Jagan Nath Azad facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jagan Nath Azad
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Jagan Nath Azad
5 December 1918 |
| Died | 24 July 2004 (aged 85) |
| Nationality | Indian |
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| Children | Mukta and Permila (From first wife Shukantla) Aadarsh, Chandar Kant and Ponam (From second wife Vimmla) |
Jagan Nath Azad (born December 5, 1918 – died July 24, 2004) was an Indian Urdu poet, writer, and scholar. He wrote more than 70 books. These included collections of poems, biographies, and travel stories.
He was an expert on the life and ideas of Muhammad Iqbal, a famous poet and philosopher. Jagan Nath Azad was the President of the Iqbal Memorial Trust for five years (1981–85).
He also became the vice-president of Anjuman Taraqqi-i-Urdu (Hind) in 1989. This is a national group that helps promote the Urdu language. He became its President in 1993 and stayed in that role until he passed away.
Jagan Nath Azad kept writing almost until his last days. He died in New Delhi, India, on July 24, 2004, at the age of 84.
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About Jagan Nath Azad
Jagan Nath Azad was born on December 5, 1918. His birthplace was a small town called Isa Khel in the Mianwali District of Punjab. This area is now part of Pakistan.
He learned to love Urdu literature from his father, Tilok Chand Mehroom. His father was also a well-known poet. He introduced young Azad to Urdu poetry and took him to poetry gatherings called mushairas. At one of these events, Azad met the poet Hafeez Jalandhari for the first time.
His Education
Jagan Nath Azad finished high school in 1933. He then went to Dayanand Anglo-Vedic (DAV) College in Rawalpindi. He earned his FA degree there in 1934. Later, he went to Gordon College in Rawalpindi and got his MA degree in 1937.
After working for a while, he went back to school. He earned two more degrees from the University of the Punjab in Lahore. He got an MA (Farsi) in 1944 and a MoL in 1945. He was the top student in his college and received books by Rabindranath Tagore as an award.
His Work Life
As a Journalist
Jagan Nath Azad started in journalism early. While in college, he was the editor of his college newspaper, the Gordonian. His first official job was as editor of an Urdu magazine called Adabi Dunya in Lahore.
After India was divided in 1947, he moved to Delhi. There, he became the Assistant Editor of an Urdu newspaper called Milap.
Working for the Government
In 1948, Azad joined the Indian government. He worked for the Ministry of Labour as the editor of Employment News. A few months later, he became an Assistant Editor (Urdu) for the Publications Division. This division was part of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.
He was promoted to Information Officer (Urdu) in 1955. He worked in different government ministries, sharing information with the public. He even became the first Public Relations Officer for the new Border Security Force. Later, he was promoted to Deputy Principal Information Officer. He worked in both New Delhi and Srinagar. In 1973, he became Director of Public Relations in Srinagar. He retired from government service in 1977.
As a University Professor
After retiring from government work in 1977, Azad accepted a job at the University of Jammu. He became the Head of the Urdu Department and a Professor. This new role gave him more time and freedom for his writing and studies.
At the university, he translated Allama Iqbal's famous work, Javed Nama. He also started writing a huge five-volume biography of Allama Iqbal called Roodad-e-Iqbal. The first volume was published in 2005. Sadly, some of his research and writings for the later volumes were lost in a flood in 1988.
The University of Jammu honored him in 1980 by making him the Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Learning. In 1984, he became an Emeritus Fellow. Universities in Jammu and Kashmir also gave him DLit degrees. Many books and articles have been written about his impact on literature in India and Pakistan.
Reviews and Tributes
Jagan Nath Azad's book, "Iqbal: Mind and Art," was highly praised. It was welcomed by scholars and academics. Another professor and poet, Azad Gulati, wrote a very positive review of the book in 1985. This review was published in the Iqbal Review by the Iqbal Academy Pakistan in Lahore, Pakistan.
The writer and critic Ashfaque Naqvi also wrote about Azad's great work on Iqbal. His article appeared in Pakistan's newspaper Dawn in June 2004, shortly before Azad passed away.
Travel Stories
It was not common for Urdu writers to publish travel stories. But Jagan Nath Azad was one of the first to write many detailed and interesting accounts of his journeys. He wrote in his own special style. These stories caught the attention of Urdu readers and travelers.
Azad visited the USSR (now Russia) when very few independent travelers went there. After his trip, he published "Pushkin Ke Des Mein" (In the Land of Pushkin). He also took a long trip to the USA. This resulted in his book "Columbus Ke Des Mein" (In the Land of Columbus). His other travel stories cover places like Canada, Europe, Britain, Pakistan, and India.
Since Azad's death, no other Urdu writer has produced so many different travelogues. The Indian National Council for Promotion of Urdu now supports research in this area. They want to encourage new writers to follow in Azad's footsteps.
Building Bridges
Jagan Nath Azad cared deeply about bringing people together.
India and Pakistan
The division of India in 1947 affected Azad more than anything else. Before the division, he worked to promote peace and harmony in Lahore. After the division, he always wished Pakistan well. He strongly believed that "political divisions cannot divide the Indian poets from their love of Pakistan, nor the Pakistani poets from their love for India."
Azad was a strong supporter of close friendship between the people of India and Pakistan.
Kashmir
Jagan Nath Azad spent ten years in Srinagar, Kashmir, representing the Indian government. During this time, he built strong connections with many different people in Kashmir. Kashmiris saw him as a fair and kind intellectual. They did not see him as just a government official.
It is believed that Kashmir experienced a peaceful and progressive time in the 1970s and 80s. This was when Azad was working to build bridges in the region. He received the National Unity Award in 2001–02 for his efforts.
Awards and Honors
Jagan Nath Azad received many awards during his life. These were for his contributions to Urdu literature and his work on Allama Iqbal. Both the Indian and Pakistani governments honored him.
The Government of Pakistan gave him the President of Pakistan's Gold Medal. This was for his services to Urdu literature. The Government of India gave him an award for helping strengthen cultural ties between India and the Soviet Union. He also received awards from the Chief Minister of West Punjab (Pakistan) and the Government of East Punjab (India).
Many literary groups and universities also honored him. These included the Ghalib Institute, the World Urdu Conference, and the University of Peking in China. They gave him awards for his writings and invited him to lead events.
Famous writer and journalist Syed Fakhruddin Balley published special issues of his magazine, "Aawaz E Jarras Lahore," dedicated to Jagan Nath Azad. Groups in the UAE and USA also held special events called "Jashn-e-Azad" (Celebration of Azad) to honor him. In 1997, the Jammu & Kashmir Urdu Forum called him “Abroo-e-Adab,” meaning "Pride of Literature."
Pakistan’s First National Anthem
Not many people know that Jagan Nath Azad wrote "Tarana-e-Pakistan." This was Pakistan's first national anthem. He wrote it at the request of important people in Pakistan, possibly from Muhammad Ali Jinnah's office.
Dr. Khaliq Anjum, a writer, said that it was a great honor for a non-Muslim to have his anthem broadcast. It was played on Radio Lahore right after Pakistan was formed on August 14, 1947.
An Indian journalist, Luv Puri, interviewed Azad shortly before he died. The interview mentioned that "A Hindu wrote Pakistan's first national anthem." This caused some debate among historians in Pakistan.
Azad himself wrote about hearing his "Tarana-e-Pakistan" on Radio Lahore. He mentioned it in his books "Ankhen Tarastiyan Hain" (1981) and "Hayat-e-Mehroom" (1987).
See also
- Urdu poetry
- Qaumi Tarana
- Indian poetry
