Kaifiyat, Kaifi Azmi - The Poet Extraordinaire Options

[swarapriya]

Kaifiyat

(I humbly dedicate this thread to the memory of Erum Hashmi who was instrumental in seeding this idea in my mind to start this thread on this extraordinary poet.)

(Note: These are excerpts from an article that appeared in the “Anmoal Fankaar” web site. The full text can be found at the following location …

http://www.anmolfankaar.com/specials/ek-fa...-extraordinaire

My many thanks to Aparna for her several suggestions to make the full essay cohesive and readable.)

Kaifi Azmi was an eminent poet with many progressive ideas. Throughout his life he championed causes that affect the under privileged, oppressed, and down-trodden. He crusaded tirelessly for secular values. He was the eloquent voice of the progressive movement. He was a poet at heart but a socialist in practice. Azmi left an indelible mark through his writings. He expressed through them views that were very intrepid in nature. He breathed fire into his literature campaigning and fighting vigorously for social justice. Azmi was a trendsetter who voiced the stark realities of life through the poems he authored. The intensity of emotions used in his words, the spirit of compassion for the down-trodden, stark but rich in imagery sprinkled throughout his writings, became hallmarks of his style. He once stated that his writings were born out of his engrained convictions. His daughter, actress Shabana Azmi, says about him that, “ … indomitable will and an extraordinary skill to organize people kept him dynamic throughout his life. ..”

Kaifi Azmi was born as Akhtar Hussain Rizvi in 1918 in a small village in Uttar Pradesh. His father was a landlord, but was an educated person and preferred to work for the government. He was very inclined to send his son to school so that his son could get a modern education, but because of the stiff opposition he faced from his relatives he had to call that idea off. Instead, Azmi was sent to school to study theology in Lucknow to keep his elders happy. Young Azmi was a nonconformist at an early age. He saw that students enjoyed few privileges at the school and organized a student union. When the union’s demands for fair treatment failed, he organized the students to go on a strike that lasted a very long time. The seminary got tired of him and finally expelled him from the school.

Azmi Saab studied from home and acquired a good knowledge of Arabic, Persian, and Urdu. He passed several examinations at Lucknow University and Allahabad University in these languages.

Azmi’s stint at the seminary in Lucknow didn’t go unnoticed by leading progressive writers homed in that town. They befriended with him and encouraged him to start writing poetry. This encouragement and his command of several languages made it possible for him to quickly establish himself as a budding and acclaimed poet admired by his peers.

Kaifi Saab wrote his first ghazal when he was only 11 years old. He was invited to participate in a Mushaira where he recited his small verse. That same ghazal became very popular and the great ghazal singer Begum Akhtar made it even more famous by singing it.

The year 1942 saw India mounting pressure on the English rulers by organizing protests , marches, slogans, and other forms of resistance. These agitations rose like hot fever and eventually culminated in the Quit India movement. Azmi Saab abandoned his studies and became part of the movement. He joined the Communist Party in 1943.

He moved to Kanpur and started working for a textile mill. Seeing how the mill was ill-treating its workers, Azmi once again started organizing unions, protests and agitation. By seeing the results Kaifi Saab was getting in Kanpur, the leaders of the Communist Party asked him to shift to Bombay to accomplish similar goals there.

While in Bombay he became a trade union worker and continued the work he started in Kanpur. He also worked closely with two of the Party’s Urdu newspapers, “Quami Jung” and “Mazdoor Mohalla”. He became associated with the Progressive Writers Association (PWA) and Indian Peoples’ Theatre Association (IPTA). For the latter organization, he participated in some of their plays.

With so many activities he was involved in, Azmi Saab still found time to often write and also attended mushairas whenever he could. In 1947, one of his visits brought him to Hyderabad. In the mushaira he met Shaukat Ali, a film and stage actress, who was also equally free spirited as he was. He fell in love with her and later they married. Actress Shabana Azmi is their daughter. The noted cameraman Baba Azmi is their son.

While tirelessly working for the Party and being associated with their related activities, Azmi Saab needed some financial relief to provide for his family. This led him to meet Shaheed Latif of the Bombay film world, who was about to direct a film called “Buzdil (1951)”. Latif Saab offered Azmi an opportunity to write the lyrics for the movie, and thus Azmi’s stint with the Bombay cinema began.

During his distinguished career, Kaifi Azmi was showered with many worthy honors. Some of these include Padma Shree, Sahitya Academy Award, Sahitya Academy Fellowship Award, and a host of others.

He also won Filmfare Awards for Best Story, Best Screenplay, and Best Dialogue for his work in “Garam Hawa (1973)”. He received the National Film Award for Best lyrics for his songs in K.A. Abaas’ “Saat Hindustani (1970)” which introduced Amitabh Bachchan as an actor.

He received several governmental honors. The government of Uttar Pradesh naming the road leading to the town he was born in as “Kaifi Azmi Road” and the highway as “Kaifi Azmi Highway”. The train from Delhi to Azamgarh, near his village, was named by the government of India as “Kaifiyat”.

In addition, the Purvanchal University now has a “Kaifi Azmi Media Centre” in Janpur. There is a Kaifi Azmi
Academy in Lucknow, In Juhu, Mumbai, a park was named as “Kaifi Azmi Park”. There is another park by the same name in Phoolpur. In Hyderabad, where Kaifi Azmi met his wife Shaukat, there are plans to build his statue.

Kaifi Azmi was awarded many honorary doctorates by various universities including Vishwa Bharati University, Puruvanchal University, and Agra University.

Kaifi passed away on May 10, 2002.

"I was born in ghulam Hindustan, am living in an Azad Hindustan and will die in a socialist Hindustan." These were the words Kaifi Azmi spoke in an interview.

