Zia Fatehabadi,
Born
Mehr Lal Soni (1913–1986), was an Urdu
ghazal and
nazm writer. He was a disciple (shaagird) of Syed Aashiq Hussain Siddiqui
Seemab Akbarabadi (1882–1951), who was a disciple of Nawab Mirza Khan
Daagh Dehlawi. He used the
takhallus (nom de plume) of
Zia meaning "Light" on the suggestion of his teacher, Ghulaam Qadir Farkh Amritsari.
Early life
Zia Fatehabadiwas born on 9 February 1913 at
Kapurthala, Punjab. He was the eldest son of Munshi Ram Soni (1884–1968), a Civil Engineer by profession, who belonged to the
Soni (Khatri) family , which family had at some time during the reign of the Mughal ruler,
Shahjahan, migrated from
Rajasthan to
Punjab and settled at
Fatehabad, Punjab near
Tarn Taran.
Zia Fatehabadi’s father was an exponent of Indian Classical vocal and
instrumental music, who often invited musicians and singers to his
residence, was himself fond of singing and playing musical instruments,
and a good player of
Chess. It was one such evening in
Jaipur when the young school-going Zia Fatehabadi was not given by the invited singer a copy of
Iqbal’s
ghazal that had been liked and wanted by him; this particular incident probably exasperated Zia’s urge to write and made him a poet.
Even when Zia Fatehabadi was a college student his was a respected name in the Urdu world. After the publication of his first book,
Tullu,
which had received some disheartening criticism, he had thought of
giving up writing but he was dissuaded from doing so by friends and
elders. Zia Fatehabadi had started composing Urdu sh'ers and ghazals at a tender age when he was still attending school in Jaipur.
His education began at Khalsa Middle School, Peshawar (1920 to 1922).
However, he completed his schooling from Maharaja High School,
Jaipur,
Rajasthan
(1923 to 1929), after which he obtained his B.A.(Hons) degree in
Persian in 1933 and M.A. (English) degree in 1935 as a student of
Forman Christian College,
Lahore.
[7][8] He was consistently an above average student.
As the then editor of the Urdu section of the college house magazine,
Zia Fatehabadi was instrumental in getting the first-ever Urdu short
story "Sadhu" by
Krishan Chander published in 1932. At that time,
Krishan Chander was interested primarily in his English writings and edited the English section.
It is also in evidence that Zia Fatehabadi was infatuated with a
Bengali
girl named Meera, who was also studying in the same college at the
time, and addressed almost all his love-poetry to her. Her name figures
unreservedly in several of his writings. In an interview, he had once
disclosed that she was that very Meera Sen who had actually inspired
Meeraji to write superb poems and adopt her name as his takhallus.
Krishan Chander,
Meeraji and Zia Fatehabadi were good friends.
It was during his college days that Zia Fatehabadi came into contact with Shabbir Hussain
Josh Malihabadi and Samdayaar Khan
Saghar Nizami. He developed a very close lifelong relationship with them, which both influenced as also helped shape his literary life.
In 1936, Zia Fatehabadi joined the
Reserve Bank of India,
from which he retired in 1971 as Deputy Chief Officer, a senior
position in the bank. In 1942, he married Raj Kumari (1919–2003),
daughter of Murli Ram Berera of
Lahore. Before joining the
Reserve Bank of India, while seeking suitable employment, Zia Fatehabadi was interviewed for an editor's post with
All India Radio, which went to
Majaz. However,
Majaz and Zia Fatehabadi remained close friends.
