Hanif Akhgar Malihabadi Is No More
The last symbol of Jigar Muradabadi school and flag bearer of Urdu ghazal in North America, Hanif Akhgar Malihabadi, is no more. He died on May 31, 2009 at his residence in Dallas, Texas. He was a classical poet of ghazal and his ghazals were an extension of Jigara Muradabadi and Asghar Gondvi.
Syed Muhammad Hanif became Syed Muhammad Hanif “Akhgar” at a very young age
when he won the 1st prize in a `Tarahi-Mushaira` at Amir-ud-Daulah Islamia
College in 1945. Urdu poetry was his passion and his first collection of
Ghazal Chiragaa(n) was published in 1989. In 1997, his second
collection Khayaabaa(n) was published. His last book came as collection
of “Naat” titled Khalq-eMujassam in 2003.
Hanif Akhgar completed his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the Institute of Business Administration, University of Karachi . He also completed his Diploma in Industrial Financing from London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London.
He joined United Nations (UN) as International Civil Servant (ICS) in
1971 and served in different parts of the world and retired on 2nd May 1989 as
Division Chief of United Nations Capital Development Fund Division for Asia
Pacific, Latin America and Arab States and settled down in New York with his
family. He was also a permanent representative of World Assembly of small
and medium Enterprises (WASME) in United Nations at New York. Hanif Akhgar moved to Dallas , Texas , in 2007.
He has left behind his wife, seven daughters and four sons. His sad demise will be felt for a long, long time by Urdu lovers in America and all across the Urdu-speaking world.
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