Kaifi Azmi

Kaifi Azmi
Born	Athar Husain Rizvi (1919-01-14)14 January 1919 Mijwan,United Provinces of Agra and Oudh,British India (present-dayUttar Pradesh,India)
Died	10 May 2002(2002-05-10)(aged 83) Mumbai,Maharashtra, India
Occupations	Poet lyricist songwriter
Political party	Communist Party of India
Spouse	Shaukat Kaifi
Children	Shabana Azmi Baba Azmi
Awards	National Film Award for Best Lyrics(1970) Padma Shri(1974) Sahitya Akademi Award(1975) Sahitya Akademi Fellow(2002)
Website	azmikaifi.com

Kaifi Azmi(bornAthar Husain Rizvi;14 January 1919 – 10 May 2002) was an IndianUrdupoet.He is remembered as the one who broughtUrdu literatureto Indian motion pictures.Together withPirzada Qasim,Jaun Eliaand others he participated in many memorableMushairagatherings of the twentieth century.He was also acommunistwho wanted to seeIndiaone day become asocialist state.His wife was theatre and film actressShaukat Kaifi.

Biography

Early life

Azmi was born into aShiaMuslimfamily in the village of Mijwan inAzamgarh districtofUttar Pradesh.He got his title from the city of thesame name.

Family

He was from a family of artists. His three brothers are alsoshayars (poets).Azmi was married toShaukat Azmi.They have a daughter,Shabana Azmiwho is an actress,and a son,Baba Azmi,a cinematographer. Azmi's daughter-in-lawTanvi Azmiis also an actress.

DuringPartition,he was underground inAurangabad,as he was hounded by theBritishpolice for being a "card-carrying communist".His parents and his five brothers took the ship fromBombaytoKarachi.By the time he surfaced, their ship had left.

He was denied a visa for Pakistan for several years despite the fact that his family lived there,because he was acommunist.

Career

Writings

At age eleven, Azmi wrote his first ghazal inBahraichItna To Zindagi Mein Kisi Ki Khalal Padeand somehow managed to get himself invited to amushairaand over there, he recited a ghazal, rather a couplet of the ghazal which was very much appreciated by the president of the mushaira, Mani Jaisi, but most of the people, including his father, thought he recited his elder brother's ghazal.When his elder brother denied it, his father and his clerk decided to test his poetic talent. They gave him one of the lines of a couplet and asked him to write a ghazal in the same meter and rhyme. Azmi accepted the challenge and completed a ghazal. This particular ghazal was to become a rage in undivided India and it was immortalised as it was sung by legendary ghazal singer,Begum Akhtar.Azmi abandoned his studies of Persian and Urdu during theQuit Indiaagitations in 1942 and shortly thereafter became a full-timeMarxistwhen he accepted membership of theCommunist Party of Indiain 1943. During this period, the leading progressive writers of Lucknow noticed him. They were very impressed by his leadership qualities. They also saw in him a budding poet and extended all possible encouragement towards him. Consequently, Azmi started to win great acclaim as a poet and became a member ofProgressive Writers' Movementof India. At the age of twenty-four, he started activities in the textile mill areas ofKanpur.As a full-time worker, he left his life of comfort, though he was the son of a zamindar. He was asked to shift his base to Bombay, work amongst the workers and start party work with a lot of zeal and enthusiasm.

Poetry

Kar chale hum fida jan-o-tan sathion ab tumhare hawale watan sathio zinda rahne ki mausam bahut hai magar jan dene ki rut roz ati nahi husn aur ishq dono ko ruswa kare wo jawani jo khu me nahati nahi aaj dharti bani hai dulhan sathio Kar Chale hum Fida Jaan-o-Tan Sathio

Kaifi Azmi

I sacrifice now, this life and body, o friends... the nation is in your hands now, o friends... so many seasons are there to live, but... the season to give up one's life doesn't come often,... leaving behind both, the beauty & the love, of what value is that youth, which doesn't bathe in blood... today the earth has become my bride, o friends I sacrifice now, this body and life, o friends...

Syed Mahmood Khundmiriintroducing Kaifi Azami in Annual Mushaira in Chicago.

