Identity: Eminent Critic, Researcher, Premchand Scholar, Poet, and Representative Writer of Progressive Thought

Qamar Rais (original name: Musahib Ali Khan) was born on 12 July 1932 in Mohalla Ahmadpura, Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. He belonged to a scholarly and literary family. His father was Maulvi Abdul Ali Khan and his mother was Mukhtar Begum, while his wife’s name was Rais Bano.

Qamar Rais received his early education at Mission High School, Shahjahanpur. He passed matriculation in 1948 from Husainabad Government High School, Lucknow, completed Intermediate in 1950 from Gandhi Faiz-e-Aam College, Shahjahanpur, earned a B.A. degree from Agra University in 1952, and an LL.B. degree from Lucknow University in 1954. Later, he completed his M.A. in Urdu from Nagpur University in 1955. In 1958, he obtained his PhD from Aligarh Muslim University on the topic “A Critical Study of Premchand as a Novelist” under the supervision of the renowned scholar Prof. Rashid Ahmad Siddiqui.

In 1959, he joined the Department of Urdu at Delhi University as a lecturer and later served as Reader, Professor, and Head of the Department. He also served as a Visiting Professor at Delhi University.

Qamar Rais remained Director of the Indian Cultural Centre in Tashkent for five years. He was elected General Secretary of the Anjuman-e-Asatiza-e-Urdu Jamiaat five times and also served for eighteen years as the General Secretary of the Progressive Writers’ Association. He was the first Urdu professor to be honored by the UGC as a “National Lecturer.” In 2001, Tashkent University conferred upon him an honorary PhD degree.

Qamar Rais is regarded as one of the leading representatives of progressive and Marxist criticism in Urdu literature. Although he is primarily remembered as a distinguished Premchand scholar, he also focused on social, psychological, and cultural issues in his criticism. His critical thought reflects ideas of socialism, human freedom, social justice, and cultural harmony. He attempted to interpret progressive literature not merely as a political ideology but as a broader humanistic and cultural movement.

Apart from being a critic, Qamar Rais was also a poet. His poetry collection Shaam-e-Nauroz contains thought-provoking poems and ghazals.

Several important literary journals were published under his editorship, including Mahnama Adeeb (Aligarh), Seh-Maahi Aab-o-Gul (Delhi), Mahnama Asri Agahi, and Naya Safar.

His important books include Premchand ka Tanqeedi Mutala‘a, Premchand: Fikr-o-Fan, Premchand Bahaisiyat Novel Nigaar, Tanqeedi Tanazur, Tabeer-o-Tahleel, Talash-o-Tawazun, Urdu Mein Beesveen Sadi ka Afsanavi Adab, Tarjuma ka Fun aur Riwayat, Urdu Adab Mein Tanz-o-Mazah ki Riwayat, and Uzbekistan: Inquilab se Inquilab Tak.

His contributions in editing and compilation are equally significant. He edited important works such as Taraqqi Pasand Adab: Pachaas Sala Safar, Josh Malihabadi: Khusoosi Mutala‘a, Naya Afsana: Masail aur Mailanat, Muasir Urdu Ghazal: Masail-o-Mailanat, Mazameen-e-Premchand, and Munshi Premchand: Shakhsiyat aur Karnamay.

Among his notable translations are Beesveen Sadi ki Uzbek Shayari, Armaghan-e-Tashkent, and Naghma-e-Kashmir, through which he introduced Urdu readers to the culture, poetry, and intellectual traditions of Central Asia.

Death: Qamar Rais passed away on 29 April 2009 in Delhi.