Ismail Merathi (1844–1917) was an Indian

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

poet, schoolteacher, and educationist from the

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

–

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

era. His poems for children like ''Nasihat'', ''Barsaat'', ''Humaari Gaye'', ''Subah Ki Aamad'', ''Sach Kaho'', ''Baarish Ka Pehla Qatra'', ''Pan Chakki'', ''Shafaq'', and several others are part of the primary school curriculum in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. He wrote many Urdu and

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

text books for school-going children.

Early life and education

Merathi was born as ''Muhammad Ismail'' on 12 November 1844, in Meerath,

Mughal India The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

. He was home-schooled by his father ''Sheikh Piir Bakhsh''. Later, he attended a formal school. He received higher education in

from ''Mirza Rahim Baig'', a contemporary of

Mirza Ghalib Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan (27 December 179715 February 1869), commonly known as Mirza Ghalib, was an Indian poet. Widely regarded as one of the greatest poets in the Urdu language, he also produced a significant body of work in Persian. Ghali ...

. In 1868, he was appointed as a Persian teacher in a public school in

Saharanpur district Saharanpur district is the northernmost of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state, India. Bordering the states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and close to the foothills of Shivalik range, it lies in the northern part of the Doab ...

. Later, he was transferred to

Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

in 1888. In 1899, he retired from the teaching job and returned to his home town Meerath.

Literary career

Merathi started poetry when the Persian language was dominating both literature and culture in the Indian subcontinent. He initially wrote some Persian

ghazals ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

but later shifted to Urdu poetry. Influenced by

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (17 October 1817 – 27 March 1898), also spelled Sayyid Ahmad Khan, was an Indian Muslim Islamic modernist, reformer, philosopher, and educationist in nineteenth-century British Raj, British India. Though initially esp ...

's reforming movement and after reading an Urdu translation of some moral poems in English, he was motivated to write inspiring Urdu poems for kids. His first collection of poems ''Reza-e-Jawahar'' was published in 1885, which also included some translations from English poems. He also wrote several school textbooks for 1st to 5th-grade students. In 1909, he founded a primary school ''Madrasa tul Banat'' for girls in Meerath which has been upgraded since then and now exists as Ismail National Mahila (PG) College Meerut.

Style and themes

Merathi uses simple and easy-to-understand words in his poems for children. He expresses moral ideas in plain language and in a realistic tone. He refers to nature (mountains, rivers, dawn, rain, plants, etc.) and pet animals (cat, dog, horse, cow, and others) while conveying a moral message in his poems, thus making them appealing to a child's mind. Truth, hardworking, obedience, positive habits, and strong character are the central values emphasized in his poems.

Personal life

Merathi was married to ''Bibi Naeem Al-Nisa'', daughter of ''Sheikh Mehboob Bakhsh'', in 1862. Both had three sons and two daughters together.

Books

* ''Reza-e-Jawahar'' — Collection of poems published in 1885 * ''Kulliyat-e-Ismail'' — Collection of poems and ghazals published in 1910 * ''Urdu Zuban Ka Qayeda'' — The rule book of Urdu language for beginners * ''Urdu Ki Pehli Kitab'' — The first-grade textbook of Urdu * ''Urdu Ki Dosri Kitab'' — The second-grade textbook of Urdu * ''Urdu Ki Teesri Kitab'' — The third-grade textbook of Urdu * ''Urdu Ki Chauthi Kitab'' — The fourth-grade textbook of Urdu * ''Urdu Ki Panchvein Kitab'' — The fifth-grade textbook of Urdu

Honours

Merathi received the title of "

Khan Sahib Khan Sahib - a compound of Khan "Leader" and Sahib "Master" - was a formal title of respect and honour, which was conferred mainly on Muslim, and also on Parsi, Irani, and Jewish subjects of the British Indian Empire. It was a title one deg ...

" for his literary and educational contributions from the

British Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

in 1912.

Death

Merathi had

chronic bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

due to heavy tobacco consumption. On 1 November 1917, he passed away at the age of 73 in Meerath.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merathi, Ismail 1844 births 1917 deaths People from Meerut 19th-century Indian poets 20th-century Indian poets Urdu-language poets from India