Literary career
Zia Fatehabadi began to write poetry in 1925 under the supervision of
his mother, Shankari Devi, with the help of Maulvi Asghar Ali Haya
Jaipuri, who used to teach him Urdu at home and who also imparted his
own knowledge of Urdu poetry composition to him. By 1929, Zia Fatehabadi had become a familiar name in Urdu literary circles. In 1930, he became
Seemab Akbarabadi’s disciple and remained true to his
ustad
until his own death, working to spread Seemab’s methods and
instructions at all times. He never ever gave a moment's thought to his
own name or fame and sought neither favours or honours nor public or
state recognition. He
categorically rejected such exercises. He believed that the real worth of a poet's creativity can, ultimately,
be gauged impartially only by those who look deeper into his works, in
their desire or eagerness to get to know the poet better.
In 1933, at the age of 20 and while still a college student, Zia
Fatehabadi succeeded in having his very first collection of Urdu poems,
Tullu (Dawn), published in
Meerut by
Saghar Nizami.
He wrote from the heart and, efficaciously, dressed his feelings,
emotions, thoughts and experiences with simple, delicate,
sweet-sounding, lyrical, meaningful, easily understood words and phrases
– the key features in his poetry. His inimitable style set him apart
from his peers and gave him a distinct identity.
His writings were meant to touch one’s heart and mind simultaneously
and make one feel all that he himself had felt. He was totally at ease
in the use of a variety of prose and poetical formats. However, he did
not succumb to the practice of uninhibited expression of ideas in open
forms, which had been adopted by some of his noted contemporaries, who
had introduced
symbolism in Urdu Poetry. In his article titled
Zia Saheb,
Gopichand Narang
had said that he (Zia) belonged to the Seemab Akbarabadi’s circle of
devoted writers; deep knowledge of the etiquette and effective use of
language and expression, the immense richness of feelings and emotions
meant to be conveyed, and the fine eloquence and methodology adorned his
writings and he makes use of Hindi intonation in ghazal quite
effectively and also quite meaningfully highlights the contemporary
human pain and suffering; to appraise Zia Fatehabadi is to appraise the
inherited tradition and refinement of our poetry. In his compositions, that demonstrate undefiled immaculate thought and brevity Zia Fatehabadi has revealed new and factual aspects of thought and insight.
جُدائی
جُدائی، آہ یہ اِک لفظ کِتنا یاس آگئیں ہے
تصوّر اِس کا امیدوں پہ پانی پھیر دیتا ہے
ہزاروں کوس اِس سے منزلِ آرام و تسکیں ہے
جو اِس سے ہو گیا واقف وہ پھر کب چین لیتا ہے
جُدائی باغ کی رنگینیوں کو چھین لیتی ہے
شراب و رقص سے محرُوم کر دیتی ہے انساں کو
جہاں آرائیوں، خود بینیوں کو چھین لیتی ہے
چُھپا دیتی ہے مایوسی کی تاریکی میں ارماں کو
یہ سب کچھ ہے، مگر مجبُور ہے میرا دلِ محزوں
محبّت پرورش پاتی رہی ہے اِس کے دامن میں
جمال دوست سے مہجور ہے میرا دل محزوں
وہ دشمن دوست تڑپایا تھا جس نے مجھ کو ساون میں
اُنہیں ہاتھوں میں دیدی ہے عنانِ آرزو میں نے
بھروسے پر خدا کے چھوڈ دی ہے جستجو میں نے
“
”
Sonnet جدائی by Zia Fatehabadi taken from his book titled Noor e Mashriq 1937
While remaining true to the classical style, Zia Fatehabadi did not ignore changing trends, as is reflected in his
rubaiaat,
qat'aas,
geets,
ghazals,
nazms and
sonnets.These compositions evince his mastery of and command over the Urdu language. Zia Fatehabadi's contribution to Urdu language and literature spans over six decades and is voluminous.
Titled
Noor-E-Mashriq, his first major collection was published in Delhi in 1937 from which the following couplet became widely known:
- "Woh dekh mashriq se noor ubharaa liey huey jalwaa-e-haqiqat"
- "Majaz ki tark kar ghulami ke tu to hey bandaa-e-haqiqat"
- ((Come hither and have a) look at the yonder light shining in the East emerging as the glowing Truth
- (Now it is time that you too) cast aside your fetters temperamental for you are that very Truth.)
