Salaam Machhalishahari (1921-1972),Urdu Authors: Date list as on 31-05-2006 – S.No.1772 – Salaam Machhalishahari> maintained by National Council for Promotion of Urdu, Govt. of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development Muktak Aur Rubaian (in Hindi) by Sherjung Garg p.243 https://books.google.com/books?isbn=8170780985 or Salam Machhali Sheri, was an Indian Urdu-language poet.
Biography
Machhalishahari was born in Machhali Shahar, a city in District Jaunpur of Uttar Pradesh, on 1 July 1921. He was fluent in Urdu, Persian and English languages. He worked in the Urdu Service Department of the All India Radio, New Delhi. He died on 19 November 1972. Salam Macchlishheri is one of the few poets who escaped the ideological impact of Progressive Writers Movement and wrote a different kind of romantic poetry marked for its spontaneity and naturalness. He was one of the most read poets of his time and had special appeal with young readers.
He was born Abdussalam on July 1, 1921 at Mahatwana Macchlishehr in Jaunpur district. He was first made to learn Quran by heart. In 1935, he passed the middle school examination from a District Board school. He could complete only his high school education after which he got an employment and worked for Allahabad University library. During his service in the library, he got an opportunity to study the literatures of several languages. In 1933, he changed his job and worked as a script writer at Lucknow radio station. While in Lucknow, he also acted as the honorary editor of the University magazine called Mizraab. In 1952, he was promoted as Assistant Producer and posted at Srinagar radio station. After his tenure there, he was promoted as Producer and sent to Delhi radio station. For his cumulative contribution, the prestigious Padma Sri award was also conferred on him.
Literary career
Many of Machhalishahari’s ghazals have been put to music and sung by Jagjit Singh.Pratinidhi Shairy ( in Hindi ) p.17 https://books.google.com/books?isbn=8171197167Jagjit Singh's Album "Ecstasies" includes Salaam's poem "Bahut dinon ki baat hai" http://www.fundoozone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20708 Machhalishahari also wrote sonnets in Urdu. He was actively associated with the Progressive Writers Movement.Hindi -"taraqipasand shayaron ko aap do-teen categories mein baant sakten hain.ek mein sardar jafri, kaifi azami aur niyaz haider taip shayar hain.doosari mein sahir ludhianavi aur salaam machhalishahari taip shayar hain." ( Progressive writers can be divided in two or three categories, in one are poets like Ali Sardar Jafri, Kaifi Azmi and Niyaz Haider, in the second are poets like Sahir Ludhianvi and Salaam Machhalishahari ) http://hindipatal.com/2011/04/26/निग़ाहों-के-साये In his Marathi article "Geet Yatre", Madhav Moholkar asserted that Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Majaz, Jazbi, Salaam Machhalishahari, Sahir Ludhianvi and other poets had started a new era of progressive poetry in Urdu literature.http://www.hamaraforums/index.php?showtopic=26300&mode=threaded
In 1996, the Urdu Academy published selected poems with the title Intekhab Salam Machhali Shehri .http://www.indiaclub/shop/SearchResults.asp?ProdStock=7423 A critical appraisal of his life and literary contributions is Aziz Indori's Salaam Machhalishahari – Shakhsiyat aur Funn.(in Urdu)
Bibliography Intekhab Salam Machhali Shehri
References