Mir Anees

Template:Short description Template:Infobox writer Mir Babar Ali Anees (Template:Langx, 1800-1874), also known as Mir Anees was an Indian Urdu poet. He used his pen-name (takhallus) of Anees (Urdu: Template:Nastaliq, Anees means "close friend, companion") in poetry. Anees used Persian, Urdu, Arabic, and Sanskrit words in his poetry.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Anis wrote prolonged Marsias, which was a custom of his times, but nowadays only selected sections are narrated even in religious ceremonies. He died in 1291 Hijra, corresponding with 1874 CE.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

FamilyEdit

Mir Babar Ali Anis was born in 1803 CE at Faizabad.<ref name="Pulpit of Tears">Template:Cite book</ref> In his book Khandaan- e-Mir Anees ke Naamwar Sho’ara (Famous Poets from the family of Mir Anis), Zameer Naqvi lists 22 poets from Mir Anis’ family and their poetry. A researcher in Urdu Literature, Syed Taqi Abedi, has shown that Mir Anis's family has written poetic literature for three centuries, first in Persian and later in Urdu.<ref name= drtaqiabedi>Daily Siasat Template:Webarchive, Hyderabad (15 June 2013).</ref> Mir Anis was a fifth-generation poet, a fact he mentioned in the first stanza of "Namak-e-Khwaan-e-Takallum hai Fasaahat meri":<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Verse translation

EducationEdit

Anis's mother appears to have been his greatest inspiration.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He gained a traditional Shia education.<ref name= drtaqiabedi/> However, research by Nayyar Masood reveals that, while in Faizabad, Anis studied with two religious scholars; one was a Shia Scholar, Mir Najaf and the other was a Hanafi (Sunni) Scholar, Haider Ali Faizabadi. Masood also notes that Anis was well versed in Persian as well as in Arabic. Anis also had military training and gained a thorough knowledge of old and new weapons.<ref name="dawn.com">The life and works of Mir Anis Dawn (newspaper), 30 April 2011, Retrieved 17 August 2023</ref>

LifeEdit

Anis was invited to Lucknow where he reached the zenith of his reputation. He stayed in Lucknow because he believed that his art was not appreciated elsewhere. Yet, after the annexation of Oudh by the British, he was persuaded to visit Azimabad (Patna), Dulhipur (Varanasi), Hyderabad and Allahabad.<ref name="RBS">"A History of Urdu Literature" by Ram Babu Saxena, Allahabad, 1927</ref>

In 1870 Nawab Tahwar Jung invited Anis to Hyderabad where he declined to be presented at the court of Mir Mahboob Ali Khan,<ref name="Pulpit of Tears"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Legacy of the Nizam's">Template:Cite book</ref> the then Nizam of Hyderabad State. The Nizam himself went to the Majlis where the poet was to recite. While returning from Hyderabad, he sojourned at Allahabad in 1871 and recited his marsia in the Imambara of late Lala Beni Prasad Srivastava, Vakil, who was a devotee of Imam Husain.<ref name="RBS"/>

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He died in 1874 CE and is buried at his own residence in Lucknow.<ref name="Pulpit of Tears"/>

Work and contributionEdit

According to Muhammad Hussain Azad, "The late Mīr Sahib must certainly have composed at least ten thousand elegies, and salāms beyond count. He composed as easily and casually as he spoke.".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Aab-e-Hayat (English Translation), Translated and edited by Frances W. Pritchett, in association with Shamsur Rahman Faruqi</ref>

File:Mir-Anis-Poetry-Urdu-Hindi-1.jpg

Portion of stanzas from Timsal Masud Presentation of Mir Anis Ka ek Marsia (one Marsia by Mir Anis), in Urdu and Hindi Language writing styles

In his essay "How to read Iqbal?" Shamsur Rahman Faruqi wrote: "Iqbal was placed better because he had, among others, Bedil (1644–1720) in Persian and Mir Anis (1802–1874) in Urdu." He further asserts: "The mention of Mir Anis may surprise some of us until we realize it that Mir Anis’s Marsiyas are the best premodern model in Urdu of narrative-historical, narrative-lyrical, and oral-dramatic poetry, and Iqbal’s poetry extends and exploits the possibilities created by Anis."<ref>How to Read Iqbal? Eassays on Iqbal, Urdu Poetry and Literary Theory by Shamsur Rahman Faruqi</ref>

