In this episode, I present the ghazal poetry of Josh Malihabadi. He got his education at St. Peter’s College in Agra and a brief stint at Tagore’s University at Shanti Niketan. He founded the progressive magazine Kaleemin Delhi, and after the independence, he was appointed editor of Aajkal, a government of India literary publication, where he worked for eight years. His decision to migrate to Pakistan in 1956 shocked many people, including Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who pleaded with him not to leave India. He visited India in 1967 and openly regretted his decision which led to losing his job in Pakistan. Because of the revolutionary nature of his poetry, Josh was known as Shaa’yar-e Inquilaab (poet of the revolution), and he was a great inspiration to the progressive movement. Josh published several collections of his poems. His autobiography Yaadon Ki Baraat is remarkable in revealing the intellectual evolution of the poet. The main strength of Josh as a poet lies in his progressive agenda of socialism, patriotism, and secularism, his excellent command over forceful diction, and his poems that have a solid energetic, and romantic quality. His sensitive description of female beauty and nature is superb.
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