Kaifi Azmi

Infobox_Celebrity
name = Kaifi Azmi


birth_date = 1919
birth_place = Mejwaan, Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh
occupation = poet, lyricist, songwriter
death_date = May 10, 2002
salary =
networth =
website =
imdb_id = 0044340

Kaifi Azmi (Nastaliq: کیفی اعظمی, Devanagari: कैफ़ी आज़मी) (1919 - May 10, 2002) was an Urdu and Hindi lyricist, poet and songwriter.

Early life

Kaifi Azmi was born as Syed Akhtar Hussain Rizvi into a family of landlords in the small town of Mejwaan, in the district of Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. His father, Syed Fateh Hussain Rizvi, though a landlord, took up employment first in a small native state called Balharah as a "tahsildar" and later, he worked in other areas of Uttar Pradesh. He decided to send his sons to schools imparting modern education, including English, against the stiff opposition of his relatives. However, Azmi could not get this opportunity because his elders wanted him to become a theologian. He was admitted to Sultan-ul-Madaris, a reputed seminary in Lucknow. However, his nonconformist nature created many problems for the authorities of the seminary. He formed a students' union and asked all the students to go on strike to get their demands fulfilled. The strike continued for a year and a half. Though the strike was called off, he was expelled from the seminary. This was the end of his elder's dream of training him to become a theologian. Azmi could not seek modern education but he passed various examinations in Lucknow and of Allahabad universities that helped him acquire command over Arabic, Persian and Urdu.

Writings

At age eleven, Kaifi Azmi wrote his first ghazal "Itna To Zindagi Mein Kisi Ki Khalal Pade" and somehow managed to get himself invited to a "mushaira" and 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 immortalized as it was sung by legendary ghazal singer, Begum Akhtar.

Kaifi abandoned his studies of Persian and Urdu during the Quit India agitations in 1942 and shortly thereafter became a full time Marxist when he accepted membership of the Communist Party of India in 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 of Progressive Writers' Movement of India.

At the age of twenty-four, he started activities in the textile mill areas of Kanpur. 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 and at the same time would attend mushairas in different parts of India. In Bombay, he joined Ali Sardar Jafri in writing for the party’s paper, "Qaumi Jung".

In 1947, he visited Hyderabad to participate in a mushaira. There he met, fell in love with and married a beautiful woman named Shaukat. Shaukat Kaifi later became a renowned actress in theatre and films. They had two children together, Shabana Azmi (b. 1950), a renowned actress of Indian cinema and Baba Azmi, a noted cameraman.

Poetry

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 the Progressive Writers' Movement and 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.

Kaifi’s first collection of poems, "Jhankar" was published in 1943. His important works including anthologies of poetry, were "Aakhir-e-Shab", "Sarmaya", "Awaara Sajde", "Kaifiyaat", "Nai Gulistan", an anthology of articles he wrote for "Urdu Blitz", "Meri Awaaz Suno", a selection of his film lyrics, and the script of "Heer Ranjha" in Devanagari.

His best known poems are "Aurat", "Makaan","Daaera","Saanp", and "Bahuroopni".

Films

Kaifi Azmi's work in films includes working as a lyricist, writer and actor. Kaifi wrote his first lyrics for the film "Buzdil", directed by Shaheed Latif, in 1952. His early work as a writer was mainly for Nanubhai Vakil's films like "Yahudi Ki Beti" (1956), "Parvin" (1957), "Miss Punjab Mail" (1958) and "Id Ka Chand" (1958).

While directors like Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and Bimal Roy strove to create the “New Cinema”, writers like Sahir 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. ^{[http://www.kaifiaurmain.com/kaifi.html]}

His greatest feat as a writer was Chetan Anand's "Heer 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 of M.S. Sathyu's "Garam Hawa" (1973), based on a story by Ismat Chughtai. Azmi also wrote the dialogues for Shyam Benegal's "Manthan" (1976) and Sathyu's "Kanneshwara Rama" (1977).

As a lyricist and songwriter, though he wrote for numerous films, he will always be remembered for Guru Dutt's "Kaagaz Ke Phool" (1959) and Chetan Anand's "Haqeeqat" (1964), India's greatest war film. Some notables films for which he wrote lyrics include "Kohra" (1964), "Anupama" (1966), "Uski Kahani" (1966), "Saat Hindustani" (1969), "Shola Aur Shabnam", "Parwana" (1971), "Bawarchi" (1972), "Pakeezah" (1972), "Hanste Zakhm" (1973), "Arth" (1982) and "Razia Sultan" (1983). He also played a memorable role of Naseem's grandfather in "Naseem" (1995).