Like most of the Urdu poets, Azmi began as a ghazal writer, cramming his poetry with the repeated themes of love and romance in a style that was replete with clichés and metaphors. However, his association with theProgressive Writers' Movementand Communist Party made him embark on the path of socially conscious poetry. In his poetry, he highlights the exploitation of the subaltern masses and through them he conveys a message of the creation of a just social order by dismantling the existing one. Yet, his poetry cannot be called plain propaganda. It has its own merits; intensity of emotions, in particular, and the spirit of sympathy and compassion towards the disadvantaged section of society, are the hallmark of his poetry. His poems are also notable for their rich imagery and in this respect, his contribution to Urdu poetry can hardly be overstated.Azmi's first collection of poems,Jhankarwas published in 1943.

In 1944, he wrote a poemAb Agli Id Ek Azad Pakistan Main Hogi —one of the works written by leading Progressive Writers of Urdu campaigning for Pakistan— although he later became bitter about the partition.

His important works including anthologies of poetry, wereAakhir-e-Shab,Sarmaya,Awaara Sajde,Kaifiyaat,Nai Gulistan,an anthology of articles he wrote forUrdu Blitz,Meri Awaaz Suno,a selection of his film lyrics, and the script ofHeer RaanjhainDevanagari.His lyrics titled "Kar chale hum fida"featured in thesoundtrackof the 1964 Hindi filmHaqeeqat.

His best known poems areAurat,Makaan,Daaera,Sanp,andBahuroopni.

Films

Azmi's work in films includes working as a lyricist, writer, and actor. Azmi wrote his first lyrics for the filmBuzdil,directed byShaheed Latifand music by SD Burman, released in 1951. His early work as a writer was mainly forNanubhai Vakil's films likeYahudi Ki Beti(1956),Parvin(1957),Miss Punjab Mail(1958) andId Ka Chand(1964). While directors likeKhwaja Ahmad AbbasandBimal Roystrove to create the "New Cinema", writers likeSahir Ludhianvi,Jan Nisar Akhtar,Majrooh Sultanpuri,and Kaifi changed the tenor and vocabulary of the Hindi film song, creating a fresh new wave in Hindi film lyrics that lasted many years.His greatest feat as a writer wasChetan Anand'sHeer Raanjha(1970) wherein the entire dialogue of the film was in verse. It was a tremendous achievement and one of the greatest feats of Hindi film writing. Azmi also won great critical accolades for the script, dialogues and lyrics ofM.S. Sathyu'sGaram Hawa(1973), based on a story byIsmat Chughtai.Azmi also wrote the dialogues forShyam Benegal'sManthan(1976) and Sathyu'sKanneshwara Rama(1977). As a lyricist and songwriter, though he wrote for numerous films, he will always be remembered forGuru Dutt'sKaagaz Ke Phool(1959) andChetan Anand'sHaqeeqat(1964), India's greatest war film. Some notables films for which he wrote lyrics includeKohra(1964),Anupama(1966),Uski Kahani(1966),Saat Hindustani(1969),Shola Aur Shabnam,Parwana(1971),Bawarchi(1972),Pakeezah(1972),Hanste Zakhm(1973),Arth(1982) andRazia Sultan(1983). ForNaunihal(1967), he wrote the song "Meri Aawaz Suno Pyar ka Raaz Suno" (Hear my voice, hear the secret of love) sung byMohammad Rafi.The song is picturised over the funeral procession of Prime Minister of India,Jawahar Lal Nehru.Years later, after Azmi's own death his daughter,Shabana Azmimentioned finding comfort in verses from the song.Azmi wrote the lyrics forBible Ki Kahaniyan,the first Christian mythological television show broadcast in India.He also played a memorable role of Naseem's grandfather inNaseem(1995). Azmi died on 10 May 2002 at around the age of eighty-three. He was survived by his wife, daughter, and son. His autobiography is included in a collection of his works,Aaj Ke Prashid Shayar: Kaifi Azmi.

