Majeed Amjad enjoys a distinct
position amongst the most celebrated Urdu poets of the 20th century. Critics
have often regarded him as a "philosophical poet of depth and
sensitivity". His poetry has been translated in several languages and his poem
have been sung by many noted artists of Pakistan.
Amjad was born on June 29, 1914
in Jhang, a small town in the Pakistani province of Punjab into a reputable
literary family and completed his initial education there. He then moved to
Lahore and received his bachelor's degree in 1934 from Islamia College, Lahore.
His first sustainable job as editor of a weekly journal Urooj ended in 1939.
Thereafter, he qualified as inspector of civil supplies in the Department of
Food and Agriculture in 1944 and served till his retirement in 1972. He lived
in Sahiwal for the most part of his life. He died a lonely death on May 11,
1974. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto the then Prime Minister of Pakistan approved
scholarship in recognition of his matchless poetic talent and the scholarship
was received by his widow in 1974.
Amjad's first collection of
poetry. Shab-e-Rafta, was published in 1958. This was published by Naya Idara
in Lahore and was the only collection published in his lifetime even though he
had written steadily throughout his life. After his death, the manuscripts of
his unpublished poetry were preserved by Javed Qureshi who was then the Deputy
Commissioner of Sahiwal. In 1976, Javed Qureshi and others published a second
collection of his poetry titled "Shab-e-Rafta ke Baad". It was not
until 1989 that the Urdu critic Khawaja Muhammad Zakariya edited and published
a complete collection of his works called "Kuliyat-e-Majeed Amjad".
Amjad's life has been the subject
of several biographical essays and even a full length biography. Critics such
as Dr. Nasir Abbas Nayyar believes that Amjad influenced, more than any other
poet, the 'nazm' (poem) written in Pakistan after the late sixties. In his book
on the life and works of Amjad, Dr. Nayyar observes that Amjad gave importance
to the neglected things in his surroundings and it was he who instilled
aesthetics of locality in his poetry. He didn't sing paeans of grand narrative
about a hollow world either. What he did was that he focused on the ordinary.
His work covers varied themes like the tribulations of survival in the period
between the two World Wars, colonization, Partition of the sub-continent,
socio-economic disparity and so on.
Amjad bravely experimented with
metrical forms and rhythms. His vocabulary was extremely diverse and universal.
There is an earthiness in his verse, a sense of grounding with the here and
now. The Slow and soothing lilt of his signature rhythmic style and choice of
words reflective of the local culture. set his work apart from the rest.
Amjad's poetry is excessively
subjective. It is rare to come across a poet who penned so many poems about his
personal angst and failure, and who has such as a low opinion of himself. Some
such melancholic poems include: 'Mere Khuda Mere Dil', 'Autograph',
'Nigah-e-Bazgashi and Munich'.
To his credit Amjad has the
achicvement of introducing novel subjects previously unexplored through poetry.
He wrote poems on environment conservation years before it became a fashionable
topic. His innate sensitivity enabled him to empathise with trees, rivers,
flowers, and birds in a manner that makes nature appear as an entity that is
alive. Poems like 'Jalsah' and 'Kuch Din Pehle', for example, lament over cut
trees and polluted highways.
Amjad was not an ideological poet
affiliated with a particular group. He allowed none to use his poetry as a
means of propagating their philosophy and even the Progressive Movement or
'Jadidiyat' of the 1960's didn't have a bearing on his style of work. Amjad's
style was not steeped in symbolism, allusions and abstractions like the 'Jadid
nazm' (modern poem). He tailored his own ideology of compassion and humanity
and made his own distinctive path.
Amjad was known as a quiet and
reticent personality whose introvent nature manifested no desire for
self-marketing. His financial struggles, a difficult marriage; and negligible
recognition of his work during his lifetime cast a sorrowful shadow over his
entire life. Despite a very concise list of influential advocates of his
literary talent that he had during his lifetime, Amjad's popularity has only
increased ever since his death.
A number of thesis on Ph.D.,
M.Phil and M.A level highlighting different aspects of Majeed Amjad's life and
literary achievements have been written in various universities of Pakistan.
The details of research work done by various scholars on this unique poet are
as follows:
Ø Dr.
Aamir Sohail Bauhuddin
Zakaria University Ph.D.
Ø Ummat-ul-Mateen Quaid-i-Azam University M.Phil
Ø Tabinda
Gul Bauhuddin Zakaria University M.A
Ø Farid
Kanwal Punjab University MA
Ø Fozia
Ashraf Punjab University MA
Ø Tasneem
Naz Punjab University MA
Ø Nawazish
Ali Punjab University MA
Ø Mohammad
Zubair Khalid Punjab University M.A
On Birth Anniversary of Majeed Amjad, a commemorative postage stamp of Rs. 8/- denomination is being issued by Pakistan Post on June 29. 2017