Mir Anis was criticized for playing on religious sentiments giving his work a vertical appeal at the expense of poetic beauty.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> While Farhat Nadir Rizvi, in her research, has propounded that Anis was narrating recorded history and was therefore restricted in use of pure imagination and fantasy, yet he dexterously harnessed the art of storytelling in his work and we cannot but accept that he was not only a Marsiya writer but also a successful storyteller.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Anis has been compared with Shakespeare.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Shakespeare creates imaginary plots and characters so beautifully that they appear real to the reader; Anis narrates events and characters fossilized in history so vividly that they become alive in the eyes of his audience.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Anis is also known as a pioneer in Rubai, an Urdu poetry branch, and enjoys status akin to that of Mirza Sauda, Khwaja Mir Dard and Dabeer.<ref>Extracted from: Rubai Aik Qadeem Sanaf-e-Sukhan (in Urdu Language) research of Dr. Younus Hassani, published in Midweek Magazine issued by the Daily Jang, Karachi in its issue of 9 July 2014</ref> Besides being a master of the Marsia, Anis was also a specialist of the Rubai, the shortest complete poem in Urdu, containing only four lines. He enriched the contents of the Rubai, making it much more colorful and multi-dimensional. Anis introduced the tragic events of Karbala and their moralistic effect to Rubai. Thus, he widened the scope of Rubai to unfathomable limits. The inclusion of Karbala resulted in the florescence of the Urdu Rubai. Thus, many internal and external aspects of our life found their echo in the Urdu Rubai.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Tribute to poet in Urdu literatureEdit

File:Dabeer-tributes-Anis.jpg

Couplet of Mirza Dabeer is the best tribute to the person who had been his lifelong rival

Seminars and symposiumsEdit

Dabir Academy in London organised an International Seminar on "Position of Anis and Dabir in Urdu literature" on the occasion of bicentennial birthday celebrations of Mir Anis and Mirza Dabir.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

A seminar titled "Mir Anis our Adab-i-Aalia" was jointly held on 19 April 2001 by the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi and Pak Arab Literary Society, with Farman Fatehpuri in the chair and Mehdi Masud as the chief guest.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Arts Council, Karachi, had also organized in April 2002 an evening to commemorate the second birth centenary of Mir Anis.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In August 2003 there was a national seminar on "Mir Anis Ke Marsia Mein Jang ke Anasir" organized by Urdu Department, Hyderabad Central University.<ref>Faculty of Department of: Urdu Template:Webarchive. jammuuniversity.in</ref>

Books on Mir AnisEdit

File:Mir Babar Ali Anis 1975 stamp of India.jpg

Anees on a 1975 stamp of India

Marsiya Khawani Ka Funn and Marka-i-Anis-au-Dabir (Urdu) by Nayyar Masood<ref name="dawn.com"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Urdu Marsiye K a Safar
Tajzia-i-Yadgar Marsia, Research and compilation by Taqi Abedi<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Intikhab-e-Kalam Compiled by Muhammad Reza Kazimi<ref>Template:ISBN published by Oxford University Press, Karachi Pakistan – http://www.oup.com.pk</ref>
Rubaiyate-e-Anis Compiled By Mr. Mohammad Hasan Bilgrami and Anis Shakhsiyat Aur Fun by Mr. Fazl-e-Imam published by UP Urdu Akademi, India.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Books by Syed Zameer Akhtar Naqvi Mir Anees Ki Shairi (in Urdu Language) & The poets in the family of Mir Anis (published in 1996) 2nd Book is about the life history of 22 family members of Mir Anis that were poets and their poetry.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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The immortal poetry & Mir Anis (English) by Syed Ghulam Abbas. Published in 1983 by Majlis-e-Milli, Pakistan in Karachi
The battle of Karbala 90 pages (Urdu) Translated by David Matthew (Template:ISBN) Original from the University of California Digitized 27 February 2008 Publisher of 2nd Edition: Rupa & Co., 1994 <ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Mir Anis Aur Qissa Goi Ka Fan 498 pages: By Farhat Nadir Rizvi (Template:ISBN)<ref>Haftroza Nawaye Waqt Family Magazine, Lahore (10–16 Dec 2017). p. 46</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Turki ba Turki (ترکی بہ ترکی ) , a rejoinder to Kaleemuddin Ahmed and other critics on Mir Anis - By Dr. Syed Qasim Mahdi, pen-name Shaoor Azmi.
Anis ki Marsiya Nigari by Khan Bahadur Mirza Jafar Ali Khan Asar Lakhnawi written in refutation to the article by Mohammad Ahsan Farooqi.