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995	Naseem	Naseem's Grandfather	Actor

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1951	Buzdil	Lyricist
1953	Bahu Beti	Lyricist
1955	Hatimtai Ki Beti	Lyricist
1956	Yahudi Ki Beti	Writer
1957	Pravin	Writer
1958	Sone Ki Chidiya	Lyricist
1958	Lala Rukh	Lyricist	Uncredited
1958	Miss Punjab Mail	Writer
1959	Paper Flowers	Lyricist
1960	Apna Haath Jagannath	Lyricist
1961	Shama	Lyricist
1961	Shola Aur Shabnam	Lyricist
1961	Razia Sultana	Lyricist
1962	Nakli Nawab	Lyricist
1962	Gyara Hazar Ladkian	Writer
1964	The Fog	Lyricist
1964	Id Ka Chand	Writer
1964	Main Suhagan Hoon	Lyricist
1964	Haqeeqat	Lyricist
1965	Chor Darwaza	Lyricist
1965	Alor Pipasa	Lyricist	Bengali
1966	Anupama	Lyricist
1966	Do Dil	Lyricist
1966	Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi	Lyricist
1966	Aakhri Khat	Lyricist
1967	Naunihal	Lyricist
1968	Anokhi Raat	Lyricist
1969	Saat Hindustani	Lyricist	Won 'National Film Award' for Best Lyrics - Song: "Aandhi Aaye Ki Toofan"
1969	Satyakam	Lyricist
1970	Hamara Adhikar	Lyricist
1970	Dagabaaz	Lyricist
1970	Heer Raanjha	Lyricist
1970	Maharaja	Lyricist
1970	Maa Ka Aanchal	Lyricist
1971	Parwana	Lyricist
1971	Do Boond Pani	Lyricist
1972	Rivaaj	Lyricist
1972	Pakeezah	Lyricist
1972	Bawarchi	Lyricist
1973	Naina	Lyricist
1973	Alam Ara	Lyricist
1973	Hanste Zakhm	Lyricist
1973	Hindustan Ki Kasam	Lyricist
1974	Faslah	Lyricist
1974	Garm Hava	Lyricist, Writer	Won 'National Film' for Best Story (with Ismat Chughtai). 'Filmfare Award' for Best Dialogue, Best Story (with Ismat Chughtai) and Best Screenplay. This movie was India's official submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1974.
1977	Dil Aur Patthar	Lyricist
1977	Shankar Hussain	Lyricist
1977	Dhoop Chhaon	Lyricist
1979	Shaitan Mujrim	Lyricist
1979	Inspector Eagle	Lyricist
1982	Yeh Nazdeekiyan	Lyricist
1982	Arth	Lyricist
1982	Deedar-E-Yaar	Lyricist
1982	Lakshmi	Lyricist
1982	Suraag	Lyricist
1983	Razia Sultan	Lyricist
1984	Hum Rahe Na Hum	Lyricist
1984	Bhavna	Lyricist
1986	Mere Saath Chal	Lyricist
1986	Nasihat	Lyricist
1986	Shart	Lyricist
1989	Main Azaad Hoon	Lyricist
1993	Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayee	Lyricist
1998	Tamanna	Lyricist
2003	Ek Alag Mausam	Lyricist

In media

Azmi was the subject of a documentary film calledDiksha(2015), directed by Raman Kumar. In 1997, he recited his own poems forKaifiyaat,an audio book on his collected works.

Kaifi Aur Mein,a play based on his life, his works and the memoir of his wife,Shaukat Azmi–Yadon Ki Rahguzar(Down Memory Lane), was written and performed byJaved AkhtarandShabana Azmi,and performed in India as well as abroad in 2006.Another play, directed by Rani Balbir,Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Hasin Sitam,based on Kaifi Azmi's life and writings was staged in 2005, and received rave reviews.

Awards

He was the recipient ofPadma Shri,India's fourth-highest civilian award in 1974.Besides he was awarded theUttar Pradesh Urdu AcademyAward and theSahitya Akademi Award for Urdufor his collectionAwaara Sajde,Special Award ofMaharashtra Urdu Academy,Soviet Land Nehru Award,Lotus Award from the Afro-Asian Writers' Association, andPresident's Awardfor national integration. In 1998,Government of Maharashtraconferred the Jyaneshwara Award on him. He was also honoured with the prestigiousSahitya Akademi Fellowshipfor lifetime achievement.

