Jigar Moradabadi

Jigar Moradabadi
Born
Sikander Ali

(1890-04-06)6 April 1890
Moradabad, British India (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India)
Died9 September 1960(1960-09-09) (aged 70)
Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, India
OccupationPoet
Known forClassical Urdu Poetry
Ghazal
Notable workDagh-e-Jigar(1928)
Shola-e-Tuur (1932)
Aatish-e-Gul (1954)
Diwan-e-Jigar
FatherSyed Ali Nazar
AwardsSahitya Akademi Award (1958)

Ali Sikandar (6 April 1890 – 9 September 1960), known by his pen name as Jigar Moradabadi, was an Indian Urdu poet and ghazal writer. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1958 for his poetry collection "Atish-e-Gul", and was the second poet (after Mohammad Iqbal) to be awarded an honorary D.Litt. by the Aligarh Muslim University.[1]

Biography

He received oriental education in Arabic, Persian and Urdu in Moradabad, and started to work as a travelling salesman.[2]

Jigar moved to[when?] Gonda, near Lucknow, where he befriended Asghar Gondvi.

He died on 9 September 1960 in Gonda.[2]

Legacy

His Sufi poem Yeh Hai Maikada was sung by many Sufi singers like Sabri Brothers, Aziz Mian, Munni Begum & Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi.

Acclaim

Jigar Moradabadi belonged to the classical school of ghazal writing and was a mentor to Majrooh Sultanpuri, who became a prominent lyricist in the Indian film industry and penned many popular songs in Urdu.[3]

Jigar was only the second poet in the history of Aligarh Muslim University to be awarded an honorary D.Litt., the first was Muhammad Iqbal.

Faiz Ahmad Faiz, the distinguished Urdu poet and academic, regarded Jigar Moradabadi as a master craftsman in his field.[4]

Jigar Fest - 2018

Progressive Foundation organized three days Jigar Fest at Moradabad in 2018, to celebrate Jigar's Birthday.

Day 1 - Mushayra by Rahat Indori, Wasim Barelvi etc.
Day 2 - Kawwali Nights by Chand Qadri
Day 3 - Musical Night by Sheeba Alam

See also

References

  1. ^ "Jigar Moradabadi - Profile & Biography". Rekhta. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b Amaresh Datta (1988). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. p. 1838. ISBN 978-81-260-1194-0. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  3. ^ Service, Tribune News. "Pluralism in verse". Tribuneindia News Service.
  4. ^ "An afternoon with Faiz". The Hindu. 6 March 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2017.