When Firaq refused to recognise Dilip Kumar

Born on August 28, 1896, Firaq came to Lucknow a number of times to attend mushairas and deliver lectures on Urdu and English literature, said professor Sharib Rudaulvi, who met him several times in Allahabad and Lucknow.

Place Mumbai, year 1965. A mushaira was on, conducted by poet Mallikzada Manzoor Ahmed and presided over by Raghupati Sahai, better known by his nom de plume, Firaq Gorakhpuri. Just then, chief guest and cine star Dilip Kumar walked in. He shook hands with all the poets including Firaq Gorakhpuri. An angry Firaq (because the star was fashionably late) asked Malikzada Manzoor Ahmed “Who is this gentleman, for whom the mushaira has been stopped?”

Firaq was proud of his prowess and contribution to the world of poetry.

This question stunned everyone including the superstar. Ahmed knowing the temperament of Firaq Gorakhpuri said that he is megastar Dilip Kumar, to which Firaq is known to have retorted, “I have only watched the bioscope till now, so I don’t know who he is.”

Dilip Kumar apologised for arriving late and told Firaq that he is a big fan of his poetry and has grown up reading his Shayari. Such was Firaq Gorakhpuri, said Parvez Mallikzada, son of Malikzada Manzoor Ahmed. He said all this has been written in the book ‘Raqs-e-Sharar’, in which several interesting anecdotes relating to Firaq Gorakhpuri have been included. Whenever Firaq used to come to Lucknow he always made it a point to meet Malikzada Manzoor Ahmed because he was fond of his poetry.

Mallikzada said, “The craze of Firaq was more in Pakistan, and a number of Pakistani poets came to India just to meet him.”

Firaq was proud of his prowess and contribution to the world of poetry, and is known to have written about himself:

‘Aane wali naslein tum par rashq karengi hamasron, Jab ye khayal aayega unko, tumne Firaq ko dekha tha’ (Future generations will be envious of you when they think that you had got a chance to see Firaq.)

Born on August 28, 1896, Firaq came to Lucknow a number of times to attend mushairas and deliver lectures on Urdu and English literature, said professor Sharib Rudaulvi, who met him several times in Allahabad and Lucknow.

He said, “When we were students of Lucknow University, we called Firaq Gorakhpuri for a mushaira, along with Kaifi Azmi and ‘Josh’ Malhiabadi.

“In his autobiography, ‘Yadon ki Barat’, Josh Malihabadi has rated Firaq very highly. ‘Josh’ felt that India is yet to recognise Firaq’s greatness. He termed Firaq as the tilak on India’s forehead,” Rudaulvi said.

“I remember him delivering a lecture in Christ Church College, Kanpur, in 1953, where he addressed the audience on social reforms, in English and unprepared. He was so impressive that following the lecture everyone surrounded him for an autograph,” Rudaulvi recalled.

Poet Sanjay Mishra ‘Shauq’ said, “I have never seen a poet like Firaq who was so well read. His poetry has lent a new aesthetic and a new philosophy to rubais (four-line compositions, each complete in itself) which he wrote in the book ‘Roop ki Rubaiyat’.”

He said, “People have a very wrong impression about him as a person but he was very nice to everyone. He was also a good scholar of Persian and Sanskrit. He used his knowledge of Indian philosophy in his rubais which make him the greatest poet of his time, putting him ahead of even Kaifi Azmi and ‘Josh’ Malihabadi.

“Contrary to belief, Firaq Gorakhpuri was very hospitable, his memory was very sharp and he could recite couplets of Mir, Ghalib, Sauda, Aatish and even some English poets. Not only that he was able to explain the poetry to everyone. He was a great critic.”