ISLAMABAD, Feb 22 (APP):Today is the 41st death anniversary of Sahbbir Hasan Khan, also known as Josh Malihabadi, one of the most notable Urdu poets of the 20th century.
Born in Malihabad near Lucknow in 1898, he met his death in Islamabad on February 22, 1982, at the age of 83.
Josh inherited a legacy of poetry from his great-grandfather, grandfather, and father. He began writing poetry at an early age, and his work features a unique charged diction and a new set of implicated metaphors.
Josh’s poetry was known for its acute sociopolitical concerns and romantic preoccupations, earning him the title, ‘Poet of Revolution.’ Throughout his life, he published numerous collections of poetry, including ‘Rooh-e-Adab’, ‘Shola-O-Shabnam’, ‘Junoon-o-Hikmat’, and ‘Nawaaredaat-e-Josh’.
His renowned works of prose include ‘Nujoom-O-Jawahar’ and ‘Ishaaraat’.
He left Hyderabad’s Dar-ul-Tarjuma, Osmania University’s bureau of translation and later joined Shalimar Pictures at Poona, where he wrote lyrics for films. He worked as an editor of Aajkal, a literary journal published by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, for eight years until he migrated to Pakistan in 1956.
In Pakistan, Josh was appointed as the literary advisor of the Urdu Board.
His autobiography, ‘Yaadon ki Baraat’ continues to pique the curiosity of readers.