horoscope for the time of an event, such as a person's birth, and interprets celestial points and their placements at the time of the event to better understand someone, determine the auspiciousness of an...
and a poet. This literary environment modeled him along the same lines, and he wrote his first Urdu couplet
Sher
Sher can have a variety of meanings:* Sher , the common word for couplet in Persian and Urdu* Sher , a form of dance in Eastern European folk music, notably Russian and Klezmer music*Sher , Ahmedabad district...
when he was just 8.
Jaun was very sensitive in his early teen age. His preoccupations in those days were his imaginary beloved character, Sophia, and his anger at the English occupiers of India. He used to do dramatic presentations of the early Muslim period, and hence his knowledge of Muslim history was recognized by many. According to him, his early poetry reflected the dialogue nature of stage drama.
A close relation of Elia's, Syed Mumtaz Saeed, recalled that Elia also went to Syed-ul-Madaris in Amroha, a Madressah (Koranic school). "Jaun had a way with languages. He could learn them effortlessly. Apart from Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
that he had learnt at the Madressah, he acquired great proficiency in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and a smattering of Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
."
During his youth, the united India was involved in a Muslim-Hindu feud, which led to the partition
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
of the country on religious lines once British rule ended. Being a Communist, Elia was averse to the idea, but finally accepted it as a compromise. Elia migrated to Pakistan in 1957, and made 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...
his home. Before long, he became popular in the literary circles of the city. His poetry, which bears ample testimony to his wide-ranging reading habits, won him acclaim and approbation. Poet Pirzada Qasim
Pirzada Qasim
Prof. Dr. Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui is a noted Pakistani scholar, Urdu poet scientist and educationist.He is serving as Vice Chancellor of the University of Karachi.- Biography :...
said: "Jaun was very particular about language. While his diction is rooted in the classical
Classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
tradition, he touches on new subjects. He remained in quest of an ideal all his life. Unable to find the ideal eventually, he became angry and frustrated. He felt, perhaps with reason, that he had squandered his talent."
He was a prolific writer, but could not be convinced to publish his work. His first poetry collection Shayad (an Urdu word which means "Maybe") was published in 1991, when he was 60. The poetry presented in this collection added Jaun Elia's name in the Urdu literary canon forever. Jaun Elia's preface in this collection provided deep insights into his works and the culture within which he was expressing his ideas. The preface can also be considered as one of the finest examples of modern Urdu prose. It covered his intellectual evolution in different periods of time, and his philosophy of poetry, science, religion, etc. The second collection of his poetry Ya'ani was published posthumously in 2003 . Afterwords Jaun's trustworthy companion Khalid Ansari has compiled and published his three consecutive collections, “Gumaan” (an Urdu word which means "Illusion") in 2004, “Lekin” 2006 and “Goya” 2008, one more collection ‘Kyon’ is now under processing.
An eminent Urdu literary critic, Dr. Muhammad Ali Siddiqui
Muhammad Ali Siddiqui
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ali Siddiqui is a noted Philosopher and Critic from Pakistan.He was born on March 7, 1938 in Amroha, India, and brought up in Karachi, Dr. Muhammad Ali Siddiqui is well versed in many languages including, English, French, Persian, Punjabi, Sindhi, Seraiki and Urdu. He did his...
has called Jaun Elia one of the three most eminent ghazal poets of Urdu of the second half of the twentieth century.
Jaun Elia was an unabashed open anarchist and nihilist
Nihilist
Nihilist may refer to:* a person who believes human existence has no objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value, see nihilism* Nihilist movement, a Russian political and cultural movement* Nihilist , a Swedish death metal band...
in generally a conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
and religious society. His elder brother, Rais Amrohvi
Rais Amrohvi
Syed Muhammad Mehdi, known as Rais Amrohvi was a noted scholar, Urdu poet and psychoanalyst of Pakistan, however he can not be classified as a psychoanalyst in a traditional sense, as he looked at psychology through a spiritual perspective rather than scientific.He was born on September 12,...
, himself a poet and influential intellectual
Intellectual
An intellectual is a person who uses intelligence and critical or analytical reasoning in either a professional or a personal capacity.- Terminology and endeavours :"Intellectual" can denote four types of persons:...
, was brutally murdered , and ever after his death, Jaun was conscious about what he would say in public.
Jaun was also involved in translation, editing and other activities. He briefly worked as an editor with Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board (ITREB), in Karachi Pakistan. His translation of various Mautazalite
Mu'tazili
' is an Islamic school of speculative theology that flourished in the cities of Basra and Baghdad, both in present-day Iraq, during the 8th–10th centuries. The adherents of the Mu'tazili school are best known for their having asserted that, because of the perfect unity and eternal nature of God,...
treatises, a book on 12th century Fatimid revolutionary Hasan Bin Sabah, and also various texts about the Ismaili
Ismaili
' is a branch of Shia Islam. It is the second largest branch of Shia Islam, after the Twelvers...
sect in Islam are a major contribution to the Urdu language and literature. His prose and other translation of major Ismaili philosophical works are not easily available, yet some of these can be found at Ismaili Tariqah Board libraries in Karachi and elsewhere.
He acquired encyclopedic knowledge of philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
, Islamic history, the Muslim Sufi tradition, Muslim religious sciences, Western literature, and Kabbala
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
. He also synthesized this knowledge into his poetry that also differentiates him from his modern contemporaries.
He also edited Urdu literary magazine "Insha", where he came to know of another prolific Urdu writer Zahida Hina
Zahida Hina
Zahida Hina is a noted Urdu columnist, essayist, short story writer, novelist and dramatist from Pakistan.- Life :...
, and finally married her. Zahida Hina, a progressive intellectual in her own right, still writes for dailies, Jang
Daily Jang
The Daily Jang is an Urdu newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the oldest newspaper of Pakistan in continuous publication since its foundation in 1939. Its current Group Chief Executive & Editor-in-Chief is Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman....
and Express
Daily Express (Urdu newspaper)
The Daily Express , founded on 3 September, 1998, is one of Pakistan’s most widely circulated Urdu language newspapers, published by Century Publications, a Lakson Group subsidiary. It is published simultaneously from Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala,...
, on current political and social issues. He had 2 daughters and a son with her. Jaun and Zahida were divorced in mid 1980s. This left Jaun devastated and alone. He became alcoholic and depressed
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
.
He died after a protracted illness on November 8, 2002 in Karachi.
Poetry collections
- Shayad, 1991
- Ya'ani, 2003
- Gumaan, 2004
- Lekin, 2006
- Goya, 2008