Though he did not identify himself with any particular group, trend
or movement, Zia Fatehabadi apparently belonged, in equal measure, to
all known groups and his noteworthy works reflect this. As an integral
part of his literary activities, he would gladly attend poetic symposia
and conferences, whenever invited to do so, and presided over many of
these events. A selection of his presidential addresses titled
Masanad e sadarat se was published in 1985.
He did not subscribe to the
theory
that poetry is spontaneous. He belongs to the school of thought which
maintains that poetry is an amalgam of words and thoughts and that
thoughts are seldom spontaneous.
Zia Fatehabadi died on 19 August 1986 after a prolonged and painful bout with illness. But then, he had once said:
- " Kyaa gham agar qraar–o–sukun kii kamii rahii "
- " Khush hoon ke kaamyaab merii zindagii rahii "
- (I grieve not for the lack of unrest or for the lack of peace (in my life).
- I am (gratefully) happy to have led (a contented and) a successful life.)
In a way, this one couplet (verse), taken from his book
Gard-e-Raah
(Urdu) published in 1963, succinctly sums up the personality and life
of Zia Fatehabadi. He himself had led a life filled with hope and
contentment, something he fervently wished others, too, would experience
and enjoy. These sentiments won for him many admirersAmongst those who appreciated as well as influenced his poetry were
Firaq Gorakhpuri and
Josh Malihabadi. Zia Fatehabadi was survived by his wife and six sons.
The following
Qat'aa e taareekh composed by
Sahir Hoshiarpuri in August 1986 to commemorate the demise of his old friend, Mehr Lal Soni Zia Fatehabadi, was published by
Khushtar Girami in the October 1986 (Vol.50.No.10.) issue of the monthly "Biswin Sadi", New Delhi:
- Jo kar sako na bayaan tum baasurat e alfaaz
- Fasaanaa e gham e hasti baachasham e nam keh lo
- Zubaan o fikr o takhyul jo saath de na saken
- To "dil" ko saath mila kar "gham e Zia sah lo"
- ( If you are unable to find words to express your grief then do so by shedding tears.)
- ( If your speech, thoughts and intellect are unable to bear that grief then bear the loss of Zia with your saddened heart.)
Works
Zia Fatehabadi embarked on his literary career with
Tullu
first published in 1933. In all, he produced nineteen works, consisting
of eleven collections of poetry, one of short-stories, two of essays,
one of presidential addresses, three collections of letters and one
biography. Three of these books –
Noor e Mashriq, Gard e Raah and
Meri Tasveer – also contain Urdu
sonnets that he had composed.
Much of his work, including
Naatsscattered in various magazines and papers remains unpublished.
Disciples
In his book,
Zia Fatehabadi - Hayat Aur Karnaame (
ISBN 9789351371076),
Dr. Shabbir Iqbal has listed Shānti Saroop "Kaif", Abdul Khāliq
"Khāliq" Bhatti, Tālib Hussain "Tāyaq" Hamdāni, Abdul Khaliq "Khaliq"
Yeolavi, Rādhakrishan "Sehgal", Om Parkash "Bajāj", Jagdish Bhatnāgar
"Hayāt", Satyapal "Jānbāz", "Shāhid" Sāgari, Abdul Rehman "Tābān" Ziai,
Abdul Rashid "Arshi", Muhammad Musā "Nazar" Ziai Gonganavi, Abdul Sattār
"Sahar" Chishti, "Rāhi" Gonganavi, Bhod Rāj "Shād" Kamālvi and Mohamad
Saddiq "Sāhir" as the disciples of Zia Fatehabadi. The method of Zia
Fatehabadi’s technical instruction in poetry was similar in nature to
that of his ustaad Seemab Akbarabadi. He never discussed the changes
effected by him, if deemed necessary he would very briefly explain an
essential change. The impact of his instruction was such that by merely
replacing one word by another he would lift (the essence and rendering
of) a couplet to greater heights.
