Jigar Moradabadi - Acclaim

Acclaim

Jigar Moradabadi belonged to the classical school of ghazal writing and was a mentor to Majrooh Sultanpuri, who became a prominent lyricist in the Indian film industry and penned many popular songs in Urdu and Hindi.

Jigar was extremely popular with the masses, who regarded him as the People's Poet.

Jigar Moradabadi has become even more popular since his death, as his poetry continues to gain ever more admirers, particularly among film-goers, who are familiar with his lyrics.

He never received any formal higher education. No university could have taught him what he taught himself in his chosen field. He is now regarded as one of the all-time great Urdu poets. Jigar was only the second poet in the history of Aligarh Muslim University to be awarded an honorary D.Litt - the first one to receive this honour was Allama Iqbal, which speaks volumes about Jigar's standing and reputation. He is already being mentioned in the same breath as Iqbal and Ghalib.

Faiz Ahmad Faiz, the distinguished Urdu poet and academic, regarded Jigar Moradabadi as a master craftsman in his field. Aligarh was one of Jigar's favourite cities. A former student of Aligarh Muslim University, who often attended mushairas at which both Faiz and Jigar were participants, recalls that Jigar would steal the show with his rendition of his own ghazals and was the life and soul of the mushaira.

Malik Ram, the renowned Urdu scholar and a leading authority on Ghalib, knew Jigar personally and wrote an appreciative article about him in the June 1959 issue of Nuqoosh - the reputable Lahore monthly Urdu literary journal. In 1974, Malik Ram also included Jigar, along with Ghalib, in his award-winning book "Woh Surten Ilahi" (The Immortals) - biographical essays on nine giants in the Urdu literary world.

Research on Jigar Moradabadi and his poetry is ongoing and is also encouraged and supported by the Government of India sponsored National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language. Jigar's poetry is now an established academic subject in Urdu departments at many universities.