Akhtar Sheerani

Akhtar Shirani اختر شیرانی
Born	Muhammad Dawood Khan (1905-05-04)4 May 1905[1] Tonk, Rajasthan, British India
Died	9 September 1948(1948-09-09) (aged 43)[1] Lahore, Pakistan
Pen name	Akhtar Shirani
Occupation	Urdu poet
Nationality	Pakistani
Citizenship	Pakistan
Period	1905-1948
Genre	Nazm and Ghazal
Children	Prof. Mazhar Mehmood Sherani Meena Sherani
Relatives	Hafiz Mehmood Sherani (Father)

Akhtar Shirani (Urdu: اخترشِيرانى‎), (also spelled 'Sheerani', 'Sherani', 'Shirani', 'Shairani'), (4 May 1905 – 9 September 1948) is considered to be one of the leading romantic poets of Urdu language.^[1]

Early life

Akhtar Shairani was born as Muhammad Dawood Khan to the Pashtun Sherani tribe, Shirani tribe which had come to South Asia with the armies of Sultan Mahmood Ghaznawi and had stayed back in and around the region of Tonk in North West Pakistan. He was a son of Hafiz Mahmood Shairani, a scholar and teacher of high repute, who had started teaching at Islamia College, Lahore in 1921. In 1928 he moved to Oriental College, Lahore. Young Dawood moved to Lahore at a very young age and lived there throughout his life. He did his Munshi Fazil منشی فاضل in 1921 and Adeeb Fazil ادیب فاضل in 1922 (degrees in Arabic and Persian) from Oriental College, Lahore.^[2]

Despite the efforts of his father, he could not continue his education and became a full-time poet. His teacher in poetry (ustad) was Maulana Tajwar Najibabadi, a well-respected personality in literary circles of Lahore who used to publish literary magazines.^[3]

Works

As to his skill, Akhtar was quite innovative and introduced new modes in Urdu poetry. At such a green age, he wrote mature and inspiring poetry. He was called شاعرِ رومان (the poet of romance). His best-known collections of poetry include Akhtaristan, Nigarshat-e-Akhtar, Lala-e-toor, Tayyur-e-Aawara, Naghma-e-Haram, Subh-e bahaar, and Shahnaz. He had been editor for the literary magazines Intikhab, Bahaaristan, Khyaalistan, and Romaan from 1923 to 1939. He also wrote columns for daily newspapers Hamdard and Zamindar of Maulana Muhammad Ali Johar and Maulana Zafar Ali Khan respectively. He introduced many new writers in his magazines, including Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi and Qudratullah Shahab (both are well-known Urdu writers). "Chandra wati", the first afsana (short story) of Qudratullah Shahab, was published in Romaan (Magazine of Akhtar Sheerani).

In total, he left nine collections of his verses. In prose, apart from his fictions and translations, his essays on literary, critical and historical subjects are in abundance. His son Professor Mehmood Sheerani, who has been teaching in Government College University, has written a book on his life named as Kahan Se Laaoon Unhain(Where can I Find Him?). Dr Younus Hasni also wrote a book on the life of Akhtar Sheerani.

Style and influence on Urdu Poetry

Youth dominates Akhtar's poetry like that of Shelley, Keats, and Byron. Lyricism, subtlety and novelty infuse a new spirit onto his poetry. He exhales verse as a flower exhales fragrance. His verses touching various colourful subjects flow with such tremendous ease and felicity as the reader is moved to ecstasy. Most of the critics have concentrated only on one aspect of his Love Poetry. However, his work was not confined to just the physical beauty of woman. Woman to him is beautiful in all her forms and shapes; the beloved, the wife, the mother and the sister. Wordsworth, the father of romantic poetry finds the immanence of divine spirit in the objects of nature. Akhtar's depiction of nature is second to none but unlike Wordsworth, he finds the objects of nature imbued with the beauty of woman. He uses woman as a symbol that stands for beauty and love permeating the whole universe.

Variegated aspects and artistic skills of Akhtar Shairani's poetry lend him a distinguished place in modern Urdu poetry. His influence on Urdu literature, and poetry in particular, earned him a repute of trendsetter. Several distinguished Urdu poets and literary figures have imbibed directly from him.

His famous poems include:

• "Ae ishq kahin le chal"
• "O des se aane waale bataa"
• "Ae ishq hamein barbad na kar" A super-hit poem sung by Nayyara Noor^[4]
• "Main aarzoo-e-jaan likhoon ya jaan-e-aarzu"^[5]
• "Kuch to tanhai ki raaton ka sahara hota"
• "Barsat"
• "Tumhain sitaron ne be ikhtiar dekha hai"
• "Woh kehtain hain ranjish ki baatain bhula dein" A hit ghazal sung by Malika Pukhraj^[3][6]

Later life

Akhtar Shirani's life was a succession of tragedies. His young son Javed Mahmood died, his close friend Mirza Shuja Khan committed suicide, his son-in-law Naziruddin Shirani was accidentally drowned, and he was rejected by the woman, named Salma, that he loved. That made him turn to alcohol. On his physical and mental condition, Agha Shorish Kashmiri who was a well known literary, political, and social figure of Lahore, Pakistan, wrote that one was better-off not to see him, since one would be so depressed after seeing him. He was admitted to Mayo Hospital, Lahore on 3 September and died in Lahore on 9 September 1948, just two days before the death of Quaid-e-Azam.

