Delhiwale: His life, like a Persian poem

The Iran stalemate impacts Delhi, where cultural ties persist. Dr. Yunus Jaffery, a noted Persian scholar, is remembered for his contributions and connections.

The stalemate in Iran continues to dominate headlines. In Delhi, we are geographically removed from the war’s direct reach, yet its repercussions are strongly felt. So too are the enduring traces of Iran’s cultural heritage, which lingers across India and in its capital. Just last evening, the Iran Culture House in Delhi opened an exhibition at Sunder Nursery titled Shared Epic Worlds: The Shahnameh, the Mahabharat, and the Indo-Persian Imagination.In fact, these pages have already explored some of the intersections between Delhi and Persia. Today, it is time to recall a great Persian scholar of our city, whose tenth death anniversary falls this year.

Years ago, while hosting this reporter in his book-lined study, Dr Jaffery was flipping through a photo album.

A professor of Persian at Zakir Husain Delhi College, Dr Yunus Jaffery shared an intimate relationship with classical Persian. A specialist in the 17th-century Persian poet Saib-e-Tabrizi, he co-edited and annotated a Persian translation of the Ramayan. He also translated the letters of poet Muhammad Iqbal from Urdu into Persian. Two of Dr Jaffery’s books—one on Persian literature in India, were published in Iran, while four more were published by the Iran Culture House in New Delhi. Author William Dalrymple devoted a whole chapter to him in his classic Delhi book, City of Djinns. Plus, Iranian universities and cultural institutions would at times invite the scholar to Tehran for conferences and lectures.

In truth, Dr Jaffery’s ties with Iran went beyond academia. It all began during his first visit to the country in the 1960s, as a young doctoral student in Persian studies, when he met a student of English literature at the university in Tehran. The relationship could not culminate in marriage due to various reasons outside their control. Eventually, she built her own family in Tehran, while Dr Jaffery stayed single in Delhi, living as the household head with his late brother’s family. Anyhow, two years before his death at the age of 86, she visited him at his home in Delhi, staying for a month.

Today, while Dr Jaffery lies buried in the Dilli Gate graveyard, his books lie shelved across some of Delhi’s most prestigious public libraries. His family, comprising of his beloved nephew and nephew’s wife, remains in touch with his lifelong friend in Tehran, though they haven’t been able to contact her since the start of the current situation there.

Years ago, while hosting this reporter in his book-lined study, Dr Jaffery was flipping through a photo album (see photo), when he paused on coming across a photograph of his aforementioned friend from Tehran. The picture showed the two seated side by side, looking like veteran academics. Dr Jaffery remarked that during his occasional visits to Tehran as a visiting scholar, the two would sometimes meet and sit together, saying little.