Professor Md. Ehasnul Haque—better known by his pen name, Kausar Mazhari—is a prominent Urdu poet, literary critic, and academic, whose scholarship has significantly shaped modern readings of Urdu Nazm and allied genres over the last three decades. Currently serving as Professor in the Department of Urdu at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), New Delhi, his oeuvre includes fourteen books alongside more than fifty critical and research articles published in leading Urdu journals and magazines. His work is guided by a clear and deeply held credo: “read innocently and write honestly,” a maxim that underpins his balanced method of close reading and cultural critique. Recognized by key literary and cultural institutions such as the Delhi Urdu Academy, Bihar Urdu Academy, the Sahitya Akademi, and the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL), Mazhari has consolidated a formidable reputation as a scholar who bridges tradition and modernity, aesthetics and ethics, and textual interpretation with public pedagogy.

Early Years: From Science to Letters
Born on 5 August 1964 in the village of Chandanbara, East Champaran (Bihar), Kausar Mazhari’s early life followed a path that reveals both the breadth of his interests and the depth of his eventual literary vocation. He received his primary education in a government school in his village and completed his matriculation at Maulana Azad High School, Khairawa. He then moved to M. S. College, Motihari—his district town—where he graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, concentrating in Botany with Zoology and Chemistry as subsidiary subjects. Even during these early scientific studies, his fascination with literature, particularly Urdu poetry, remained vivid and formative. This intellectual inclination eventually prompted a decisive reorientation; he enrolled for B.A. (Hons) in Urdu and progressed toward a sustained study of Urdu literature at the postgraduate level. The shift from science to the humanities was not merely a change of academic field but an affirmation of a longstanding literary calling.

His postgraduate studies culminated in an M.A. in Urdu Literature, and he pursued doctoral research at Jamia Millia Islamia, working under the supervision of Professor Shamim Hanfi, one of the most eminent scholars and critics in Urdu. During his time in Patna for higher studies, he also engaged in preparation for the Civil Services Examinations for over a year—an experience that he would eventually set aside as he returned with renewed conviction to the literary life. This constellation of experiences enriched his approach to scholarship, imbuing it with both analytical rigor and a reflective sensitivity to the cultural matrices in which literary forms evolve.

Formation of a Scholar-Teacher
Before joining the university, Mazhari briefly served in the school education system, having qualified for a Bihar state-level teaching competition. In 1996, he joined a high school in Balour, Manigachi, in the Darbhanga district. The institutional environment, however, did not match his academic aspirations, and he soon returned to Delhi with a clearer sense of purpose. In October 1997, he joined the Department of Urdu at Jamia Millia Islamia as a lecturer on an ad-hoc basis. His dedication, scholarly promise, and teaching acumen were recognized with a permanent appointment on 10 August 1998. In the year 2000, he was awarded the Ph.D. His academic journey at JMI progressed steadily: he became Associate Professor on 10 August 2010 and Professor on 10 August 2013. This progression narrates not only an institutional ascent but a sustained commitment to teaching, mentoring, and building a vibrant intellectual culture around Urdu studies.

Scholarly Focus and Intellectual Orientation
Mazhari’s declared specialization is in Urdu Nazm and Literary Criticism, but his intellectual curiosity extends broadly across Urdu poetry and its theoretical underpinnings. He combines attentive textual analysis with a sense of historical continuity and aesthetic evaluation, producing criticism that is both nuanced and accessible. His scholarship frequently addresses issues of genre identity, modernist poetics, intertextual sensibilities, and the moral and cultural stakes of literary expression. The balance he maintains between heritage and innovation is evident in his choice of subjects, from classical figures like Zauq to twentieth-century icons such as Meeraji, Faiz, and Waheed Akhtar. This breadth has allowed him to function as both an archivist of tradition and a cartographer of literary modernity in Urdu.

Books and Monographs: Mapping a Modern Canon
His fourteen books span research, criticism, monographs, fiction, poetry, translation, and editorial work, reflecting a multifaceted literary life. Among his most notable critical studies is Jadeed Nazm: Hali se Miraji Tak, a work that positions modern Urdu poetry within a grand arc of transformation and aesthetic renegotiation. The book’s reception, along with its subsequent editions, speaks to its ongoing relevance for students and scholars alike. Equally influential is Jawaz-o-Intekhab, a major intervention in the discourse on the post-1980 ghazal, which marked an intellectual effort to understand and curate the shifting textual landscape of contemporary Urdu poetry. Collections like Jurat-e-Afkar and Qirat Aur Mukalema further demonstrate his range, collecting essays that marry careful analysis with a concern for larger literary values and methods. The latter volume received awards from both the Delhi Urdu Academy and the Bihar Urdu Academy, underscoring the recognition of his critical contributions across regional and national forums.

As a monograph writer, Mazhari has contributed significant portraits of major literary figures, including Waheed Akhtar (published by the Sahitya Akademi), Faaiz Dehelvi (Delhi Urdu Academy), and Shaikh Mohammad Ibraheem Zauq (NCPUL). These works combine biographical framing with critical appraisal, highlighting continuities and departures in each author’s oeuvre, and situating them within broader currents of Urdu literature. Such monographs are not only essential reading for established scholars but also accessible entry points for newer audiences seeking to understand the genealogy of Urdu poetic thought.