Kaifi Azmi returned his Padma Shri in the 1980s after the thenChief Minister of Uttar PradeshVir Bahadur Singhremarked that those speaking Urdu as a second language should be made to sit on a donkey and paraded. According to his daughterShabana Azmi,her father replied that he had written in Urdu all his life, and if his State's Chief Minister held such views on the language, he, as a writer, must stand up for himself.

In 2000, he was conferred the first Millennium Award by theGovernment of Delhiand theDelhi Urdu Academy.He has also been honoured with a doctorate fromVishva Bharati University,Santiniketan.

Tribute

The Speaker, Lok Sabha, Shri Somnath Chatterjee at a function of renaming of the road as “Kaifi Azmi Sadak” in New Delhi on 22 February 2005

The government has also inaugurated a train named "Kaifiyat Express"which runs from his hometown Azamgarh to Old Delhi.

On 14 January 2020, search engine Google commemorated Kaifi Azmi with aDoodleon his 101st birth anniversary.Google commented: "With work ranging from passionate love poems and activist verses to Bollywood songs lyrics and screenplays, Azmi has become one of the most renowned poets of the 20th century in India, and his humanitarian efforts continue to impact people's lives today."There is street also named after him Kaifi Azmi road inHyderabad.There is also a road inR. K. Puram, New Delhinamed Kaifi Azmi Marg after him.

Sahitya Akademi Award

• 1975:Sahitya Akademi Award:Awara Sajde
• 2002:Sahitya Akademi Fellowship(Immortals of Literature)

National Film Awards

• 1970:National Film Award for Best Lyrics:Saat Hindustani
• 1973:National Film Award for Best Story:Garam Hawa(withIsmat Chughtai)

Filmfare Awards

• 1975:Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue:Garam Hawa
• 1975:Filmfare Award for Best Story:Garam Hawa(with Ismat Chughtai)
• 1975:Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay:Garam Hawa

Select bibliography

• Kaifi Azmi – Fan Aur Shaqsiyat(Urdu), Mayar Publications, 2004.
• Kaifiyaat: Kulliyat-e-Kaifi Azmi(Urdu), Educational Publishing House, 2003.ISBN8187667788.
• Zehr-e-Ishq(Hindi), Vani Prakashan, 2003.
• Heer Ranjha(Hindi), Vani Prakshan, 2003.
• Steel Man was Here,Penguin,2002.
• Kaifi Azmi – Selected Poems and Life Sketch,Rajpal Publishers,2002.ISBN81-7028-395-7.
• Aaj Ke Prashid Shayar: Kaifi Azmi – Chuni Hui Shayari(Hindi),Rajpal & Sons,2002.ISBN8170285429.
• Meri Awaz Suno(Hindi),Rajkamal Prakashan,2002.
• Nai Gulistan Vol. 1(Hindi), Rajkamal Prakashan, 2001.
• Nai Gulistan Vol. 2(Hindi), Rajkamal Prakashan, 2001.
• Doosra Banwas(Hindi),Diamond Pocket Books Pvt. Ltd.ISBN81-288-0982-2.
• Awara Sajde(Hindi), Lokbharti Prakashan, 1995.
• SarmayaArchived25 April 2010 at theWayback Machine(Urdu), Mayar Publications, 1994.
• Kaifi Azmi: Symbol of Resistance–Ranjit Hoskote.The Hindu,19 May 2002.
• Kaifi Azmi: A Poet and a Gentleman.The Times of India,10 May 2002.
• Kaifi Azmi: The Last Comrade-poet– Tarique Omum.The Milli Gazette.1 June 2002.

External links

• Official website
• Kaifi AzmiatIMDb
• Recordings of Kaifi Azmi at Library of Congress
• kaifiaurmain.com - kaifiaurmain Resources and Information.Kaifi Aur Main, a tribute site byIPTA.
• A collection of verses and mushaira recordings by Kaifi Azmi
• Poetry of Kaifi
• Film on Kaifi AzmibyNCERT