Mir Babar Ali Anees (, 1800-1874), also known as Mir Anees was an Indian Urdu poet. He used his

pen-name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

(takhallus) of Anees (

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 ...

: , ''Anees'' means "close friend, companion") in poetry. Anees used

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 ...

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, and

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

words in his poetry. Anees wrote prolonged Marsias, which was a custom of his times, but nowadays only selected sections are narrated even in

religious Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural ...

ceremonies A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin . Religious and civil (secular) ceremoni ...

. He died in 1291 Hijra, corresponding with 1874 CE.

Family

Mir Babar Ali Anis was born in 1803 CE at Faizabad. In his book ''Khandaan- e-Mir Anees ke Naamwar Sho’ara'' (Famous Poets from the family of Mir Anis), Zameer Naqvi lists 22 poets from Mir Anis’ family and their poetry. A

researcher Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

Urdu Literature Urdu literature (, ) comprises the literary works, written in the Urdu language. While it tends to be dominated by poetry, especially the verse forms of the ''ghazal'' () and '' nazm'' (), it has expanded into other styles of writing, includin ...

, Syed Taqi Abedi, has shown that Mir Anis's family has written

poetic Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

for three centuries, first in

and later in Urdu.''Daily Siasat''
, Hyderabad (15 June 2013). Mir Anis was a fifth-generation poet, a fact he mentioned in the first stanza of "Namak-e-Khwaan-e-Takallum hai Fasaahat meri":

Education

Anis's mother appears to have been his greatest inspiration. He gained a traditional

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

education. However, research by Nayyar Masood reveals that, while in Faizabad, Anis studied with two religious

scholars A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a terminal ...

; one was a

Scholar, Mir Najaf and the other was a Hanafi (

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

) Scholar, Haider Ali Faizabadi. Masood also notes that Anis was well versed in

as well as in

. Anis also had

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

and gained a thorough knowledge of old and new

weapons A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law ...

.The life and works of Mir Anis
Dawn (newspaper), 30 April 2011, Retrieved 17 August 2023

Life

Anis was invited to Lucknow where he reached the zenith of his reputation. He stayed in Lucknow because he believed that his art was not appreciated elsewhere. Yet, after the annexation of Oudh by the British, he was persuaded to visit Azimabad (

Patna Patna (; , ISO 15919, ISO: ''Paṭanā''), historically known as Pataliputra, Pāṭaliputra, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, ...

), Dulhipur (

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

and

Allahabad Prayagraj (, ; ISO 15919, ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi, Varanasi (Benar ...

."A History of Urdu Literature" by Ram Babu Saxena, Allahabad, 1927 In 1870 Nawab Tahwar Jung invited Anis to Hyderabad where he declined to be presented at the court of

Mir Mahboob Ali Khan Asaf Jah VI, also known as Sir Mir Mahboob Ali Khan Siddiqi (17 August 1866 – 29 August 1911), was the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad. He ruled Hyderabad State, one of the princely states of India, between 1869 and 1911. Early life Mahboob Al ...

, the then Nizam of Hyderabad State. The Nizam himself went to the Majlis where the poet was to recite. While returning from Hyderabad, he sojourned at Allahabad in 1871 and recited his marsia in the Imambara of late Lala Beni Prasad Srivastava, Vakil, who was a devotee of Imam Husain. He died in 1874 CE and is buried at his own residence in Lucknow.

Work and contribution

According to Muhammad Hussain Azad, "The late Mīr Sahib must certainly have composed at least ten thousand elegies, and salāms beyond count. He composed as easily and casually as he spoke.". Mir-Anis-Poetry-Urdu-Hindi-1

In his essay "How to read Iqbal?" Shamsur Rahman Faruqi wrote: " Iqbal was placed better because he had, among others, Bedil (1644–1720) in Persian and Mir Anis (1802–1874) in

." He further asserts: "The mention of Mir Anis may surprise some of us until we realize it that Mir Anis’s Marsiyas are the best premodern model in Urdu of narrative-historical, narrative-lyrical, and oral-dramatic poetry, and Iqbal’s

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

extends and exploits the possibilities created by Anis." Mir Anis was criticized for playing on religious sentiments giving his work a vertical appeal at the expense of poetic beauty. While Farhat Nadir Rizvi, in her research, has propounded that Anis was narrating recorded history and was therefore restricted in use of pure imagination and fantasy, yet he dexterously harnessed the art of

storytelling Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing narrative, stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatre, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cul ...

in his work and we cannot but accept that he was not only a Marsiya writer but also a successful storyteller. Anis has been compared with

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

. Shakespeare creates imaginary plots and characters so beautifully that they appear real to the reader; Anis narrates events and characters fossilized in history so vividly that they become alive in the eyes of his audience. Anis is also known as a pioneer in Rubai, an Urdu poetry branch, and enjoys status akin to that of

Mirza Sauda Mirza Mohammad rafi 'Sauda' (), (1713–1781) was an Urdu poet in Delhi, India. He is known for his ''Ghazals'' and Urdu ''Qasidas''. Biography He was born in 1713 in Shahjahanabad (i.e. Old Delhi), where he was also brought up. At the age o ...

