Majeed Amjad one of Pakistan's Most Philosophical Poet

Syed Majeed Akhtar, better known as Majeed Amjad, was born on 16 May 1914 in Kamalia, which is a town near Sahiwal in Punjab. He was the son of a family of poets and writers – who are led by the father, Syed Mir Hassan who is also an accomplished poet.

From childhood Malik had evident talent for writing poetry and poetry became existential need to him. The first of his poems was written in the age of 8. In school, he was a student who was writing poems in the school magazine which he signed with a pseudo name “Majeed”. This pseudonym was something that clung on to him. He was then widely recognized as Majeed Amjad.

Being one of the first students to enter the Aligarh Muslim University after it was reopened after the independence, Majeed graduated with a degree in law. But the reason for his existence was versifying. Within no time, he was basking in the limelight and was one of the key figures in the popular Progressive Writer’s Movement of the 1930-40s period and was also a pioneer of modern Urdu poetry.

Unlike the classical poets who make use of elevated styles of language and deal with highbrow subjects, Majeed wrote poems in a simple yet endearing manner that addressed issues of everyday life. Thus, the language of his poetry was understandable and familiar to the common people in most cases. He had many the poetry collections published like Jhok Ka Jahaaz, Gumaan, Nishat-e-Zindagi and Khushion Ka Baagh among others.

Among Majeed Amjad’s outstanding poem are “Awara“, “Kabhi Kuch Kaho“, “Aik Larki” and “Dunya Daarul Mukafaat Hay“. Drama studios of late 18th century moneyed classes become the favourite social spot to meet elites and all those who count, so that Majeed earns a reputation for “The People’s Poet“- the one who understands human suffering most powerfully and shows compassion to The level of during the peak of his fame was so high that crowds would throng his recitals.

Apart from involving with the job of writing poetry, Majeed edited a number of literary magazines such as “Nairang-e-Khayal” and “Adab-e-Latif“. Besides, he made television shows about a particular poet and the celebrity writers in the course of his career when he was old.

Majeed Amjad had a simple and unobtrusive existence, he never married and died in Lahore on December 22, 1974 at the age of 60. Yet he has passed away leaving behind a deep impact of his works in the Urdu literature. In todays, the fact of life that is nearly 5 decades since his death, Majeed Amjad’s poetry still lives on in the hearts of the readers and poetry aficionados. The Pakistani Government awarded him one of the greatest civilian awards, a star of excellence, for his contribution in the field of literature.