Anaar Kali: Ek Tragedy Teen Baab Mein

Sayyed Imtiyaz Ali Taj, Anarkali, Sayyed Hamid Ali, 1937

198 pages with text in Urdu, including a colour frontispiece and colour plates by A R Chughtai (1), Anne Harriet Fish (2), unknown (1); hardbound with a pictorial front cover.
8.2 x 6.6 in (21 x 17 cm)

The drama Anarkali is a timeless and universally famous work of art by Imtiyaz Ali Taj, under whose spell people are captivated even today. Its fame can be gauged from the fact that the most famous Bollywood film Mughal-e-Azam was also made on it, its after that, many film experiments were made on it. Anarkali, Akbar Azam, Shahzad Saleem, Bihar, Jodha Bai - these are some of the characters who are still engraved in the minds of both readers and viewers like a bright and radiant image. Its intense dramatic nature, its art and style, the plot, the beautiful setting, characterization, interpretation and depiction of the environment, the charming and captivating dialogues that are very appropriate to the occasion, and the flow of the story with a constant interest turn it into a captivating creation.

Anarkali and Chacha Chakkhan are two renowned characters that are well-known to readers of Urdu and other languages and cultures. They have become integral to our collective consciousness due to the distinctiveness of their disposition, language, and behavior. The creator of these imperishable characters is Imtiaz Ali Taj, a fact that only a small number of individuals are aware of.

Imtiyaz Ali Taj was a member of a distinguished family. Syed Zulfiquar Ali, his grandfather, was a disciple of Imam Bakhsh Sehbai, a prominent scholar, teacher, and poet of his era. He had received his education at Delhi's St. Stephens College. Taj was initially employed as a Deputy Inspector of Schools, but he was subsequently promoted to the position of Assistant Commissioner. Mumtaz Ali, his father, was a classmate of Shaikhu-ul-Hind, Maulana Mehmood Hasan, and a close companion of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. His wife, Hijab Imtiaz Ali, was the first significant short story writer in the Indian subcontinent, and his mother, Mohammadi Begum, was the editor of Musheer-e-Maader.

Imtiaz Ali Taj was born on October 13, 1900. He completed his graduation from Government College, Lahore and enrolled in the M.A. (English) program; however, he was unable to write the final examination. He was considered to be one of the most intelligent pupils at his college and was an active participant in the cultural and literary events. He was particularly intrigued by mushaira and theater, as he had been a practicing poet since a young age. Taj was equally intrigued by the genre of fiction, and at the age of seventeen, he composed his first short story, Shama aur Parwana. In addition to his creative writing, he also pursued his interest in translation and began translating English authors such as Oliver Goldsmith, Oscar Wilde, and several other lesser-known authors.

Taj also composed biographical tracts and literary essays. Bharat Sapoot, one of his biographical works, is a biography of Mahatma Gandhi. Pandit Moti Lala Nehru penned the preface and highly praised his work. His essays on Mohammad Hussain Azad, Hafeez Jalandhari, and Shaukat Thanavi also deserve special mention. Taj was a correspondent who was both authentic and respectable, and he was a believer in the importance of values. At the age of eighteen, he started a monthly journal called Kehkashaan, which quickly established its own identity. He had previously worked as a journalist at Tezeeb-e-Niswaan.

Taj's personality was exceptionally comprehensive, and he was able to maintain extraordinary control over his numerous responsibilities as a playwright, translator, journalist, radio feature writer, screenplay writer, and film producer. However, his iconic production, Anarkali, established him as a figure to be reckoned with. It is legitimately regarded as his masterpiece. It has also become a mandatory component of syllabi worldwide due to its literary merit and appeal. The characterization, scenic representation, and dialogues of this play are particularly noteworthy. It has now become a canonical text by this iconic writer of multiple talents, and it is a subject of research in universities.

Taj authored additional plays and edited several collections of plays, particularly classical plays by Aaram, Zareef, and Raunaq. He published numerous edited volumes of plays following his affiliation with Majlis Tarrqi Adab, Lahore, which served as a significant milestone in the revival of classical theater. Taj Productions Ltd. was also established by him, and he contributed to the production of films by composing screenplays, dialogues, and stories.

Imtiyaz Ali Taj, an individual of considerable prominence, is also occasionally the subject of controversy. He was also subjected to harsh criticism and an onslaught of conspiracies. His final days were rather tragic. On April 18, 1970, two veiled individuals approached the secluded location where he was sleeping on his terrace and attacked him with a knife. Additionally, his wife, Hijab Imtiaz Ali, was lying in close proximity. He sustained numerous knife stabs and experienced copious bleeding. He was promptly transported to the hospital, where he regained consciousness following the surgery and was able to escape danger. Nevertheless, this recuperation was not sustained for an extended period. On April 19, 1970, he began to rapidly decline and ultimately succumbed to his severe injuries. His assassins were never identified, and no case was ever registered to investigate his cold-blooded assassination.

This lot will be shipped in "as is" condition. For further details, please refer to the images of individual lots as reference for the condition of each book.