Book & Author
Professor Syed Naqi Akhter: A Prominent Educator and a Unique Poet
By Dr Ahmed S. Khan
Chicago, USA
March 1, 2021 marks the first anniversary of the passing away of Professor Syed Naqi Akhter. Professor Syed Naqi Akhter (November 1939 – March 2020) was a prominent educator and a unique poet. He worked at DeVry University, Chicago (1968-2003), and held many academic positions including senior professor and chair, in DeVry’s College of Engineering and Information Sciences.
He was a popular figure in Chicago’s South Asian literary and non-literary circles. For over 50 years, Prof. Akhter participated regularly in local and national Mushairas (Urdu poetry recital events). Many of his popular ghazals have been sung by prominent singers, such as Ustad Ghulam Ali and Vikas Falnikar. Before his demise, he completed a book of poetry called Dard-e-pinhaaN (the hidden pain). Indeed, he picked a poignant title for his book, as great Urdu poet Ghalib had observed:
Sub kahaaN Kuch Lala-o-Gul meiN numaayaaN ho gayeeN,
Khaak meiN keya soorateiN hongee kay pinhaaN ho gayeeN
Not all, but some have manifested themselves as tulips and roses.
What faces/states would be there in dust, they have become hidden.
Naqi Akhter’ family hails from Amroha, a city famous for its mangoes and intellectual capital. His family is notable for having produced many intellectuals and artists, including Kamal Amrohvi (film writer/director/producer), Rais Amrohvi (poet), Joan Elia (poet), Syed Muhammed Taqi (Editor Jang), and Sadequain (artist). Praising Amroha’s linguistic uniqueness, Syed Shafiq, father of prominent poet Joan Elia, had observed:
Allah Allah, what a glory of Amroha
What to say of the diction of Amroha,
Indeed, it is the average of Delhi and Lucknow
Moderate is the language of Amroha!
In the tradition of Amroha’s diction, Prof. Naqi Akhter’s poetry is a collection of multitude of themes; romance, love, human sufferings, and aspirations embedded in classic and modern styles of expressions. Expounding on the trials and tribulations of life, Faiz Ahmed Faiz had observed:
Hum par’varish e lauh o qalam kartay rahaiN gay
Joo dil pay guzarti hai raqam kartay rahaiN gay
We would continue to nurture the pen and ink
We would continue to script the trials and tribulations
Prof Naqi Akhter also spent half a decade nurturing the pen and ink, and his collection Dard e Pinhan is the outcome of such an effort. Reflecting on Prof. Naqi Akhter’s poetry, Dr. Suresh Borkar, a professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) Chicago, observes: “Naqi Bhai was a shayar par excellence. His sublime Urdu poetry reached the highest realms of richness and love, exuded essence of creativity and passion, pushed the envelope of free thinking, and encompassed beautiful and deep sentiments.”
Prof. Naqi Akhter starts with a prayer:
Main mangtah hooN Khudah say yah piyar key daulaat
Yah Soona Chandi too bus Aatee Jatee Maya hay
I seek from God the treasure of love
Possessions of gold and silver are temporary illusions
Honoring Prophet Muhammad (SAW), he declares:
Aay fakhar ambiah fauq ul bashr Aay Rahmat e Aalum
Qalum Joo kar sakay Madhah nahaiN maray QalumdaaN main
O’ pride of all prophets, excellence of humanity, mercy to Worlds
To do justice with your rank, my pen and portfolio lack such capacity
Praising the poetry of Mir Anees, Naqi Akhter expounds:
Too naiN Ghum e Hussain koo tabinda kar deya
Aur Karbala kay Khoon koo Paienda kar deya
You have made the agony of Hussain Radiant
And made the blood of Karaba immortal
Remembering vibrant and vivacious Karachi, he observes:
Woo Joo shaher thaa rooshniyooN ka mahal thaa
Aatee hay Uskey simt say roo’nay key Saa’daa mujay
The city that used to be a castle of Radiance
From its direction now I hear the sounds of crying
Reflecting on the struggle between heart and mind, and search of reality, he expounds:
Aql o Ishq kay Jhag’ray main Na paR aiy Akhter
Yah jahaaN hai bhi kay bus waham tera Kaya malooM
Do not indulge in the debate of the mind and love
Does this world exist or perhaps it is an illusion of my imagination?
