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Kalam-E-Anwar

The book is a collection of Dr. Manohar Sahai Anwar’s Poems. Multiple genres have been covered in this book ranging from romance (Haqiqi love for God, Majazi love for another person) Jashne Azaadi, Democracy in Hindustan, Lessons from Gita, Ram Rajya, Maharishi Dayanand etc. His work ranged from poetry to prose. He mastered several languages: Persian, Urdu, English, Hindi and Punjabi. Khawaja Altaf Husain Hali, Ghalib’s famous pupil, reviewed Dr Anwar’s early poems. Like Hali, Dr Anwar too had a uniquely beautiful style in poetry and prose.

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Dr. mahohar sarahi

About the Author

Dr Manohar Sahai “Anwar” (1900-1974) was an erudite scholar, eminent critic and a renowned poet. His cultural background, intellectual calibre, progressive broad outlook, vast understanding, profound scholarly proclivities and high literary achievements lent a peculiar charm to his personality. Dr Anwar did post-graduation, (M.A. M.o.L), Doctorate in Persian, and a diploma in Hindi and Punjabi from Panjab University, Lahore. He hailed from a learned Kayastha family of Delhi and Badaun (U.P.), which had produced numerous renowned Persian scholars and authors during and after the Later Mughal Period. He was a representative of the Old and New schools of learning, as he combined in him certain special qualities that were rarely found in the ordinary run of highly educated people. He was a poet of fifty years’ standing; presided over numerous poetical symposia and literary conferences of (then) United Punjab and other places in the country. He authored several articles, poems and columns for the renowned Urdu magazine ‘Beeswin Sadi’. He recited his poetic works regularly on ‘Urdu Majlis’, which was broadcast by All India Radio, New Delhi, pan-India.

His doctoral thesis ‘Khan-i- Arzu: His Life and works” is a rich research in Persian poetry and prose, philology, phonology, lexicography, grammar, commentaries, criticism, linguistic controversies, letters, cultural and literary history etc. Dr J.A. Arberry (Cambridge) and Dr Abdussattar Siddiqi (Allahabad), the examiners, found the thesis an exhaustive research and strongly recommended its publication by the University. He also did a thesis on the famous poet ‘Seemab Akarabadi’.

Explore the Book

Discussion on two favourite poems

दिल कुशा

न उलटी इस ने महफ़िल में नक़ाब अव्वल से अख़िर तक रही फ़िर भी तजल्ली बरक़े ताब अव्वल से अख़िर तक
उठाता हूँ नज़र जिस जानिबे अफलाक मसती में तो उठ जाते हैं ये सातों हिज़ाब अव्वल से अख़िर तक

सह अतिशा

ये ग़म बेहद खुशी होते हुए भी कम नहीं होता के तुम ग़म दे रहे हो और मुझ को ग़म नहीं होता
ये माना मेरे ग़म का आप को ग़म कम नहीं होता मगर क्या कीजिए ग़म से इलाजे ग़म नहीं होता

Message from the Author

“न उलटी इस ने महफ़िल में नक़ाब अव्वल से अख़िर तक रही फ़िर भी तजल्ली बरक़े ताब अव्वल से अख़िर तक उठाता हूँ नज़र जिस जानिबे अफलाक मसती में तो उठ जाते हैं ये सातों हिज़ाब अव्वल से अख़िर तक ”

About the Book

The book is a collection of Dr. Manohar Sahai Anwar’s Poems. People often say poetry is the language of love which it is. Multiple genres have been covered in this book ranging from romance, Jashne Azaadi, Democracy in Hindustan, Lessons from Gita, Ram Rajya, Maharishi Dayanand etc.

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An interview with the author

We had a small interview with Dr Manohar Sahai, Some portions of the interview is added for our visitors.

Those were the times people were well versed with Urdu and could understand Urdu poetry very well, Urdu being a very rich language. Very few people understand Urdu language now hence Urdu poetry has taken a back seat. Poetry has evolved over the years, but according to the audience who like light refreshing Hindi poetry unlike the past.

This Kalaam was composed almost 50 years ago in the purest form of Urdu language since my father was a renowned Persian scholar with a very high degree of proficiency in Urdu language. The poets today are equally good but they write for the audience who are not so well versed with deep meaning poetry with such refined composition. The poets during my father’s time tried to come up to the standards of Ghalib and Altaf Hussain Hali but those days are gone now.

My father had almost finalized publication of his Diwan (collection of his poems) when he passed away in 1974. I was a postgraduate student studying Physics in Delhi University. His death was a big blow to us. After a couple of months, I was appointed as a Deputy Superintendent of Police in the Central Reserve Police Force and I started my career in the force. My second brother migrated to Sweden while my eldest brother, late Shri Rabindra Nath Saxena and Bhabi, Late Mrs Nimmi Saxena, tried their best to publish this book but could not succeed due to various constraints. I took voluntary retirement in 1996 and the family was struck with a series of tragedies. My eldest brother, mother and then my young son passed away due to which we stayed in a state of grief and gloom for a very long time. This book should have been out in April 2020 but due to Covid its launch got delayed.

Dr. Manohar Sahai ‘Anwar’ was my father and me being the youngest of his children, had a special connection with him even though we had a generation gap between the two of us. He had beautiful handwriting and used to write my name on my new school books. My father tried to teach me Urdu while my sisters taught me to write English. As I was a little boy of five, I could not distinguish the methodology of writing and I started writing Urdu from left to right instead of right to left. This left my father utterly frustrated and he gave up on me. Good riddance I thought. When my higher secondary results were declared, he took me to a park, held my hand and asked what subjects I would like to pursue. As I said Physics, I could see an extreme dismay in his eyes. He said I would do better if I took Arts. I told him “Papa I find Physics easier to understand than Poems” Another wish he expressed while on his deathbed was that I was not made for CRPF. Since it was a class one job as a Deputy Superintendent of Police, and I was in college, I had little choice than to join the Force. I did well as an officer of the force but later realized my father was right. I quit after 21 years of service. However, I find I have inherited his teaching streak. I love to teach Physics and Maths.

Dr. Anwar hailed from a learned Kayastha family of Delhi and Badaun (U.P.), which had produced numerous renowned Persian scholars and authors during and after the Later Mughal Period. He was a representative of the Old and New schools of learning, as he combined in him certain special qualities that were rarely found in the ordinary run of highly educated people. My grandfather, Prof. Narain Prasad Mehr was again a great Persian and Urdu scholar and a renowned poet of his time. No wonder my father chose the genre of romance for poetry

Dr. Anwar was my father and I am his proud youngest son. He was a simple man and had no interest in the materialistic world. He was truthful, honest, hardworking and valued relationships the most. I admired these qualities in my father and resolved to follow in his footsteps.
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