Shadani, Andalib

Shadani, Andalib (1904-1969) educationist and litterateur, was born at Muradabad in Uttar Pradesh, India on 1 March 1904. His real name was Wajahat Hussain, but he is popularly known by his pen name, Andalib Shadani. He received his MA degree in Persian literature from the Punjab University in 1925 and then taught at hindu college, Delhi from 1926 to 1927. He joined Dhaka University the next year and inaugurated the Department of Urdu and Persian. In 1934 he obtained a PhD from London University for his thesis entitled 'The Muslim Historians of India';. In 1947, Shadani was promoted to the rank of professor.

Andalib Shadani was a distinguished scholar and critic of Persian and Urdu literature as well as a reputed poet. His twelve books include a modern colloquial Persian dictionary, Naqsh-i-Badi as well as critical writings such as Chahar Maqala, Rubaiyat-i-Baba Tahir, Pyame-i-Iqbal, Tahqiq-ki-Roshni etc. His short stories are collected in Sachchi Kahaniyan (True Stories). His poems are anthologised in Ruba-i-Shikas. He also wrote a play, Chota Khuda Me. He edited an Urdu magazine, Khabar.

Andalib Shadani believed that Urdu should be the state language of Pakistan. Nevertheless, he took part in the centennial celebrations of rabindranath tagore in 1961. He received the Daud Award in 1968 for his work Tahqiq-ki-Roshni. Andalib Shadani died on 29 July 1969 in Dhaka. [Ayub Hossain] [Hossain, Ayub Writer and researcher, Dhaka]