Shamim Karhani
Encyclopedia
Shamim Karhani, was an eminent Urdu
poet ('Shayar') of the twentieth century. He was born on the 8th of June
1913 in village 'Karhan'
district Mau
, U.P.
family to Syed Muhammad Akhtar and Ummat ul Zehra on the 8th of June 1913 in village
'Karhan'
district Mau
, U.P.
in India. His real name was ‘Syed Shamsuddin Haider’. He himself chose ‘Shamim Karhani’ as his pen name ('Takhallus'). Later, this pen name of his became so famous that once, at an interview, when he was asked his name, he himself had to pause for a moment to remember his real name! He did his secondary education from Aligarh Muslim University
and also did ‘Maulvi Kamil Munshi’. For his profession, he chose to be a teacher
. He worked with Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Schools System
, Kaumi Awaz and Anglo Arabic School (New Delhi). He was a scholar of the Persian
language; however he did all his poetry in Urdu
.
. This was the era when India was vehemently trying to get out of snare of British rule
. Being an Indian he started writing poems
that conveyed the moral of adhesion to one’s own country. These poems became so influential that his popular revolutionary ‘Nazms’
and ‘Naghmas’ (‘Geets’) were sung in the ‘Prabhat-Pheris’ taken out on the streets of cities like Lucknow
and Varanasi
during the freedom struggle.
Soon Shamim Karhani’s nationalist and revolutionary poetry started attracting the attention of both the common people and the literati. It was through this nationalist platform that he joined the Progressive Writers’ Movement
. In 1948 he composed a poem
entitled NA BAPU KO NEEND AA GAYI HAI just after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. The above poem had such an emotional appeal that it spread like the jungle fire. Once, Shamim Karhani had the opportunity to recite the poem in the presence of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. Nehru, after listening to the poem, got impressed by Shamim’s work and asked him to come to Lucknow
to recite his poems in Congress
election meetings. Later, after independence, Nehru asked Shamim to come to Delhi
. He migrated to Delhi
in 1950 and met Nehru
at ‘Teen-Murti’. Nehru asked him to compose an epic in Urdu on the freedom movement of India and started giving him a stipend for the job from his personal pocket. On 7 February 1950 he wrote in Shamim’s diary:
His collection entitled “Roshan Andhera” was entirely devoted to the “Quit India Movement”..
Shamim Karhani was a contemporary of eminent poets like Faiz Ahmed 'Faiz'
, Ali 'Sardar' Jafri, 'Majaz Lucknawi', Moin Ahsan ‘Jazbi’, Ali 'Jawad' Zaidi
, etc. Being basically a ‘Ghazal
-go’ (one who composes 'Ghazals’
), however, tried his hand on each and every ‘genre’ of Urdu
poetry and some of his compositions found eternal place in Urdu literature. He has composed (apart from ghazals) poems, ‘rubaees’, ‘qataat’, ‘geet’, elegies, ‘marsiyas’, ‘eulogies’
etc.
name="Karhani, Abid 1986"/>
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 ('Shayar') of the twentieth century. He was born on the 8th of June
June
June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and one of the four months with a length of 30 days. Ovid provides two etymologies for June's name in his poem concerning the months entitled the Fasti...
1913 in village 'Karhan'
Karhan, Uttar Pradesh
Karhan is a village in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.It has the distinction of having been associated with some of the finest minds in India, such as the saint Mir Shamsi, his illustrious descendant Ali Jawad Zaidi & Shamim Karhani....
district Mau
Mau
Mau , formerly Mau Nath Bhanjan , nearly 90 km from Varanasi is the powerhouse of textile weavers in Eastern UP, India. It is a small industrial town on the banks of Ghaghra . The Tamasa river flows through the city...
, U.P.
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...
Early Life, Education and Employment
Shamim Karhani was born in a 'Zamindar'Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
family to Syed Muhammad Akhtar and Ummat ul Zehra on the 8th of June 1913 in village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
'Karhan'
Karhan, Uttar Pradesh
Karhan is a village in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.It has the distinction of having been associated with some of the finest minds in India, such as the saint Mir Shamsi, his illustrious descendant Ali Jawad Zaidi & Shamim Karhani....
district Mau
Mau
Mau , formerly Mau Nath Bhanjan , nearly 90 km from Varanasi is the powerhouse of textile weavers in Eastern UP, India. It is a small industrial town on the banks of Ghaghra . The Tamasa river flows through the city...
, U.P.