[38]
Biographical assessment
- A comprehensive critical appraisal and interpretation of Zia’s
literary works was published in 1977 by the Urdu scholar, critic and
author of Zikr-e-Ghalib, Malik Ram. Its title is Zia Fatehabadi Shakhs Aur Shair (Zia Fatehabadi: The Person and the Poet).
- An Urdu-language biography of Zia Fatehabadi, titled Budha Darakhat, meaning The Old Tree, written by Zarina Sani was published in 1979.
- In 1989, under the guidance of Adam Sheikh, Chairman of the Board of Studies in Urdu, and Farid Sheikh of Anjuman-e-Islamiyaa, Mumbai, Shabbir Iqbal of Dhulia, Maharashtra, obtained his PhD degree from Bombay University
with an Urdu-language dissertation entitled "Anjahaani Mehr Lal Soni
Zia Fatehabadi – Hayaat Aur Kaarnaame" (The Late Mehr Lal Soni Zia
Fatehabadi: Life and Works).
- Mohammad Ameenuddin Mohammad Idris of Nagpur University wrote a thesis in Urdu titled Zia Fatehabadi: Personality, Life and Works.
Other interests
Zia Fatehabadi was not a professional poet. For over thirty-five years he worked at the
Reserve Bank of India. He was a keen observer of economic trends, development and change. Zia Fatehabadi was very good at
Mathematics and proficient in
Persian,
English and
Sanskrit language and grammar. He was a keen student of
Hindu astrology i.e.
Jyotisa,and was deeply interested in the study of the
Upanishads and the
Rig Veda.
[42] [43][44] He subscribed to the
Advaita School promoted by
Adi Sankara.
Bibliography
List of books by Zia Fatehabadi:
Urdu Poetry:
- Tullu (Dawn) – published by Saghar Nizami, Adabi Markaz, Meerut in 1933. Foreword by Saghar Nizami.
- Noor-e-Mashriq (The Light of the East) – published by Jyoti Prasad Gupta, Jyoti Printing Works, Esplanade, Delhi in 1937. Introductions by Josh Malihabadi,Editor, Kaleem, Delhi, Hakim Azad Ansari (1871–1942) and Manzar Siddiqui, Editor, Kanwal, Agra.
- Zia Ke Sau Sher (A Hundred Verses of Zia) – published by Gajender Lal Soni, Mohan Building, near Lloyd's Bank, Delhi in 1938.
- Nai Subah (The New Morn) published by Adaaraa Seemab,Daryaganj, Delhi in 1952. Forewords by Munavvar Lakhnavi (1897–1970)and Prof. Mubashshir Ali Siddiqui M.A.(died 1987
- Gard-e-Raah (The Road Dust)- published by Maktaba Shola aur Shabnam, Daryaganj, New Delhi in 1963. Foreword by Abr Ahasani Gunnauri (1898–1973) and Khushtar Girami (1902–1988)
- Husn-e-Ghazal (The beauty of Ghazal)- published by Miraj Mittal, Ambala in 1964.
- Dhoop Aur Chandni (The Sunlight and the Moonlight) – published by Radha Krishan Sehgal, Bazm-e-Seemab, J 5/21,Rajouri Garden, New Delhi in 1977.
- Rang-o-Noor (The Colour and the Light) – published by
R.K.Sehgal, Bazm-e-Seemab, J 5/21, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi in 1981
(prize awarded by U.P.Urdu Academy).
- Soch ka Safar (The Journey of Thought) – published by R.K.Sehgal, Bazm-e-Seemab, J 5/21, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi in 1982.
- Naram garam hawain (The soft Warm Air) – published
posthumously by R.K.Sehgal, Bazm-e-Seemab, J 5/21, Rajouri Garden, New
Delhi in 1987 with the aid of Delhi Urdu Academy.
