Malihabad
Encyclopedia
Malihabad is a town and a nagar panchayat
in Lucknow district
in the India
n state
of Uttar Pradesh
. It is the mango belt of North India and is internationally acclaimed for its mangoes. Among different varieties of mangoes grown here, Dussheri is the most popular variety. Besides Dussehri, other varieties of mangoes such as Chausa, Fazli, Lucknowa, Jauhari, Safeda, etc. are also grown here.
, while Raja Malhia Singh founded Malhiapura, now called as Malihabad.
Raja Malhia Singh Arakh made Malihabad a contemporary power and a prosperous town. During his rule, Arakh dominion stretched south of Malihabad to parts of Kakori and Bijnour, and along the left bank of Sai to Sissandi.
Arakhs
held sway over Malihabad and adjoining areas including Datli till 15th century. In 1470 A.D., two brothers of Gautam tribe, Deva Rai and Naya Rana came as a refugee to Malihabad after being exiled from Argal state of Gautams. After winning over the confidence of the Arakh king, they conspired with Pathans to overthrow Arakhs
from Malihabad and establish their control. Their efforts paid off when after a prolonged struggle with Arakhs
, Gautam brothers took over the control of Malihabad. But soon after, they were themselves displaced by the brave Pathans.
The mango plantations of Malihabad were developed by Pathans, under the royal patronage of the Nawabs of Lucknow.
Malihabad prides itself on Nawab Faqueer Mohammad Khan 'Goya', the poet and courtier of Awadh; "shaayar-e-inquilaab" Shabbir Hasan Khan 'Josh Malihabadi’, who later migrated to Pakistan; Ghaus Mohammad Khan, the tennis player and Anwar Nadeem, stage artist, writer and poet.
, Malihabad had a population of 15,806. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Malihabad has an average literacy rate of 52%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 59%, and female literacy is 45%. In Malihabad, 16% of the population is under 6 years of age. Majority of the population claims Pashtun descent.
plantations is one of the major income source of the region, with mangoes being exported to many neighbouring countries.
Dasheri Mango even very dilicious and famous for its sweetness, soft pulp
was born as Shabbir Hasan Khan on 5 December, 1898 at Malihabad. He did his senior Cambridge from St. Peter's College, Agra in 1914. In 1918, he spent about six months at Shantiniketan. He studied Arabic
and Persian
. Due to the death of his father, Bashir Ahmed Khan, in 1916, Josh was unable to avail of a college education.
In 1925, Josh started work at the Osmania University, supervising translation work. He was exiled from the Hyderabad State
for writing a Nazm
against the Nizam
. He then started the newsletter/magazine called the 'Kaleem' in which he openly wrote articles in favour of independence and against the British
. Soon, he was being called "Shaayar-e-Inquilaab". He also got actively involved in the freedom struggle and became close to quite a few of the political leaders of that era, specially Jawahar Lal Nehru.
On the advice of director W. Z. Ahmed, he also wrote songs for Shalimar Pictures. During this time, he was staying in Pune
. After independence, he became the editor of 'Aajkal'. He was later honoured with the Padmabhushan. Josh migrated to Pakistan
and died on 22 February, 1982 in Islamabad
. Some of Josh's important works are: Shola-o-Shabnam, Junoon-o-Hikmat, Fikr-o-Nishaat, Sunbal-o-Salaasal, Harf-o-Hikaayat, Sarod-o-Kharosh. His autobiography is titled "Yaadon ki Baarat".
was mostly shot in the Mahals of Malihabad. The 1978 Urdu film was produced by Shashi Kapoor
and directed by Shyam Benegal
and was a hit of its time. The film was based on Ruskin Bond
Novella A Flight of Pigeons
Nagar Panchayat
A nagar palika or nagar panchayat is a form of an urban political unit in India comparable to a municipality.An urban centre with more than 30,000 and less than 100,000 inhabitants is classified as a nagar panchayat....
in Lucknow district
Lucknow District
Lucknow District is a district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The city of Lucknow is the district headquarters and the district is part of Lucknow Division...
in 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 state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of 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...
