Arjan Dev Majboor: Famous Kashmiri Poet

      (Photo of Famous Kashmiri Poet Arjan                                  Dev Majboor) 

(Family Photograph of Kashmiri Poet Arjan                            Dev Majboor) 

Arjan Dev Majboor was a scholar, teacher, humanist and above all a poet of repute. He was famous in literary and linguistic circles and with hard work and concentration as well as by his poetry, he created an exalted position in J&K’s literary circles. Majboor Saheb was a villager, simple, honest, punctual, hard-working and down-to-earth man. He was well educated and qualified. He was MA Hindi and BT and he wrote poetry in Hindi, Urdu and Kashmiri. Arjan Dev has also penned down several books. Pt. Arjan Dev Majboor was a well known poet and educationist and was born on 16th of August 1924 at Zanapora, district Pulwama Kashmir. For over six decades he was busy writing poetry and contributing immensely in research on History and culture of Kashmir. In his family there was an environment of education and Persian books were in his ancestral home in Zanapora. He was deeply influenced by Persian language and was thus well versed in Persian due to his family influence.From his adulthood, he got leaned to progressive movement and was greatly influenced by  Marxism. So much of his prose and poetry has the fragrance and tinge of progressivism. 

He was also associated with Peasant movement of Jammu and Kashmir.Majboor Saheb had gone to Lahore for his studies and there he was the class mate of one Punjabi student Roshan Lal and he wrote good Urdu and Arjan Dev was greatly influenced by the Urdu writing of Roshan Lal and he began to write poems in Urdu at a young age and some of his poems were published in daily Urdu Newspaper Milap in those good old days. His family had a good collection of books in Persian and also had Shruks of Nund Rishi which had good influence on this poet of repute. Unfortunately, these collection of Persian books, Shruks of Nund Rishi were lost in the fire in 1992 due to militancy. He grew up in an environment where Persian metaphors were heard more then Kashmiri. He was interested in language, literature and culture from his childhood and he has purchased a book written by Mehjoor who was a great poet and revolutionary. This poet was associated with Left movement in Kashmir from 1947 to 1990.Mejboor has written much mainly on writers front and also worked  at Trade Union Level among teachers. During his Lahore days he has purchased a book entitled as ‘Samyavad Hi Qiyon’ (why Socialism) authored by Rahul Sankrityan.Majbboor admitted that this book brought big change in his life and he became involved and interested in Progressive and left movement. This book brough a change in his ideology and he began to consider himself a Marxist. 

As a student of DAV school of Magarmal Bagh Srinagar his political, and literary journey started. This was the time when far-reaching political changes were taking place in Kashmir. The Pakistani raiders were at the doorsteps of Kashmir and they have come near to Srinagar. Kashmiri Pandits were in panic and were making preparations for fleeing Kashmir.He spearheaded All Kashmir Teachers Federation. He remained general secretary of teachers federation for three years although he was then working in a private school.Later on he was appointed as a government school teacher. During the tribal raid days he some how met Pt. Dina Nath Nadim a poet of repute and a progressive writer and poet and he invited Majboor to attend the weekly meetings of Kashmir Progressive Writers Association. His poetry developed in cultural congress but he realised that India had given much more to world. He belived in art for life’s sake but at the same time disliked mannerism and sloganeering of the progressive movement. 

He acknowledged that at that time politics outshined poetry and art and poetry was engrossed in politics and there remained little fun and literature in writings of those days.Cultural congress a progressive organisation published monthly journal called in Kashmiri Kongposh. Majboor was the sub editor of Kngposh.Two of his short stories ‘Kolehwaan' and ‘Soneh Vudar’ were published in this journal. During this period, he recited and published one of his poems in Navyug, a journal edited by Pt. Lambodar Tikoo. Some couplets of his poem is Kashmiri Language is given as under:- 

Nakhas Peth Levan Hyeth,

Assan Groos Ta Vuchh,

Mazurs Dapan.

Vanya Karav Tajdari Chah 

Amaneech Ta Jumohorich 

Krakh Chohpori.

The Kashmiri literature was enriched by the progressive cultural movement.Kashmiri literature and language flourished.Mejboor translated many of Shivdan Singh Chohan’s writings for Kongposh. Kashmiri language which had Sufiyana singers, was brought closer to the masses who began realising its significance.In those days of prose and poetry, there was emphasis to eliminate or lessen the problems and issues of the common man and focus was on anti-imperialism literature. His trade union work took him to the nook and corner of Kashmir where he made people aware about the progressive movement and Marxism. During the DNC period he was victimised by Bakshi regime. Arjan Dev was transferred to Leh. But his economic condition was not good and his wife was sick and Nadim Shab pleaded he should be transferred back to Kashmir but CM Bashi Gulam Mohammed feigned innocence but later on he was transferred to Govt School Dooru. 

His longer poems are Tyol-(pangs) Padi-Samayikh (Footprints of time), Wavasqun (Towards wind) and the Tyol poem is his masterpiece. Majboor was a good translator and he has translated Kali Das’s Meghdut in Kashmiri giving it the title ‘obre Shech'. He also translated Rajtarangni n Kashmiri. Arjan Dec compiled verses of Lala Lakhyman, The Kulliyat-i-Lal Lakhymn. He has authored many books and some are with the JKCA. Majboor penned down Aman Ta Zindagi, Dazvain Kosam, his Dashhaar contains poems written between 1973-1983. His book Leaves of Chinar is the translation done by Shri R.K Bharti. He did not stop writing in the exile and he continued his writings despite his failing heath. He wrote Vanvas (exile). He, has twenty- one books to his credit. But still he did not receive the recognition which he deserved. Majboor Shahib passed way on 15th December 2010 at his Jammu residence of RamaKrishna Vihar. This great man and poet of immense will be remembered for years to come for his poetry and contribution to language and literature of Kashmir.