THERE was a time when Aal-e-Ahmed Suroor was so well-known a critic of Urdu that his articles invoked debates. Those were the days when even a critical essay or a short story could bring about discussions and literati would talk about it for days in teahouses.
Basically known as a critic and poet of Urdu, Aal-e-Ahmed Suroor was an academic, too, who served Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) for decades. Like any other creative artist, he had a vision and convictions of his own, albeit these convictions and theories kept on changing with the shifting sands of time. But all through his career he refrained from sloganeering, which had become the mainstay of some critics. His writings always manifested balance, grace and profundity that many of his contemporary progressive critics could only aspire for.
It was not only his thoughts that made Aal-e-Ahmed Suroor one of the most talked-about critics of Urdu in his heyday, but it was his lucid and stylish prose, too, that showed a clear-headedness only sharpened by hugely vast reading. As put by Dr Syeda Jafer, it was the poetic touch in his personality and a profound sense of use of language that had endowed Suroor’s critical thoughts with a befitting style, which was never overwhelmed by the passion despite the heat of debates and intensity of feelings. This equilibrium and clarity have made Suroor’s critical writings an example of how to write critical essays that are erudite yet readable.
Aal-e-Ahmed Suroor was born on August 11, 1911, in Pilibhit, Badaun district, UP, wrote Abid-un-Nisa in her MPhil dissertation, though Suroor’s date of birth is often incorrectly mentioned in literary works. Aal-e-Ahmed Suroor received his early education in different cities like Badaun, Gonda, Ghazipur, Bijnor, Sitapur, Banaras and Agra as his father, employed in the postal department, was transferred to different places from time to time. Through his father’s influence, Suroor acquired an early love for books. As the culture of ‘bait baazi’ (couplet reciting competition) was common in those days, he acquired a taste for poetry. Both proved decisive in his career and later life.
Suroor did his BSc from St Jones College, Agra, in 1932 and was admitted to AMU. Here he was made editor of Aligarh Magazine. Having passed his MA English from AMU, he joined his alma mater as a lecturer in 1934. His first collection of Urdu poetry Salsabeel appeared the same year and he was just 23 at that time. Zauq-o-Junoon, the other collection of his poetry appeared in 1955. He did his MA in Urdu in 1936 and was appointed lecturer at AMU’s Urdu department. Here he served till 1945 when he was appointed principal of Raza College, Rampur. In 1946, he joined Lucknow University’s Urdu department. Suroor joined AMU in 1955 as a professor. In 1956, he was entrusted with the additional charge as secretary general of Anjuman Taraqq-i-Urdu Hind. Suroor Sahib became head of the Urdu department at AMU in 1958 and retired in 1973. He also served as visiting professor at Chicago University. In 1977, he was appointed Iqbal professor at Kashmir University. In 1990, AMU made him Professor Emeritus.
One of the achievements of Suroor is his ability to draw conclusions and critical thoughts from the works of Urdu’s literary colossi, and they include Ghalib, Sir Syed, Hali, Shibli and Iqbal. He successfully traced down the traditional literary values and critical concepts from these authors, thereby preparing an overview of Urdu’s literary background along with the evaluation of some of the great works in cultural perspective. In a way, he surmised that the authors of classical era also have a place in history and must not be ignored despite a tendency among some progressive critics to do so. He stressed that a literary piece must first be seen from a literary point of view and then can we look for the spirit of the age and social realities. This, in a way, was an endeavour to balance the progressive outlook that stressed too much on the social factors and class struggle in literary works. Suroor was a progressive but not a Marxist and his early critical works may be categorised as scientific, and contrarily, aesthetic and somewhat inspired by psychoanalysis. But later on, he turned out to be a modernist and began supporting Modernism and its literary theories. But even then, objectivity and impartiality remained his hallmark.
His other books include Tanqeed Kya Hai (1947), Tanqeedi Ishare (1942),, Nae Aur Purane Chiragh (1946), Adab Aur Nazariya (1954), Nazar Aur Nazariye (1973), Sir Syed: Aik Taaruf (1956), Aks-i-Ghalib (1973), Masarrat Se Baseerat tak (1974), Irfan-i-Iqbal (1977), Iqbal Ke Mutal’e Ke Tanazuraat (1978), Iqbal: Nazariya Aur Shaeri (1979), Harf-i-Suroor (autobiography), (1980), Iqbal, Faiz Aur Ham (1985), Iqbal Ki Ma’nviyet (1986), Khwaab Baqi Hain (1991), Danishver Iqbal (1994) and some others.
Having served Urdu literature for about 70 years, Aal-e-Ahmed Suroor died on February 9, 2002, in Delhi and was buried at Aligarh.
Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2021
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