Awards

He was the recipient of Padma Shri one of the Indian Government's highest civilian awards. Besides he was awarded the Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy Award and the Sahitya Academy Award for his collection "Awaara Sajde", Special Award of Maharashtra Urdu Academy, Soviet Land Nehru Award, Sahitya Academy Award, Lotus Award from the Afro-Asian Writers' Association, and President’s Award for national integration. In 1998, Government of Maharashtra] conferred the Jyaneshwara Award on him. He was also honoured with the prestigious Sahitya Academy's "Fellowship Award". In 2000, he was conferred the first Millennium Award by the Government of Delhi and the Delhi Urdu Academy. He has also been honoured with a doctorate from Vishva Bharati University, Santiniketan. ^{[http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/01062002/0106200231.htm]} He won the 1970 National Film Award for Best Lyrics for "Saat Hindustani" (1969) and the Filmfare Award for the screenplay and dialogue of "Garam Hawa" (1974).

Kaifi Azmi was the subject of a documentary film called "Kaifi Azmi" (1979), directed by Raman Kumar. In 1997, he recited his own poems for "Kaifiyaat", an audio book on his collected works.

Kaifi Azmi passed away on May 10, 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".

"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 by Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi, and performed in India as well as abroad in 2006. ^{[http://readerswords.wordpress.com/2006/12/03/kaifi-aur-main/]} Another play, directed by Rani Balbir, "Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Hasin Sitam", based Kaifi Azmi’s life and writings was staged in 2005, and received rave reviews. ^{[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050320/spectrum/main6.htm]}

Famous verses

* Aaj ki raat bahut garam hawa chalti haiAaj ki raat na neend aayegi
Hum sub uthen, main bhi uthun, tum bhi utho
Koi khidki isi deewar mein khul jayegi
"- Makaan"
* Tu jo bejaan khilonon se behel jaati haiTapti saanson ki haraarat se pighal jaati hai
Paaon jis raah mein rakhti hai fisal jaati hai
Banke seemaab har ik zarf mein dhal jaati hai
Zist ke aahni saanche main dhalna hai tujhe
uth meri jaan mere saath hi chalna hai tujhe…
- "Aurat (Woman) "
* Waqt Ni Kiya Kya Haseen SitamHum Rahe na Hum, tum rahe na tum.
"- Film Kaagaz Ke Phool 1959"
* Tum Itna Kyun Muskuraa Rahe HoKya gum hai jisko Chupa rahe Ho.
"- Film Arth (1982)"

elect bibliography

* Kaifi Azmi- Fan Aur Shaqsiyat (Urdu), Mayar Publications, 2004.
* Kaifiyaat:Kulliyat-e-Kaifi Azmi(URDU)), Educational Publishing House,2003.ISBN 8187667788.
* 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. ISBN 8170283957.
* Aaj Ke Prashid Shayar: Kaifi Azmi-Chuni Hui Shayari (Hindi), Rajpal & Sons, 2002.ISBN 8170285429.
* 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. ISBN 8128809822.
* Awara Sajde (Hindi), Lokbharti Prakashan , 1995.
* Sarmaya (Urdu), Mayar Publications, 1994. [http://www.kaifiaurmain.com/collection.html]

Articles on Kaifi Azmi

* Kaifi Azmi: Symbol of resistance - Ranjit Hoskote.The Hindu, Sunday, May 19, 2002. ^{[http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2002/05/19/stories/2002051900280300.htm]}
* Kaifi Azmi: A poet and a gentleman. The Times Of India, 10 May 2002. ^{[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/9451468.cms]}
* Kaifi Azmi: the last comrade-poet - Tarique Omum. The Milli Gazette. ^{[http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/01062002/0106200231.htm]}

References

* Constructing a Narrative of Love: Early Romantic Poems of Kaifi Azmi. Mazhar Hussain, Social Scientist, Vol. 31, No. 3/4 (Mar. - Apr., 2003), pp. 57-73. ^{[http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0970-0293(200303%2F04)31%3A3%2F4%3C57%3ACANOLE%3E2.0.CO%3B2-N]}
* Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema - by Govind Nihalani, Saibal Chatterjee, Gulzar. pp 293. Popular Prakashan, 2003.
* [http://www.upperstall.com/kaifiazmi.html Kaifi Azmi Biography]
* [http://www.loc.gov/acq/ovop/delhi/salrp/kaifiazmi.html Kaifi Azmi - The Library of Congress]
* [http://www.iloveindia.com/literature/urdu/poets/kaifi-azmi.html A Profile]
* Kaifi Azmi: The End of an Era - Meera Kabir. ^{[http://www.revolutionarydemocracy.org/rdv8n2/azmi.htm]}

External links

* [http://uk.imdb.com/name/nm0044340/maindetails IMBD]
* [http://www.loc.gov/acq/ovop/delhi/salrp/kaifiazmi.html Recordings of Kaifi Azmi at Library of Congress]
* [http://www.kaifiaurmain.com/kaifi.html] Kaifi Aur Main, a tribute site by IPTA.
* [http://aligarians.com/category/poets/kaifi-azmi/ A collection of verses and mushaira recordings by Kaifi Azmi]
* [http://www.urdupoetry.com/kaifi.html Poetry of Kaifi Azmi]
* [http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~navin/india/songs/isongs/indexes/lyrics/kaifi_azmi.html Songs by Kaifi Azmi]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1979968.stm Urdu poet Kaifi Azmi dead]