Biography-Padamshree Ali Jawad Zaidi(Grand Father)

Ali Jawad Zaidi (born March 10, 1916) is a much feted Urdu poet, scholar and author of over 80 books in many languages. He was also a freedom fighter, lawyer & later bureaucrat, however he is primarily known as one of the most prominent figures in Urdu Literature.

Internationally renowned as a poet-scholar-critic of repute, an authority on Marsiyago of Uttar Pradesh, Mir Anis & Mirza Ghalib, and has written on as diverse subjects as poetry to plain prose, from research works to analytical works.

He has received many awards for his contributions to Literature and other diverse fields. He was married to Shahnaz (earlier Safdari) Zaidi and they raised seven well educated & accomplished children.

Syed Ali Jawad Zaidi was born in village Karhan, in the then Azamgarh district (now Mau) of eastern Uttar Pradesh on 10th March 1916, the eldest of six children. Hailing from a prominent zamindar family of Mohammadabad-Gohna, Azamgarh, Ali Jawad Zaidi was born at his maternal grandfather's home in Karhan. Belonging to a Saiyid family and being the eldest son in his family, he was sent to the local Arabic Madarsa to gain education and proficiency in Islamic Theology and religious matters and had it not been for one of his uncles who took him under his wings, the world of Urdu and society in general would have been deprived of his genius and knowledge.

Ali Jawad's father died young and at the time, Ali Jawad was only 11 years old. His early formal education took place in Mahmudabad, the princely state. He then proceeded to Lucknow for his pre-university, graduation (Jubilee College, Lucknow) and Post-Graduation in law, (LLb. from Lucknow University). It was in Lucknow that Ali Jawad grew and blossomed. Although his genius was noticed in his early years as a child in his hometown itself, it was in Lucknow that Ali Jawad came into his own as an orator, poet, student leader and organize

During his graduation and later while doing his LLB, he came into contact with leaders of the national freedom movement and his conscience saw him take a plunge into the freedom movement in the late 1930's. His poems inspired the revolutionaries of the time and he himself led the student's movement along with other able student leaders such as Shankar Dayal Sharma who later went on to become the President of India. His talent, charisma and dynamism saw his stirring poetry draw praise from Sarojini Naidu and him being elected as the Secretary-General of the All India Student's Federation. He was the Secretary-General of the All India Student's Federation, during those hectic and stormy days of the Quit India Movement (1942) launched by Gandhi.

His poems got proscribed by the British Government for inciting rebellion against the British Raj. The British government got so frustrated by his political activities that they issued an arrest warrant in order to stop him from organizing student rallies and mobilizing the student power against the Raj. But he was not one to give in easily and went underground. He continued with his work of organizing and inspiring students throughout the length and breath of India. He was finally arrested in Nagpur. He was sentenced to jail for anti-British activity and sent to serve his term at the Nagpur Central Prison and later transferred to the Banares Central Jail.

With India's independence, Ali Jawad bid goodbye to active politics, although he could have encashed on his popularity and contribution to the freedom struggle, his view was that he fought the British to free India from the yoke of the British Raj and now that India had gained its independence, it was time for him to move onto other things. He joined the Information Department of the Uttar Pradesh Government and was a Deputy Director there when he was inducted into the Information Service of the Central Government and posted to Srinagar.

Although he had taken up Government Service for a full-time job and chosen that as a career, he was never away from the Arts and Cultural activities, which were his calling from the heart. He soon found himself getting involved in the Arts and Cultural activities in Jammu & Kashmir and found himself being thrust with the responsibility of organizing and conducting the Kashmir festival during the summer months on an annual basis. He was appointed as the Secretary General of the Society of Arts and Culture, Government of Jammu & Kashmir.

In the early sixties, he was transferred to Delhi and posted with the Press Information Bureau. His postings with the Press Information Bureau saw him in Mumbai and then back in Delhi. His final posting was in Tehran and he retired from active Government service as Jt. Director, News Services, AIR in August, 1978.

Being a secularist and nationalist to the core, religion had always taken a back seat in his life although he was religious is his own way. For him, religion was a personal matter and the nation, its culture and heritage had always been more important. He was a member of the Inder Kumar Gujral Committee on National Integration.

He had been a regular contributor to magazines and newspapers. Thousands of his articles have found place in the print media over the years. He had also worked as the Editor of 'Naya Daur', an Udru monthly digest and 'Al-Ilm', a monthly published from Mumbai. In the recent past, Naya Daur ran a series on his memoirs on a monthly basis. Naya Daur also took a special Number dedicated to the memory of Ali Jawad Zaidi (Nov/Dec issue, 2004) after his death. He had also done some translation work (into English) for the Sahitya Akademi (Gandhi).

The nature of his job took him around the world and he has traveled extensively in India. He has brushed shoulders with Heads of State, Prime Ministers, Governors, Cabinet Ministers, Chief Ministers, Ministers in State Governments, and other high ranking officials on the world stage, yet he was a man with his feet firmly set to the ground, humble and simple. Some of the relationships he forged stood the test of time, for example his friendship with Sant Darshan Singh of the Sawan Kirpal Ruhani Mission.

During all his years with the government, he did not stop writing. More than half a dozen of his books have won State Government Awards. The Government of India conferred on him the Padmashri (1988), in recognition of his contribution to Urdu literature. Amongst the various awards and honours that have been conferred on him are, the Tamra Patra for his role in the freedom movement, the Ghalib award and the Mir Anis award. He has authored over 80 books in Urdu, English, Hindi and Persian. Many of his works are now reference material for research students. He has been the subject of research scholars and Doctor of Philosophy Degree's have been awarded to four students for research done on his life and works.

He has served as the President of the Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy, Lucknow and as the President of the Zainabbiya Institute of Islamic Studies, Mumbai, apart from stints on the Board of Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi and the Sangeet & Natya Akademi, New Delhi and many other social, literary and cultural organizations. He has also served as an Advisor to the Government of Uttar Pradesh.

His Book can be found in libraries around the world such as the U. S. Library of Congress and Columbia University Libraries.

Being a man of letters, despite failing sight, he continued to write till his very end. Confined to his home in Lucknow during his last years, as time and age took their toll on him, he wrote employing a person who transcribed all that was dictated. Ali Jawad could hardly see, but the spirit was still very much alive with so much in that head on those fragile shoulders. His deteriorating health had added urgency to his approach towards his works. He used to say that there was so much more he had to give to the world, yet time was running out for him.

Amongst his various works are Naath Nigaran-e-Uttar Pradesh (in 2 Volumes), Uttar Pradesh ke Marsiyago (in 2 Volumes) & Do Adabi School, which have been published in Urdu-speaking neighbour Pakistan as well. These books along with his History of Urdu Literature (English),Mirza Ghalib , Ek Parichay (Hindi), Mir Anis, are unique in their approaches to their subjects.