In his ghazal “Bahar key rut,” which is sung by Ustad Ghulam Ali, Naqi Akhter depicts the beauty of Spring:
Her taruf gul fishaaN bahar key rut
Nagha’maiN javidaaN bhar key rut
Woo samag’tha hay maaf kar day gha
Joo bhi hooN’ghay ghunaah bahar key rut
Eruptions of flowers in all directions brought by Spring
Eternal melodies all around brought by Spring
He thinks all will be forgiven
All the sins that will be committed in Spring
Praising his spouse Razia, Naqi Akhter, he acknowledges:
Raju main dil o Jaan say mashkoor hooN tumharah
Khush BhakhtiyooN say tum nay Iss ghar koo bhar Diya
Day kar azeem baitay Allah kay karam say
Damun koo tum in maray khushiooN say bhar diya
I thank you Raju from the bottom of my heart
You have filled this home with prosperity
By giving me great sons with the grace of Allah
You have filled my existence with blessings
Recalling the experiences of love, he says:
Kahbee too Ishq main Aisah maqam Aiya
Kaa maiN nay jaan kay unn say faraib khya hai
Sometime in the trials and tribulations of love
A moment was reached, where I willingly allowed to be deceived
Looking into future, Naqi Akhter observes:
Aik Nai dur kaa Aqaaz karoo Aaiy Akhter
Chahay Ahbaab khahaiN Aap koo Sauda Keya
Embark on a new era O Akhter
Friends may consider it pure frenzy
In today’s growing agonies of covid-19 era, Naqi Akhter’s poetry offers solace and refuge for the perturbed minds and restive souls. Dard e Pinhan is a valuable addition to the annals Urdu’s intellectual capital. Below, an interview with Prof. Naqi Akhter conducted in June 2019.
Q: When and where were you born? How many siblings do you have?
A: My mother told me that I was born on November 1, 1939, in Amroha, UP, British India. Amroha is a city famous for its mangoes, poets, intellectuals, and artists. We were three brothers and three sisters. My father worked for the Indian railway, and he died when I was six years old. I was raised by my mother and older brothers and sisters. My mother was a strict disciplinarian, her training instilled in me good manners and proper etiquette.
Q: Where did you receive your primary and higher education? When and how did you and your family migrate to Pakistan?
A: I received primary education in Amroha, secondary and higher education in Karachi. In 1947 my mother sent my elder brothers to Pakistan, she stayed back to take care of me and my sisters, and the mango gardens that our family owned. Later in 1950, when my brothers were well settled in Karachi, they returned to Amroha, and I along with other family members migrated to Pakistan with them. We travelled by train from Delhi to Lahore and then to Karachi. I worked very hard, and in 1953 in the board’s city wide matric exam I secured second position, which enabled me to earn a scholarship. After completing my intermediate in 1955, I entered the University of Karachi as a BSc (Honors) student in the department of Physics and completed my MSc (Physics) degree in 1959.
Q: After graduating from University of Karachi, where did you work? And what intellectual activities did you pursue?
A: I joined the Islamia College, Karachi, as a professor. The college was founded by Mr Qureshi, who used to be a chauffeur of Quaid-i-Azam. Later, I was invited by the Habib Foundation to help in establishing the Habib College; I taught there for a number of years. While attending the University of Karachi, as a member of the debating club, I toured all over Pakistan to participate in debating competitions. I also worked for several Urdu literary magazines published by Rais Amrohavi Sahib and Juan Elia Sahib. Syed Muhammad Taqi Sahib, editor of Jang newspaper, groomed me intellectually. I also produced a number of radio programs about student affairs for Radio Pakistan and the Voice of America.
Q: How did you come to the United States? How did you begin your life in the States?
A: In 1967, in pursuit of higher education, I joined the Texas Technological University (TTU), Lubbock, TX. My friend Afzal Lodhi’s elder brother Dr Arfin Lodhi, a professor of Physics at TTU, helped and guided me to get admission and secure a graduate teaching assistantship at TTU. Professor Lodhi is still active and continues to do research at TTU. In 1968, I joined DeVry University, Chicago, where I served for 35 years in the College of Engineering and Information Sciences. After retirement in 2003, I continued to teach at DeVry’s Tinley Park campus as an adjunct professor.
Q: What kind of intellectual activities did you pursue in the US? Who are your favorite poets?
A: During the past five decades we regularly arranged a number of local, national, and international literary events and conferences. In the mid-1990s, we organized a conference in collaboration with the University of Chicago and the Smithsonian Institution, on Amir Khusro (1253 – 1325), a prominent Sufi musician, poet, and scholar of the Delhi sultanate. The conference was presided over by eminent Islamic scholar Dr Annemarie Schimmel, a professor at Harvard University. I also used to participate in local and national Mushairas (Urdu poetry recital events); in the beginning I recited the poetry of major Urdu poets, and later my friends urged me to write my own poetry; after years of composing poetry, my friends insisted that I publish my work in the form of a poetry collection. I enjoy reading poetry of all poets, but my favorite poets are Ghalib, Faiz and Ahmad Faraz.
(Dr. Ahmed S. Khan --- dr.a.s.khan@ieee.org --- is a Fulbright Specialist Scholar (2017-2022).
