Born On: February 9, 1913
Born In: Kapurthala, Punjab
Died On: August 19, 1986
Career: Urdu Poet
Nationality: Indian
Fame came to Mehr Lal Soni very early in life, even before he went to college. His knack for composing poems in Urdu was recognized and celebrated in Urdu poetic circles long before he found fame throughout the subcontinent.
His talent and love for Urdu poetry blossomed during his childhood and grew into a large tree as he went from strength to strength composing his melodious poems.
His poems, or ghazals and nazams, were characterized by their ability to touch the heart and mind because of their soft and sweet melody and powerful themes.
At the same time, his hand was quite good at prose and the different formats of poetry. He was also quite at ease in molding himself to the changing trends in Urdu literature and this reflected in his ghazals, sonnets, rubiaats and nazms.
His voluminous work in Urdu language shows his enormous command and mastery over the language. His work in over six decades had ensured that he is counted as one of the foremost exponent of the Urdu language. It can safely be said that Mehr Lal added simplicity to colorful Urdu poetry.
Childhood & Early Life
Born in 1913 in Kapurthala, Punjab, Mehr Lal Soni Fatehabadi was the eldest born of a Civil Engineer, Munshi Ram Soni and Shankari Devi.
Later in life he adopted the name Zia meaning light as his pen name on the suggestion of his teacher Ghulaam Qadir Farkh Amritsari.
He was born into a family whose pedigree can be traced to the Mogul era, when his forefathers migrated to Punjab from Rajasthan. Written records from his family priests show that his great-great-great grandfather was Tansukh Rai Soni.
Mehr Lal started his education from the Khalsa Middle School, in Peshawar in 1920 but in 1923 shifted to Maharaja High School, in Rajasthan and completed his schooling in 1929.
Mehr Lal went to Lahore in 1930 and received his B.A degree in Persian in 1933 and Masters in English in 1935 from Forman Christian College.
After completing his Master’s, Mehr Lal joined the Reserve Bank of India in 1936, in Delhi, and after 35 years of service, he retired in July 1971. During the course of his service, he was posted to Madras, Bombay and Kanpur.
His Works
Urdu Poetry
Tullu (Dawn)
Noor-e-Mashriq (The Light of the East)
Zia Ke Sau Sher (A Hundred Verses of Zia)
Nai Subah (The New Morn)
Gard-e-Raah (The Road Dust)
Husn-e-Ghazal (The beauty of Ghazal)
Dhoop Aur Chandni (Sunlight & Moonlight)
Rang-o-Noor (The Colour and the Light)
Soch ka Safar (The Journey of Thought)
Naram garam hawain (The soft Warm Air)
Meri Tasveer (My Portrait)
The Qat'aat-o-Rubaiyat of Zia Fatehabadi in Urdu text and English Translation)
Urdu Prose
Zaaviyaha-e-nigaah (The viewpoint)
Suraj doob gayaa (The sun has Set ~ short stories)
Masnad-e-sadaarat se (From the Podium ~ presidential addresses)
Seemab baanaam Zia (Seemab to Zia ~ letters of Seemab to Zia)
Zikr-e-Seemab (About Seemab ~Biography of Seemab)
Sher aur Shair (The Verse and the Poet ~ essays)
Muzaameen-e-Zia (The Essays of Zia)
Zia Fatehabadi ke Khatoot (Letters of Zia Fatehabadi).
Style
Mehr Lal wrote rubiaats, qatehs, geets, ghazals, nazms and sonnets, but it is the mastery and command over nazams and ghazals that he is best remembered for.
While strictly not under any particular literary group, his compositions seemed to have the traces of many groups.
His works have been known for their lyrical beauty, and lucid phrases, which addressed his deepest thoughts and feelings in a delicate and soulful manner. However, the compositions remain rooted in their classical style.
Personal Life
He married Raj Kumari, the daughter of Murli Ram Berera in the year 1942. They had six sons.
Death
In 1986, after a prolonged illness, Mehr Lal Zia Fatehabadi passed away at Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi
_______________________________________
Select Reading:
List of books in Urdu on the life and works of Zia Fatehabadi:
Budha Darakhat (The Old Tree) ~ Biography of Zia Fatehabadi written by Dr. Zarina Sani.
Zia Fatehabadi – Shakhs aur Shair (Zia Fatehabadi ~ The Person and the Poet) – Critical appraisal of Zia Fatehabadi's life and work by Malik Ram.
Zia Fatehabadi Number Oct.1986 issue of Hamaari Zabaan published by Anjuman-e-Taraqi Urdu Hind (Delhi).
Zia-e-Urdu ~ Special issue of Nov.1985 by Saphia Siddiqui on behalf of Adara-e-Adab, London UK
Anjahaani Mehr Lal Soni Zia Fatehabadi ~ Hayaat aur Karnaame 1989 Doctoral Dissertation on the and works of Zia Fatehabadi presented by Dr. Shabbir Iqbal of Bombay University.
Zia Fatehabadi Number Special Commerative December 2015 issue of Urdu Monthly-The SHAIR~Mumbai.
Zia-e-Urdu - Zia Fatehabadi, articles written by Prof. Ali Ahmed Fatami, HOD Urdu Dept. St. John College, Agra, India.
Dr. Shahida Dilawar Shah of Forman Christian College, Lahore; and other prominent Urdu academicians and litterateurs on the life and works of Zia Fatehabadi, edited by Saliha Siddiqui and published in 2016 by Book Corporation, Delhi
Special Number Banaam Mehr Lal Soni Zia Fatehabadi October 2016 Special Issue of Monthly ‘Asbaque’, Pune (India), edited by Nazeer Fatehpuri.
