Muhammad Husain Azad (Urdu: Mammad usn zd; 18301910), known as Ehsa rote both prose and poetry. But he is mostly remembered for his prose and is con sidered one of the best Urdu prose writers. His best known work is Aab-e-Hayat ( meaning "Elixir of Life"). Contents 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Early life and family Education Career Works See also References External linksEarly life and family Azad was born in Delhi in a highly educated Persian immigrant family. His mother died when he was four years old. His father, Muhammad Baqir (c.1810-1857), was educated at the newly founded Delhi College. Besides his many other activities h e worked in the British administration. In early 1837, Muhammad Baqir bought a p ress and launched the Dihli Urdu Akhbaar (Delhi Urdu Newspaper), which was proba bly the first Urdu newspaper in north India. Muhammad Baqir was executed for sid ing with Mughals and joining the rebellion in 1857. Azad was the only son of Muhammad Baqir and was married to Aghai Begum, daughter of another Persian immigrant family. Following his father's death and a period of turmoil in Delhi, Azad migrated to Lahore in 1861 strange but true Education Around 1845, he enrolled at Delhi College in the Urdu-medium 'Oriental' section, which offered Arabic and Persian rather than English. He pursued his studies fo r some eight years before graduating in 1854. Career After struggling for years he gradually settled down in Lahore and started teach ing at the newly founded (1864) Government College, Lahore, and later at Orienta l College, Lahore, created under the auspices of Anjuman-e-Punjab (Punjab Societ y). In Lahore he came in contact of G. W. Leitner, who was the Principal and fou nder of Anjuman-e-Punjab. Anjuman-e-Punjab's mission was solely cultural and aca demic. It arranged public lectures, established a free library and reading room, compiled educational texts and translations in Indian languages, and establishe d Lahore's famous Oriental College. The Anjuman was actively supported by leadin g British officials of the time and was considered a success. In 1866 Azad becam e a regularly paid lecturer on behalf of the Anjuman and a year later he became its secretary. In 1887 he established the Azad Library, which earned him praise and the title of "Shams ul-ulam" (Sun among the Learned). After undergoing great personal, health and mental losses, Azad died in Lahore in 1910 at the age of ei ghty. Among his literary students, who learnt prose and poetry writing from him, was Hakim Ahmad Shuja. Works Qisas ul-hind ("Stories of India") - 1869 Nairang-e Khiyl ("The Wonder-World of Thought") - 1880 b-e Hayt ("Water of Life/Elixir") - 1880 Sair-i Iran - 1886. Sukhandn-e frs ("On Iranian Poets") - completed in 1887 and published in 1907.Darbr-e akbar ("The Court of Akbar") - 1898 See also Revolt of 1857 Ibrahim Zauq Altaf Hussain Hali Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner Sir Syed Ahmad Khan Anjuman-e-Punjab Hakim Ahmad Shuja Aslam Farrukhi References External links Table of Contents -- Digital South Asia Library at dsal.uchicago.edu Aab-eHa yat link to 1907 edition printed Naval Kishore Press, Lahore. [1] at dsal.uchicago.edu Aab-eHayat link to English Translation, Translated and edited by Frances W. Pritchett, in association with Shamsur Rahman Faruqi [2] NIC, India link history of Urdu of Urdu Literature [3] NIC, India link history of Urdu of Urdu Literature [4] Ghalib and the revolution of 1857 at www.interface.edu.pk Authority control VIAF: 39538143 Categories: Indian people Indian Muslims Indian educationists Muslim reformers People from Delhi 1830 births 1910 deaths Indian writers People from Uttar Pradesh Urdu-language writers Muslim writers People from Lahore Navigation menu Create account Log in Article Talk Read Edit source Editbeta View history Main page ContentsFeatured content Current events Random article Donate to Wikipedia Interaction Help About Wikipedia Community portal Recent changes Contact page Toolbox Print/export Languages Edit links This page was last modified on 4 June 2013 at 18:59. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use a nd Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.,