Josh Malihabadi remembered on death anniversary

Karachi (Web Desk): The 43rd death anniversary of the the legendary Urdu poet Shabbir Hassan Khan, popularly known as Josh Malihabadi, was observed with reflection and reverence this past Saturday.

Born on December 5, 1894, in the town of Malihabad, Josh was a man of immense literary prowess, his verses resonating deeply with the winds of revolution.

Though he was christened Shabbir Hassan Khan, it was under the pen name "Josh" that he would make his mark as one of the most prominent figures in Urdu poetry.

Josh’s early education took him to St. Peter’s College in Agra, where he passed his Senior Cambridge exams in 1914.

Although he briefly studied Arabic and Persian, and spent time at Rabindranath Tagore’s Shantiniketan in 1918, tragedy struck when his father, Bashir Ahmed Khan, passed away in 1916.

This loss deeply affected Josh’s academic trajectory, and he chose not to pursue further formal education.

By 1925, Josh had taken on the role of supervising translation work at Osmania University in Hyderabad, but his tenure was cut short.

His bold critique of the Nizam of Hyderabad, expressed through a defiant poem, led to his exile from the state.

This period of his life was marked by his unyielding commitment to the cause of Indian independence, which he expressed openly in his magazine Kaleem.

As his writings gained traction, he became known as the Shaayar-e-Inquilaab, the poet of revolution, speaking for the masses and aligning himself with the fight against colonial oppression.

Josh’s involvement in the independence struggle was intellectual as much as it was poetic.

He formed close bonds with political leaders of the era, and his poetry became an anthem of resistance. Following the end of British rule in 1947, he continued his literary journey as the editor of Aaj-Kal, a publication that reflected the cultural and political shifts of the time.

In 1958, Josh moved to Pakistan, where he settled in Karachi and became an integral figure in the development of Urdu language and literature, working alongside Maulvi Abdul Haq for the Anjuman-i-Tarraqi-i-Urdu.

His friendship with Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Syed Fakhruddin Balley, as well as his bond with his son, Sajjad Hyder Kharosh, kept him firmly rooted in the literary community.

Josh passed away on February 22, 1982, at the age of 83, leaving behind a legacy that would continue to inspire generations of poets and thinkers.

His contributions were posthumously honoured when, in August 2012, the Government of Pakistan awarded him the prestigious Hilal-i-Imtiaz, a fitting recognition of his lifelong dedication to the arts and the Urdu language.