Siddiqui, Khondkar Shamsuddin Mohammad

Siddiqui, Khondkar Shamsuddin Mohammad (1808-1870) the first Muslim prose writer of the nineteenth century, was born in Sarbamangal village of Burdwan district in west bengal. His father, Khondkar Gholam Farid, was a p'i'r. Siddiqui was noted for his command over sufism and philosophy. He won over many people to the fakiri philosophy (of renunciation). Two important books written by him are Bh'a'bal'a'bh (The attainment of the inmost ideology, 1853) and Uchit Shraba'n' arth'a't P'a'ram'a'rthik Bh'a'b (Essential Listening on Thoughts on the Ultimate Reality, 1860). While the first book is in verse, the second is a mixture of verse and prose, but both are concerned with Sufism.

The language of Shamsuddin is modern, yet obscure. But his poetic diction is highly imaginative, lucid and thoughtful. His verses composed in the fashion of songs testify to his poetic genius. His song-A'm'a'r pr'an'-preyas'i' sarad shash'i' h'a'syabadan'i'/ d'i'rghan'a'si kutilakesh'i' m'r'ganayan'i' / jij'va'sile kehe tumi, kail'a's anugata 'a'mi / y'a'be koth'a' jij'v'asila 'a'b'a'r k'a'min'i (O my darling, you are gleeful like the full moon/ long-nosed with unkempt hair and eyes like deer, if wonder, who are you? / Devoted to Kailas, said I/ Where will you go? asked the lady again)-in his Uchit Sraba'n has affinities with the ghazal form. [Wakil Ahmed] [Ahmed, Wakil former Vice Chancellor, National University]