. It is the mango belt of North India and is internationally acclaimed for its mangoes. Among different varieties of mangoes grown here, Dussheri is the most popular variety. Besides Dussehri, other varieties of mangoes such as Chausa, Fazli, Lucknowa, Jauhari, Safeda, etc. are also grown here.
History
The town of Malihabad was established by Raja Malhia Arakh, the younger of the brave brother duo, Salhia and Malhia, belonging to the warrior Arakh clan. Of the two brothers, Raja Salhia Singh laid the foundation of Salhiapura town, which is now known as SandilaSandila
Sandila is a city and a municipal board in Hardoi district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.-History:Nothing much is known about the ancient history of Sandila. According to folk sayings, it was a forested area, believed to be the worship land of legendary sage Shandilya...
, while Raja Malhia Singh founded Malhiapura, now called as Malihabad.
Raja Malhia Singh Arakh made Malihabad a contemporary power and a prosperous town. During his rule, Arakh dominion stretched south of Malihabad to parts of Kakori and Bijnour, and along the left bank of Sai to Sissandi.
Arakhs
Arakhs
The Arakhs or Arkawanshis are an ancient kshatriya clan/tribe of Indian origin who at one time ruled large areas of Awadh. The heroes of the Arakh clan include sun-worshipper Maharaja Tilok Chand , Salhia Singh , Malhia Singh and Maharaja...
held sway over Malihabad and adjoining areas including Datli till 15th century. In 1470 A.D., two brothers of Gautam tribe, Deva Rai and Naya Rana came as a refugee to Malihabad after being exiled from Argal state of Gautams. After winning over the confidence of the Arakh king, they conspired with Pathans to overthrow Arakhs
Arakhs
The Arakhs or Arkawanshis are an ancient kshatriya clan/tribe of Indian origin who at one time ruled large areas of Awadh. The heroes of the Arakh clan include sun-worshipper Maharaja Tilok Chand , Salhia Singh , Malhia Singh and Maharaja...
from Malihabad and establish their control. Their efforts paid off when after a prolonged struggle with Arakhs
Arakhs
The Arakhs or Arkawanshis are an ancient kshatriya clan/tribe of Indian origin who at one time ruled large areas of Awadh. The heroes of the Arakh clan include sun-worshipper Maharaja Tilok Chand , Salhia Singh , Malhia Singh and Maharaja...
, Gautam brothers took over the control of Malihabad. But soon after, they were themselves displaced by the brave Pathans.
The mango plantations of Malihabad were developed by Pathans, under the royal patronage of the Nawabs of Lucknow.
Malihabad prides itself on Nawab Faqueer Mohammad Khan 'Goya', the poet and courtier of Awadh; "shaayar-e-inquilaab" Shabbir Hasan Khan 'Josh Malihabadi’, who later migrated to Pakistan; Ghaus Mohammad Khan, the tennis player and Anwar Nadeem, stage artist, writer and poet.
Geography
Malihabad is located at 26.92°N 80.72°E. It has an average elevation of 128 metres (419 feet). Famous Urdu poet Hanif Akhgar of USA President of Halqae Fanno adab (sicsic) orth America is also born in Malihaabad (he was a director in UNDP)Demographics
India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Malihabad had a population of 15,806. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Malihabad has an average literacy rate of 52%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 59%, and female literacy is 45%. In Malihabad, 16% of the population is under 6 years of age. Majority of the population claims Pashtun descent.
Economics
Dasheri mangoDasheri
Dasheri is a variety of mango grown in different parts of the North India and Pakistan.In 18th century, the Dasheri mango first appeared in the gardens of Nawab of Lucknow...
plantations is one of the major income source of the region, with mangoes being exported to many neighbouring countries.