Born In: Kapurthala, Punjab
Died On: August 19, 1986
Career: Urdu Poet
Nationality: Indian
Fame came to Mehr Lal Soni very early in life, even before he went to college. His knack for composing poems in Urdu was recognized and celebrated in Urdu poetic circles long before he found fame throughout the subcontinent.
His talent and love for Urdu poetry blossomed during his childhood and grew into a large tree as he went from strength to strength composing his melodious poems.
His poems, or ghazals and nazams, were characterized by their ability to touch the heart and mind because of their soft and sweet melody and powerful themes.
At the same time, his hand was quite good at prose and the different formats of poetry. He was also quite at ease in molding himself to the changing trends in Urdu literature and this reflected in his ghazals, sonnets, rubiaats and nazms.
His voluminous work in Urdu language shows his enormous command and mastery over the language. His work in over six decades had ensured that he is counted as one of the foremost exponent of the Urdu language. It can safely be said that Mehr Lal added simplicity to colorful Urdu poetry.
Childhood & Early Life
Born in 1913 in Kapurthala, Punjab, Mehr Lal Soni Fatehabadi was the eldest born of a Civil Engineer, Munshi Ram Soni and Shankari Devi.
Later in life he adopted the name Zia meaning light as his pen name on the suggestion of his teacher Ghulaam Qadir Farkh Amritsari.
He was born into a family whose pedigree can be traced to the Mogul era, when his forefathers migrated to Punjab from Rajasthan. Written records from his family priests show that his great-great-great grandfather was Tansukh Rai Soni.
Mehr Lal started his education from the Khalsa Middle School, in Peshawar in 1920 but in 1923 shifted to Maharaja High School, in Rajasthan and completed his schooling in 1929.
Mehr Lal went to Lahore in 1930 and received his B.A degree in Persian in 1933 and Masters in English in 1935 from Forman Christian College.
After completing his Master’s, Mehr Lal joined the Reserve Bank of India in 1936, in Delhi, and after 35 years of service, he retired in July 1971. During the course of his service, he was posted to Madras, Bombay and Kanpur.
His Works
Urdu Poetry
Tullu (Dawn)
Noor-e-Mashriq (The Light of the East)
Zia Ke Sau Sher (A Hundred Verses of Zia)
Nai Subah (The New Morn)
Gard-e-Raah (The Road Dust)
Husn-e-Ghazal (The beauty of Ghazal)
Dhoop Aur Chandni (Sunlight & Moonlight)
Rang-o-Noor (The Colour and the Light)
Soch ka Safar (The Journey of Thought)
Naram garam hawain (The soft Warm Air)
Meri Tasveer (My Portrait)
The Qat'aat-o-Rubaiyat of Zia Fatehabadi in Urdu text and English Translation)
Urdu Prose
Zaaviyaha-e-nigaah (The viewpoint)
Suraj doob gayaa (The sun has Set ~ short stories)
Masnad-e-sadaarat se (From the Podium ~ presidential addresses)
Seemab baanaam Zia (Seemab to Zia ~ letters of Seemab to Zia)
Zikr-e-Seemab (About Seemab ~Biography of Seemab)
Sher aur Shair (The Verse and the Poet ~ essays)
Muzaameen-e-Zia (The Essays of Zia)
Zia Fatehabadi ke Khatoot (Letters of Zia Fatehabadi).
Style
Mehr Lal wrote rubiaats, qatehs, geets, ghazals, nazms and sonnets, but it is the mastery and command over nazams and ghazals that he is best remembered for.
While strictly not under any particular literary group, his compositions seemed to have the traces of many groups.
His works have been known for their lyrical beauty, and lucid phrases, which addressed his deepest thoughts and feelings in a delicate and soulful manner. However, the compositions remain rooted in their classical style.
Personal Life
He married Raj Kumari, the daughter of Murli Ram Berera in the year 1942. They had six sons.
Death
In 1986, after a prolonged illness, Mehr Lal Zia Fatehabadi passed away at Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi
_______________________________________
Select Reading:
List of books in Urdu on the life and works of Zia Fatehabadi:
Budha Darakhat (The Old Tree) ~ Biography of Zia Fatehabadi written by Dr. Zarina Sani.
Zia Fatehabadi – Shakhs aur Shair (Zia Fatehabadi ~ The Person and the Poet) – Critical appraisal of Zia Fatehabadi's life and work by Malik Ram.
Zia Fatehabadi Number Oct.1986 issue of Hamaari Zabaan published by Anjuman-e-Taraqi Urdu Hind (Delhi).
Zia-e-Urdu ~ Special issue of Nov.1985 by Saphia Siddiqui on behalf of Adara-e-Adab, London UK
Anjahaani Mehr Lal Soni Zia Fatehabadi ~ Hayaat aur Karnaame 1989 Doctoral Dissertation on the and works of Zia Fatehabadi presented by Dr. Shabbir Iqbal of Bombay University.
Zia Fatehabadi Number Special Commerative December 2015 issue of Urdu Monthly-The SHAIR~Mumbai.
Zia-e-Urdu - Zia Fatehabadi, articles written by Prof. Ali Ahmed Fatami, HOD Urdu Dept. St. John College, Agra, India.
Dr. Shahida Dilawar Shah of Forman Christian College, Lahore; and other prominent Urdu academicians and litterateurs on the life and works of Zia Fatehabadi, edited by Saliha Siddiqui and published in 2016 by Book Corporation, Delhi
Special Number Banaam Mehr Lal Soni Zia Fatehabadi October 2016 Special Issue of Monthly ‘Asbaque’, Pune (India), edited by Nazeer Fatehpuri.