Sajjad Zaheer

Sajjad Zaheer
Born (1899-11-05)5 November 1899
Lucknow, United Provinces, India
Died 11 September 1973(1973-09-11) (aged 73)
Alma Ata, Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (then in USSR, now Kazakhstan)
Occupation Marxist ideologue, writer and poet in Urdu
Nationality Indian, Pakistani (briefly)
Citizenship Indian, Pakistani (briefly)
Genre Ghazal, Drama
Literary movement Progressive Writers' Movement
Notable works Angaaray
Spouse Razia Sajjad Zaheer
Children 4, including Nadira Babbar

Syed Sajjad Zaheer (Urdu: سید سجاد ظہیر ‬‎) ( 5 November 1899 – 13 September 1973) was an Urdu writer, Marxist ideologue and radical revolutionary who worked in both India and Pakistan. In the pre-independence era, he was a member of the Communist Party of India. Upon independence and partition, he moved to the newly created Pakistan and became a founding member of the Communist Party of Pakistan.

Background and family

Zaheer was born in Lucknow, India, into a Muslim family. His forebears, who had come to India as from Iran, had received a estate in Avadh (Oudh). Zaheer's father, Syed Wazir Hasan, had received an English education and become a barrister. He later became a judge and retired as Chief Justice of Oudh, receiving a knighthood. Zaheer's mother was Sakina-tul-Fatima. Zaheer was one of their seven children (five sons and two daughters). One of his brothers, Syed Ali Zaheer, was the India's Ambassador to Iran. Zaheer was the uncle of Nurul Hasan, a Congress Minister in the Union Government and later a Governor.

Career

After initial education in India, Zaheer studied law in England and became a barrister. He never practiced law and never earned a regular living. He was one of the founding members of the Progressive Writers Association and remained an full-time member of the Communist Party of India throughout his life.

Revolutionary writer

A collection of short stories, Angaaray (embers), which had stories by Sajjad Zaheer, Ahmed Ali, Rashid Jahan and Mahmud-uz-Zafar was published in 1932 and banned in 1933 by the British Government of India "for hurting the religious susceptibilities of a section of the community."[1] This gave rise to the All-India Progressive Writers' Movement & Association of which both Sajjad Zaheer and Ahmed Ali were co-founders.[2] The first official conference of the Association was held in Lucknow in 1936, which was presided over by Munshi Premchand.

Emigration to Pakistan and jail

In 1947, the British departed from India after partitioning the country and creating Pakistan. The landlords of Oudh, led by Mohammad Amir Ahmad Khan, had supported and financially backed the Muslim League. Zaheer, who was a leading member of the Communist Party of India, now became one of the founding members of the Communist Party of Pakistan, which he founded along with Faiz Ahmad Faiz in 1948.

Zaheer and Faiz Ahmad Faiz were convicted and jailed in Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case along with Mohammad Husain Ata, Zafarullah Poshni, and others. Major General Akbar Khan was allegedly the main conspirator. The Rawalpindi conspiracy was a Soviet-backed plot, hatched by the recently founded Communist Party of Pakistan (co-founded by Zaheer), to seize power in Pakistan and establish a communist state.

Return to India

Sajjad Zaheer was extradited to India in 1954 by the Government of Pakistan, and revived his activities in India through Progressive Writers' Association, Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) and Afro-Asian Writers' Association.

Personal life

Sajjad and his wife Razia Sajjad Zaheer had four daughters, including Naseem Bhatia, who holds a PhD in History (ancient history) from a Russian university.[3] She became vice-chancellor of Jai Narain Vyas University.

Death

Zaheer died aged 68 on 13 September 1973 while attending a conference of Afro-Asian writers at Alma Ata, Kazakhstan, which at that time was a Soviet republic.

Published writings

  • London Ki Ek Raat لندن کی ایک رات - a novel.
  • Roshnai روشنائی, a collection of essays on the progressive writers movement and its objectives.
  • Zikr-e-Hafiz زکرِخافظ, his research based book on the Persian poet Hafez.
  • Pighla Nilamپِگھلا نیلم , his last book,a collection of his poetry.
  • A translation of Shakespeare's Othello
  • A translation of Candide
  • A translation of Gora (novel written by Tagore)
  • A translation of The Prophet (written by Khalil Gibran)

References

  1. ↑ "Angaaray". Penguin Books India.
  2. ↑ 1961-, Ali, Kamran Asdar,. Communism in Pakistan : politics and class activism 1947-1972. London. p. 83. ISBN 9781784532000. OCLC 913850929.
  3. ↑

Further reading

  • Zaheer, Sajjad (2006). The Light: The History of the Movement for Progressive Literature in the Indo-Pakistan Sub Continent. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-547155-5.
  • Naresh Nadeem, 'Sajjad Zaheer: A Life of Struggle & Creativity', People's Democracy 29:51 (18 December 2005)
  • Bose, Hiren K. Sajjad Zahir: The Voice of the Common Man in Chowk
  • https://web.archive.org/web/20090424062127/http://jang.com.pk/thenews/feb2007-weekly/books%26people-01-02-2007/ Mughanni-I-Aatish Nafas: Sajjad Zaheer
  • 6 jan-1953- New York Times Sajjad Zaheer is secretary of the Communist party in Pakistan
  • 29 Apr 1951-New York Times, Pakistani Red Chief Seized
  • Urdu & secularism by A.G. Noorani Frontline Volume 23 – Issue 17 :: 26 Aug. – 8 Sep 2006
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