Dasheri Mango even very dilicious and famous for its sweetness, soft pulp
Josh Malihabadi
Josh MalihabadiJosh Malihabadi
Josh Malihabadi was a noted Urdu poet born in British India, who was an Indian citizen until 1958, when he emigrated to Pakistan and became a Pakistani citizen...
was born as Shabbir Hasan Khan on 5 December, 1898 at Malihabad. He did his senior Cambridge from St. Peter's College, Agra in 1914. In 1918, he spent about six months at Shantiniketan. He studied 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...
. Due to the death of his father, Bashir Ahmed Khan, in 1916, Josh was unable to avail of a college education.
In 1925, Josh started work at the Osmania University, supervising translation work. He was exiled from the Hyderabad State
Hyderabad State
-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...
for writing a Nazm
Nazm
Urdu Nazm is a major part of the Urdu poetry, that is normally written in rhymed verse and also in modern prose style poems. Nazm has many different forms as,* Doha * Geet * Hamd * Hazal * Hijv...
against 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...
. He then started the newsletter/magazine called the 'Kaleem' in which he openly wrote articles in favour of independence and against the British
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. Soon, he was being called "Shaayar-e-Inquilaab". He also got actively involved in the freedom struggle and became close to quite a few of the political leaders of that era, specially Jawahar Lal Nehru.
On the advice of director W. Z. Ahmed, he also wrote songs for Shalimar Pictures. During this time, he was staying in Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
. After independence, he became the editor of 'Aajkal'. He was later honoured with the Padmabhushan. Josh migrated to 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...
and died on 22 February, 1982 in Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
. Some of Josh's important works are: Shola-o-Shabnam, Junoon-o-Hikmat, Fikr-o-Nishaat, Sunbal-o-Salaasal, Harf-o-Hikaayat, Sarod-o-Kharosh. His autobiography is titled "Yaadon ki Baarat".
Ghaus Mohammad Khan
In 1939, the last Wimbledon before the World War, Ghaus Mohammad Khan of Malhiabad did country proud by becoming first ever Indian to figure in a singles quarter final. He was beaten by eventual champion Bobby Riggs of USA in straight sets 2-6, 2-6, 2-6. Riggs won all the three titles that year. Khan reigned as India's top player from 1936 to 1940, but his career was cut short by the rigours of war.Film
The Filmfare Award winner (1979) and winner of National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi (1978), film JunoonJunoon (1978 film)
The soundtrack features 4 songs, composed by Vanraj Bhatia, with original lyrics from Yogesh Praveen and other lyrics by Amir Khusro, Jigar Moradabadi and Sant Kabir.#"Khusro rain piya ki jaagi pee ke sang" – Jamil Ahmad...
was mostly shot in the Mahals of Malihabad. The 1978 Urdu film was produced by Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor , born Balbir-Raj Prithviraj Kapoor on 18 March 1938 in Calcutta , is an award-winning Indian film actor and film producer. He has also been film director and assistant director in Hindi Films. He is a member of the Kapoor family, a film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema...
and directed by Shyam Benegal
Shyam Benegal
Shyam Benegal is a prolific Indian director and screenwriter. With his first four feature films Ankur , Nishant Manthan and Bhumika he created a new genre, which has now come to be called the "middle cinema" in India although he himself has expressed dislike in the term preferring his work to...
and was a hit of its time. The film was based on Ruskin Bond
Ruskin Bond
Ruskin Bond, born 19 May 1934, is an Indian author of British descent. He is considered to be an icon among Indian writers and children's authors and a top novelist....
Novella A Flight of Pigeons
A Flight of Pigeons
A Flight of Pigeons is a novella by Indian author, Ruskin Bond. The story is set in 1857, and is about Ruth Labadoor and her family who take help of Hindus and Muslims to reach their relatives when their father is brutally murdered in a church by the Indian rebels...