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...
in India. His real name was ‘Syed Shamsuddin Haider’. He himself chose ‘Shamim Karhani’ as his pen name ('Takhallus'). Later, this pen name of his became so famous that once, at an interview, when he was asked his name, he himself had to pause for a moment to remember his real name! He did his secondary education from Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University ,is a residential academic university, established in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan as Mohammedan Angelo-Oriental College and later granted the status of Central University by an Act of the Indian Parliament in 1920...
and also did ‘Maulvi Kamil Munshi’. For his profession, he chose to be a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. He worked with Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Schools System
Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Schools System
The Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Schools System, also familiarly known as the D.A.V. Public Schools System is the single largest non-governmental education society in India . It is based on the ideals of the religious and social reformer, Swami Dayanand Saraswati...
, Kaumi Awaz and Anglo Arabic School (New Delhi). He was a scholar of the 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...
language; however he did all his poetry 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...
.
Poetry and India’s Freedom Struggle
Shamim had a taste in poetry since he was a kid. He composed his first couplet at a tender age of eight. After this, he never looked back. He now was aware what he was born for. He started writing and was adored all over Uttar PradeshUttar 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...
. This was the era when India was vehemently trying to get out of snare of British rule
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...
. Being an Indian he started writing poems
Urdu poetry
Urdu poetry is a rich tradition of poetry and has many different types and forms. Borrowing much from the Persian language, it is today an important part of Pakistani and North Indian culture....
that conveyed the moral of adhesion to one’s own country. These poems became so influential that his popular revolutionary ‘Nazms’
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...
and ‘Naghmas’ (‘Geets’) were sung in the ‘Prabhat-Pheris’ taken out on the streets of cities like Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
and Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
during the freedom struggle.
Progressive Writers' Movement
The Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind or Progressive Writers' Movement was a progressive literary movement in the pre-partition British India, consisting of a few different writers groups around the world....
. In 1948 he composed a poem
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...
entitled NA BAPU KO NEEND AA GAYI HAI just after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. The above poem had such an emotional appeal that it spread like the jungle fire. Once, Shamim Karhani had the opportunity to recite the poem in the presence of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. Nehru, after listening to the poem, got impressed by Shamim’s work and asked him to come to Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
to recite his poems in Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
election meetings. Later, after independence, Nehru asked Shamim to come to Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
. He migrated to Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
in 1950 and met Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
at ‘Teen-Murti’. Nehru asked him to compose an epic in Urdu on the freedom movement of India and started giving him a stipend for the job from his personal pocket. On 7 February 1950 he wrote in Shamim’s diary:
His collection entitled “Roshan Andhera” was entirely devoted to the “Quit India Movement”..
Shamim Karhani was a contemporary of eminent poets like Faiz Ahmed 'Faiz'
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Faiz Ahmad Faiz was a Pakistani intellectual, poet, and one of the most famous poets of the Urdu language. He was a member of the Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind and an avowed Marxist. In 1962, he was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union...
, Ali 'Sardar' Jafri, 'Majaz Lucknawi', Moin Ahsan ‘Jazbi’, Ali 'Jawad' Zaidi
Ali Jawad Zaidi
Syed Ali Jawad Zaidi is a much feted Urdu poet, scholar and author of over 80 books in many languages.He was also a freedom fighter, lawyer & later bureaucrat, however he is primarily known as one of the most prominent figures in Urdu Literature.Internationally renowned as a poet-scholar-critic...
, etc. Being basically a ‘Ghazal
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
-go’ (one who composes 'Ghazals’
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
), however, tried his hand on each and every ‘genre’ of Urdu
poetry and some of his compositions found eternal place in Urdu literature. He has composed (apart from ghazals) poems, ‘rubaees’, ‘qataat’, ‘geet’, elegies, ‘marsiyas’, ‘eulogies’
Eulogy
A eulogy is a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, especially one recently deceased or retired. Eulogies may be given as part of funeral services. However, some denominations either discourage or do not permit eulogies at services to maintain respect for traditions...
etc.
List of works
- Burq-o-Baaran (1939)
- Roshan Andhera (1942)
- Taraaney (1944)
- Badh Chal Re Hindustan (1948)
- Tameer (1948)
- Aks-i-Gul (1962)
- Intekhaab-i-Kalaam-i-Shamim Karhani (1963)
- Zulfiqaar (1964)
- Harf-i-Neem Shab (1972)
- Jaan-i-Baraadar (1973)
- Subh-i-Faaran (1974)
- Main Bootarabi (1974)
- Kileed-i-Insha
- Pushp Chhaya (Hindi translation of Aks-i-Gul)
Awards
- Award from the government of Uttar Pradesh (India) for his collection ‘Aks-i-Gul’ in 1964
- Award from Uttar Pradesh (India) Urdu Academy for his collection ‘Harf-i-Neem Shab’ in 1972
name="Karhani, Abid 1986"/>
- Saroop Narayan Urdu Nazm Award in 1972
- Award from Government of India for his collection ‘Ranga Ke Geet’