Kulliyat-e-Jigar

Description

Kulliyat-e-Jigar is the complete, definitive anthology of the Urdu poetry of Ali Sikandar, widely known by his legendary pen name Jigar Moradabadi. Unlike individual selections, this grand compendium serves as an exhaustive repository of his life’s work, seamlessly unifying his major independent collections—Daagh-e-Jigar (1928), Shola-e-Toor (1932), and the celebrated, Sahitya Akademi Award-winning Aatish-e-Gul (1954). Together with these masterworks, the volume meticulously preserves his previously scattered verses, rare naats (devotional hymns), and unreleased poems, offering readers an unfiltered exploration of the poet crowned as the “Shahanshah-e-Taghazzul” (The Emperor of Ghazal).

The anthology charts a profound personal and artistic journey, allowing readers to witness Jigar’s dramatic transition from an earthly, wine-soaked epicurean bohemian into a deeply contemplative mystic of divine love (ishq-e-haqiqi). Renowned for its incomparable musicality and rhythmic sweetness, the poetry within these pages strips away the dense academic layering of the era to deliver emotion in its purest, most accessible form. Containing iconic, historically celebrated masterpieces like “Yeh Hai Maikada” and “Tabiat In Dinon,” this total archive stands as an invaluable monument of classical literature. It provides both casual readers and serious scholars with the ultimate gateway to the golden sunset of the traditional Urdu ghazal.

Author Biography

Ali Sikandar (1890–1960), universally recognized by his pen name Jigar Moradabadi, was one of the most celebrated and beloved Urdu ghazal writers of the 20th century. Born in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, into a family steeped in literary traditions, he lost his father at an early age and faced a challenging childhood. After acquiring a foundational education in Arabic and Persian, he initially worked as a traveling salesman dealing in spectacles. However, his innate poetic genius soon took over. A pivotal turn occurred when he moved to Gonda, near Lucknow, where he fell under the profound mentorship of the notable poet Asghar Gondvi. Jigar’s legendary, charismatic recitation style and intense, wine-soaked bohemian lifestyle quickly made him a monumental star of the mushaira (poetry symposium) circuit across South Asia.

Jigar represents the grand culmination of the classical Urdu ghazal before modernism fully reshaped the literary landscape. His life and art underwent a fascinating transformation when he completely renounced alcohol later in life, pivoting toward religious devotion and spiritual mysticism. His monumental poetry collection, Aatish-e-Gul, earned him the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 1958. He was also only the second poet in history—after Allama Iqbal—to be conferred an honorary D.Litt. from Aligarh Muslim University. Celebrated by peers like Faiz Ahmad Faiz as a master craftsman, Jigar’s legacy endures through his simple yet deeply musical verses that beautifully humanized the experience of love.