- Meri Tasveer (My Portrait)- published by GBD Books,I-2/16, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi in 2011, ISBN 978-81-88951-88-8.
- The Qat'aat o Rubaiyat of Zia Fatehabadi (Quatrains of Zia Fatehabadi, original Urdu text and English
Translation by Ravinder Kumar Soni And Sushil Soni) – published by
Pigeon Books, an imprint of GBD Books,I-2/16, Ansari Road, Daryaganj,
New Delhi in 2012 commemorating Zia Fatehabadi's Birth Centenary Year, ISBN 978-93-82025-05-4.
Urdu Prose:
- Zaaviyaha-e-nigaah (The viewpoint) – published by R.K.Sehgal,
Bazm-e-Seemab, J 5/21, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi in 1983. Foreword by
Jagdish Bhatnagar Hayat – (essays) (prize awarded by U.P.Urdu Academy)
- Suraj doob gayaa (The sun has Set)(short-stories) – published by R.K.Sehgal, Bazm-e-Seemab, J 5/21, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi in 1981.
- Masnad-e-sadaarat se (From the Podium)(presidential addresses) – published by R.K.Sehgal, Bazm-e-Seemab, J 5/21, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi in 1985.
- Seemab baanaam Zia (Seemab to Zia)(letters of Seemab to Zia) –
published by R.K.Sehgal, Bazm-e-Seemab, J 5/21, Rajouri Garden, New
Delhi in 1981.Foreword by Rashid Hasan Khan.
- Zikr-e-Seemab (About Seemab)(Biography of Seemab) – published by R.K.Sehgal, Bazm-e-Seemab, J 5/21, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi in 1984.
- Sher aur Shair (The Verse and the Poet)(essays) – published by R.K.Sehgal, Bazm-e-Seemab, J 5/21, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi in 1974.
- Muzaameen-e-Zia (The Essays of Zia)
- Zia Fatehabadi ke Khatoot (Letters of Zia Fatehabadi).
Select Reading:
List of books in Urdu on the life and works of Zia Fatehabadi:
- Budha Darakhat (The Old Tree) – Biography of Zia Fatehabadi written by Zarina Sani, Nagpur, foreword by Unwan Chishti, and published by R.K.Sehgal, Bazm-e-Seemab, J 5/21, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi in 1979.
- Zia Fatehabadi – Shakhs aur Shair (Zia Fatehabadi – The Person and the Poet) – Critical appraisal of Zia Fatehabadi's life and works conducted by Malik Ram and published by Ilmi Majlis, 1429, Chhata Nawab Sahib, Farashkhana, Delhi, in 1977.
- Editorial write up on Zia Fatehabadi's life and works in the Feb.1985 issue of Aaj Kal Vol.43 no.7 published by the Govt. of India,Publication Division Urdu,Patiala House, New Delhi.
- Zia Fatehabadi Number Oct.1986 issue of " Hamaari Zabaan "
Vol.45 no.37 published by Anjuman-e-Taraqi Urdu Hind (Delhi),Rouse
Avenue, New Delhi, it contains articles and views of noted Urdu writers
on the life and works of Zia Fatehabadi.
- Zia-e-Urdu – Special issue of Nov.1985 by Saphia Siddiqui on
behalf of Adara-e-Adab, London (U.K.) it contains articles and views of
noted Urdu writers of U.K.
- Editorial write up in the Oct.1986. issue of the Monthly Biswin Sadi Vol.50 No.10, published by Biswin Sadi Publication (P) Ltd., Daryaganj, Delhi.
- Anjahaani Mehr Lal Soni Zia Fatehabadi – Hayaat aur Karnaame 1989 Doctoral Dissertation on the life and works of Zia Fatehabadi presented by Shabbir Iqbal of Bombay University.urdubhasha.blogspot.com/ziafatehabadi