Kaifi Azmi. A great poet and leader. An even a better human being.

Kaifi Azmi's filmography follows ...

This post has been edited by swarapriya: Jul 27 2010, 07:28 PM

[swarapriya]

Shola Aur Shabnam (1961)

Here is a beautiful album from Khayyam Saab. It has a couple of unforgettably lovely songs penned by Azmi Saab, "Jaane Kya" and "Pyaar ka Bandhan". While both are outstanding, I like especially Rafi Saab's solo. It is endearingly engrossing. Some magic in the divine voice of Rafi Saab that is to be cherished forever; touches deeply your heart.

I am posting these songs in back-to-back two posts. All songs are courtesy of the Forum members. Thank you. Here are the songs in the first post...

[swarapriya]

Concluding Songs from "Shola Aur Shabnam (1961)"...

Here are the rest of the songs from this beautiful album...

[HarshBhatt]

Thanks for Shama songs Swarapriya

[swarapriya]

Thanks for Shama songs Swarapriya

You're always welcome Harshji. Cheers. -S

[swarapriya]

Gyara Hazar Ladkiyan (1962)

This socially conscious movie which portrays the plight of working women was made by the renowned writer and director K.A. Abbas. I am uploading these songs in two back-to-back posts. The first post contains all songs from the album. The second post contains several extended version songs.

There are several beautiful songs in this album with Rafi Saab's solo and duet version of the songs "Dil Ki Tamanna" taking the top honors. Both of these songs are just absolutely beautiful to listen to. Rafi Saab's voice is so mesmerizingly sweet in both of these songs. You just get hopelessly drowned in the loveliness of this rich listening experience.

Now for the details of the songs in the first post and the songs themselves ...

[swarapriya]

Concluding Songs from "Gyara Hazar Ladkiyan (1962)"...

The following are some of the extended vesions of the songs from this fine album. A word of caution. The audibility of these songs is adequate but the tonal quality is nothing to write home about. With that caution, here are the songs ...

[swarapriya]

Nakli Nawab (1962)

Here is a fine album with several nice lyrics by Azmi Saab. I am uploading these songs in two back-to-back posts. Here are the songs in the first post...

[swarapriya]

Concluding Songs from "Nakli Nawab (1962)"...

Here are the rest of the songs from this fine album...

[swarapriya]

Haqeeqat (1964)

Many people believe that this was one of the great war movies ever made in India. Well, there were not that many war movies made in our country. Such a claim therefore will be a moot point. Chetan Anand, who made this movie based on the Indo-Sinese War of 1962, shows flashes of brilliance. But like with most of his movies he doesn't sustain the consistency that are hallmarks of great directors like Bimal Roy, Mehboob Khan, Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, and others.

The movie was laudable for its depiction of patriotism. But to me one of the great achievements was its music. Madan Mohanji was simply brilliant. Spearheaded by his staple singers like venerable Lata and Rafi Saab, and some of the greatest lyrics ever written for a film by Kaifi Azmi, the songs from this film are just riveting, reverberating with packed emotions and pangs of pathos the war brought on its soldiers and their families. Every song is a standout. We all know the combination of Lata and Mohan resulted in many gems. But in this movie, apart from their contributions, it is Rafi Saab who grabs your heart and doesn't let you go. When he sings "Ab Tumhaare" one is overwhelmed with love for ones country. Next when he sings "Main Yeh Soch Kar" one can feel the pangs of pain and suffering of leaving loved ones when someone is not sure of their returning back alive and when they ever hope to see them again.

I am posting these songs in two back-to-back posts. In the first post, I am uploading all the songs from the original sound track album. In the second post I am posting some specials.

Now for that promised rare treat served with the combination of various singers including Lata and Rafi Saab, Kaifi Azmi Saab and Madan Mohanji...

[swarapriya]

Concluding Songs from "Haqeeqat (1964)"...

I am including in this post three specials. The song "Hoke Majboor" with Manna Dey's introduction was taken from the album "The Legends: Talat Mahmood - The Silken Voice (CD5)". The other two songs are version songs sung by Anuradha Paudwal. These are from her 2-set CD "A Tribute to Madan Mohan".

Here are these songs...

[swarapriya]

Idd Ka Chand (1964)

I have only one song from this album I am uploading here. Requesting members to share the missing songs if they can. Thank you.

Here is the only song I have...

[Debopriyo]

Idd Ka Chand (1964)

I have only one song from this album I am uploading here. Requesting members to share the missing songs if they can. Thank you.

Here is the only song I have...

dil uski muhabbat mein rab uska hai rakhwaala jo ki uska ho gaya - Asha ?

[swarapriya]

Kohraa (1964)

This is one of my favorite albums of Hemantda. In this every song is hummably delightful. On the top of this, lyrics by Azmi Saab enrich these songs. Soul stirring songs include the lovely "Jhoom Jhoom" by Lata, "O Beqaraar Dil", also by Lata, Hemantda's "Raah Bani", and the dual song "Yeh Nayan". This album is a feast for the music lovers.

I am uploading these songs in two back-to-back posts. In the first post I am including a full version of "Jhoom Jhoom". This songs combines the two separate parts. You don't need to download the full version if you download the two separate parts and vice versa. In the second post I am including a version song of "Yeh Nayan" by the ghazal maestro, Jagjit Singh.

Here are the songs from the first post...

[swarapriya]

Concluding Songs from "Kohraa (1964)"...

Here are the rest of the songs from this fine album...

[swarapriya]

Main Suhagan Hoon (1964)

Here are songs from this album uploaded in two back-to-back posts. The first post contains all the songs from the album. The second post contains a couple of extended versions.

Songs in the first post...