Example(s) of Poetry

Ghazal

Main aarzu-e-jaan likhoon ya jaan-e-aarzu^[5]

Tu hi bata de naz se eeman e aarzu

Aansu nikal rahey hain tassawur main ban k phool

Shadab ho raha hai gulistan e aarzu

Eeman o jaan nisar teri ik nigah per

Tu jaan e aarzu hai tu eeman e aarzu

Misr e firaq kab tak ae yusuf e umeed

Rota hai ter hijr main kan`aan e aarzu

Honey ko hai talu e Saba e Shab e wisal

Bujhne ko hai charagh e shabistan e aarzu

Ik wo k aarzuon pe jeetay hain umar bhar

Ik hum k hain abhi se pasheman e aarzu

Aankhon se ju e khon hai rawan dil hai dagh dagh

Dekhay koi bahaar e gulistan e aarzu

Dil main nishat e rafta ki dhundli si yad hai

Ye Shama e wasl hai tah e daman e aarzu

"Akhtar" ko zindagi ka bharosa nahin raha

Jab se luta chuka sar o saman e aarzu

The Nazm 'Salma'

Bahaar-e-husn ka tuu Ghuncha-e-shaadaab hai Salma

Tujhe fitrat ne apne dast-e-rangiiN se saNvaaraa hai

Bihisht-e-rang-o-buu ka tuu saraapa ek nazaaraa hai

Terii suurat saraasar paikar-e-maahtaab hai Salma

Jism ek hujuum-e-resham-o-kamKhwaab hai Salma

Shabistaan-e-javaanii ka tuu ek zinda sitaaraa hai tuu

Is duniaa meN bahar-e-husn-o-fitrat ka kinaaraa hai tuu

is sansaar meN ek aasmaanii Khwaab hai Salma...

Ghazal

Tumhein sitaron ne be ikhtiar dekha hai^[5]

Shareer chand ne bhi bar bar dekha hai

Kabhi chaman mein gayi ho to mast pholon ne

Nigah e shauq se aaina war dekha hai

Ropehli chandni ne raat ko khulli chat per

Ada se sotey huay bar bar dekha hai

Bahar e subah ki ranginion mein khoye huay

Naseem ne tumhein mastana war dekha hai

Sunehri dhoop ki kirnon ne baam per tum ko

Bikherey gaiso e mushkein bahar dekha hai

Qareeb sham tumhein taairan e gulshan ne

Hazar bar sar e lala zar dekha hai

Bahisht husn ki taza kali ke dhoke mein

Kali ne bhi tumhain deewana war dekha hai

Sunehrey pani mein chandi se paon latkay

Shafaq ne tum ko sar e ju e baar dekha hai

Hamesha raat ko mehv e mutalia tum ko

Nigah e shama na parvana var dekha hai

Kabhi jo uthi ho gaisu sanwarney ke liay

To aainey ne tumhein humkinar dekha hai

Kisi khayal mein khoye huay hamesha tumhein

Sehar ne mehw e gull o shaksar dekha hai

Tumhari khalwat e masoom ne hazaron bar

Sar e piano tumhain naghma bar dekha hai

Ghata e daman e kuhsar ne tumhain aksar

Aseer e zamzama e aabshaar dekha hai

Aroos barq ne apna naqab ulat ke tumhain

Ghareeq e masti e abr e bahar dekha hai

Naseem e bagh ne zaib un Nisa samakh ke kabhi

Tumhain bahe gul kada shalamar dekha hai

Gharz mazahir e fitrat ne har tarha tum ko

Hazar bar nihin laakh bar dekha hai

Magar meri nigah e shauq ko shiqayat hai

K us ne tum ko faqat aik bar dekha hai

Dikha do aik jhalak aur bus nigahon ko

Dobara dekhne ki hai hawas nigahon ko!

Ae ishq kahin le chal

Un chand sitaron ke bhikray huay shahron me

Un noor ki kirnon main tehri hui lehron main

Thehri hui nahron main soi hui lahron mein

Ae Khizar e haseen le chal! Ae ishq kahin le chal

aankhon mein samai hai ik khwab numa dunya

Taron ki tarah roshan mahtab numa dunya

Jannat ki tarah rangin shadaab numa dunya

Lillah wahin le chal! Ae ishq kahin le chal

Ye dard bhari dunya basti hai gunahon ki

Dil chaak umidon ki saffak nigahon ki

Zulmon ki, jafaon ki, aahon ki, karaahon ki

Hain ghan se hazin le chal! Ae ishq kahin le chal

Qudrat ho himayat per, hamdard ho qismat bhi

Salma bhi ho pehlu main, salma ki muhabbat bhi

Har shai mein faraghat ho aur teri inayat bhi

Ae tifl e haseen le chal! Ae ishq kahin le chal

Hum prem pujari hain, tu prem kanhaiyya hai

Hum prem kanhaiyya hain, ye prem ki nayya hai

Ye prem ki nayya hai, tu is ka khiwayya hai

Kuch fikr nahin le chal! Ae ishq kahin le chal

References

External links

• Akhtar Sheerani: Poet of Romance
• Akhtar Sheerani: Urdu Description , Retrieved 19 October 2016
• Shahab Nama book by Qudratullah Shahab