, Khwaja Mir Dard and Dabeer. Besides being a master of the Marsia, Anis was also a specialist of the Rubai, the shortest complete poem in Urdu, containing only four lines. He enriched the contents of the Rubai, making it much more colorful and multi-dimensional. Anis introduced the tragic events of

Karbala Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about southwest ...

and their moralistic effect to Rubai. Thus, he widened the scope of Rubai to unfathomable limits. The inclusion of Karbala resulted in the florescence of the Urdu Rubai. Thus, many internal and external aspects of our life found their echo in the Urdu Rubai.

Tribute to poet in Urdu literature

Seminars and symposiums

Dabir Academy in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

organised an International

Seminar A seminar is a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some part ...

on "Position of Anis and Dabir in Urdu literature" on the occasion of bicentennial birthday celebrations of Mir Anis and Mirza Dabir. A seminar titled "Mir Anis our Adab-i-Aalia" was jointly held on 19 April 2001 by the Arts Council of Pakistan,

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

and Pak Arab Literary Society, with Farman Fatehpuri in the chair and Mehdi Masud as the chief guest. The Arts Council, Karachi, had also organized in April 2002 an evening to commemorate the second birth centenary of Mir Anis. In August 2003 there was a national seminar on "Mir Anis Ke Marsia Mein Jang ke Anasir" organized by

Department,

Hyderabad Central University The University of Hyderabad (UoH) is a prestigious Public university, public Central university (India), central research university located in Gachibowli, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Established in 1974, this mostly Residential college, resid ...

Books on Mir Anis

* ''Marsiya Khawani Ka Funn'' and ''Marka-i-Anis-au-Dabir'' (Urdu) by Nayyar Masood * ''Urdu Marsiye K a Safar'' * ''Tajzia-i-Yadgar Marsia'', Research and compilation by Taqi Abedi * ''Intikhab-e-Kalam'' Compiled by Muhammad Reza Kazimi *''Rubaiyate-e-Anis'' Compiled By Mr. Mohammad Hasan Bilgrami and ''Anis Shakhsiyat Aur Fun'' by Mr. Fazl-e-Imam published by UP Urdu Akademi,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. * Books by Syed Zameer Akhtar Naqvi ''Mir Anees Ki Shairi'' (in Urdu Language) & ''The poets in the family of Mir Anis'' (published in 1996) 2nd Book is about the life history of 22 family members of Mir Anis that were poets and their poetry. * ''The immortal poetry & Mir Anis'' (English) by Syed Ghulam Abbas. Published in 1983 by Majlis-e-Milli,

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# ...

* ''The battle of Karbala'' 90 pages (Urdu) Translated by David Matthew () Original from the University of California Digitized 27 February 2008 Publisher of 2nd Edition: Rupa & Co., 1994 * ''Mir Anis Aur Qissa Goi Ka Fan'' 498 pages: By Farhat Nadir Rizvi () * Turki ba Turki (ترکی بہ ترکی ) , a rejoinder to Kaleemuddin Ahmed and other critics on Mir Anis - By Dr. Syed Qasim Mahdi, pen-name Shaoor Azmi. * Anis ki Marsiya Nigari by Khan Bahadur Mirza Jafar Ali Khan Asar Lakhnawi written in refutation to the article by Mohammad Ahsan Farooqi.

References

External links

Maqbara of Mir Anis

A website by Abu Talib Rizvi of India

* ttp://al-islam.org/history/history/marsiyya.html English translation of a marsiya by Anis
Master pieces of Urdu Rubaiyat by K C Kanda

A collection of Marsia by Anis

Marsiya collection of Mir Anis in Urdu.

* Mir Babar Ali "Anis" (1802–1874) jab qa:t kii masaafat-e shab aaftaab ne (his most famous marsiyah) C. M. Naim, ''The Art of the Urdu Marsiya'' (1983) – Teaching materials prepared at SOAS during the 1970s: http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00urdu/anis/index.html) {{DEFAULTSORT:Anis, Mir Babar Ali 1800 births 1874 deaths Urdu-language poets from India Indian male poets People from Faizabad Writers from Lucknow Indian Shia Muslims Urdu-language religious writers Urdu-language writers from British India 19th-century Urdu-language writers Urdu-language writers from the Mughal Empire 19th-century Indian poets Poets from Delhi 19th-century Indian male writers