18 Facts About Majaz

Majaz was the maternal uncle of poet and screenplay writer Javed Akhtar and Indian-American psychoanalyst Salman Akhtar.

Majaz was born on 19 October 1911 at Rudauli in Ayodhya district of what is Uttar Pradesh.

Majaz's family were a branch of a land-owning gentry family, but were not wealthy.

Majaz's brother Ansar Harvani was a journalist and he had two older sisters, namely Safia and Hamida.

Majaz suffered from a hearing impairment even as a child, and probably for this reason, he tended to be somewhat difficult, with erratic behavior; he was moody and a loner.

Majaz had the habit of staying awake all night and doing most of his work then; as a result, his earned the nickname "Jaggan Bhaiyya".

Majaz's father, Seraj-ul-Haq, was a university graduate at a time when this was rare; he joined government service, serving in the middle ranks of the registration department, and finally reached the rank of Assistant Registrar.

Majaz was posted mainly in Lucknow, but since his aged parents needed attention, he kept his wife and children in the ancestral house at Rudauli, which is not far from Lucknow, and he would visit them about twice a month.

Majaz completed school in Agra in 1929, and enrolled in St John's Intermediate College.

The young Majaz was given a cash allowance for the first time in his life, and freedom from his mother's adoring but eagle surveillance.

Majaz behaved like many teenagers of his age, neglected his studies, spent his time and money the way he liked, and failed his exams.

Majaz graduated in 1936, again taking a year more than he should have.

The years that Majaz spent in Aligarh Muslim University coincided with the presence there of many important poets and writers of Urdu.

Majaz lived and wrote in times which were exceptionally vibrant for poetry; Urdu-language poets such as Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Fani Badayuni, Jazbi, Makhdoom, Sahir Ludhianvi, Ismat Chughtai, and Ali Sardar Jafri were among his peers.

Majaz abandoned his MA in Aligarh due to financial reasons and moved to Delhi where he worked as sub-editor for the journal, Awaaz.

Majaz worked for the All India Radio for a year before moving to Bombay, where he worked in the Department of Information for the Government of Bombay.

Majaz died on 5 December 1955, while the first Students' Urdu Convention was underway in Lucknow.

Majaz's condolence meeting was held on 7 December 1955 in the Rifah-e-Aam Hall and was attended by poets and writers from all over India.