Creative Writing: Poetry and Fiction
Kausar Mazhari’s creative practice complements his scholarly pursuits. His novel Aankh Jo Sochti Hai showcases his narrative sensibility, while the poetry collection Maazi Ka Aainda offers a lyrical exploration rooted in modernist reflection and personal ethos. Earlier, his long poem Jan-e-Chaman—constructed on the classical pattern of 72 musaddas—demonstrates a deep engagement with form and tradition, and his collection Arsh-o-Taiba presents devotional verse in hamd and na’at, indicating the breadth of his expressive range. Translation, too, features in his creative output, including a translated novel from Khalil Gibran and short story translations for the National Book Trust. Together, these works situate him as a writer whose criticism is nourished by a living practice of poetry and fiction.

Articles and Essays: A Critical Ledger
In addition to books, Mazhari has published an extensive roster of essays and articles in major Urdu journals and periodicals, including Risala Jamia, Aajkal, Fikr-o-Tahqeeq, Aiwan-e-Urdu, Urdu Duniya, and others. His writing spans a wide array of subjects: from classical and modern poets to genre studies and literary theory, from the aesthetics of Ghalib’s poetics to readings of Meeraji’s Nazm universe, from the intellectual anxieties in Josh Malihabadi’s verse to thematic analyses of Kaifi Azmi and Firaq. He has engaged with the cultural continuities in Makhdoom’s poetry, the social-temporal concerns in Sardar Jafri’s iconic poem “Nai Duniya Ko Salam,” and the critical heritage of figures like Shibli, Kalimuddin Ahmad, and Wahab Ashrafi. The archive of his critical writing reflects persistent interests in poetics, aesthetics, cultural history, and the modern Urdu canon’s evolving boundaries.

Recognition and Awards
Mazhari’s contributions have been acknowledged by multiple awards across institutions. Delhi Urdu Academy recognized his Jawaz-o-Intekhab in 2001 and, along with the Bihar Urdu Academy, conferred awards for Qirat Aur Mukalema in 2010. The Bihar Urdu Academy also honored Jadeed Nazm: Hali Se Miraji Tak in 2006 and Bazdeed Aur Tabserey in 2015, affirming the critical value and reception of his scholarship at state and national levels. In 2001, All India Radio, Delhi, conferred upon him a Playwright Award, attesting to the breadth of his engagement with literary forms and media beyond the printed page. These distinctions punctuate a career marked by steady, influential contributions to Urdu letters.

Teaching and Mentorship: Building Pedagogical Lineages
A dedicated teacher and mentor, Mazhari has supervised a number of Ph.D. and M.Phil dissertations across themes central to Urdu literary history and criticism. His doctoral supervisees have studied subjects such as the landscapes of nature in Urdu Nazm, the contributions of Chishtiya khanqahs to the rise and diffusion of Urdu literature, and comprehensive lexicographic treatments like Farhang-e-Abul Kalamiyat. Other dissertations have focused on major prose traditions and literary figures, including Bano Qudsia’s fiction, Firaq Gorakhpuri’s prose works, and the satirical essays of Mushtaque Ahmad Yusufi. These supervisory engagements demonstrate his interest in a range of literary forms and his commitment to training scholars who can read across genres and epochs with methodological rigor.

At the M.Phil level, he has guided projects on poets like Jameel Mazhari, novelists such as Sohail Azeemabadi and Shafaque, and critics such as Mazhar Imam, alongside thematic studies on Raja Gidh, Ada Jafri’s autobiography, and genre-focused analyses. The spread of topics underscores not only the diversity of Urdu studies but also the ability of a mentor to nurture specialized research that speaks to larger debates in literary history and theory. In all these roles, Mazhari’s guidance emphasizes ethical reading, precise argumentation, and a historically attentive sense of literary value.

Institutional Leadership and Service
Within Jamia Millia Islamia, Mazhari has undertaken important academic and cultural responsibilities. He has served as Advisor to Bazm-e-Jamia, the Urdu Subject Association, since 2015, fostering a space for student scholarship and literary engagement. Earlier, he convened the Literary Society under the Jamia Cultural Committee (2010–2012), and served on the advisory board for the university magazine Tahzeeb (2007–2008). His advisory role for Humsukhan, the Department of Urdu’s wall magazine, further reflects his investment in nurturing student voices and literary cultures within the university. Such roles have a profound impact on the intellectual ecology of a department, creating opportunities for discourse, publication, and performance that complement classroom learning.

Beyond the university, his academic service includes membership in the Research Degree Committee for the Department of Urdu at Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, and the Undergraduate Board of Studies at M.D. University, Rohtak. He has also been part of the Board of Studies of All India Taleemi Ghar, Lucknow, and served on the Sahitya Akademi’s Translation Award Jury. These positions speak to a wider trust in his academic judgment and to his contributions to curricular development, standards of research, and the recognition of literary excellence.

Conferences, Seminars, and Public Scholarship
Mazhari’s public engagements are extensive, reflecting a career-long commitment to sharing scholarship in forums that connect academia with wider literary communities. He has presented papers and delivered lectures at national and international events organized by Delhi Urdu Academy, Sahitya Akademi, Ghalib Institute, government cultural departments, and multiple universities across India. Topics have ranged from Urdu satire and humor to the modern Nazm, from the legacies of Hali, Faiz, and Shibli to interdisciplinary concerns such as science in Urdu prose and the mutual influences of Urdu and Hindi within shared civilizational contexts.

Internationally, he has presented at the Bazm-e-Urdu Qatar in Doha on Bahadur Shah Zafar, which also included a mushaira, illustrating his dual identity as a scholar and creative writer. His invited lecture on “Urdu Nazm Ka Irteqa” at Ranchi University stands as a representative instance of his ability to synthesize literary history with critical interpretation for diverse audiences. Further, he has organized and convened events, including a national seminar on Jameel Mazhari at the Ghalib Institute, underlining his role in curating and sustaining scholarly conversations on key figures and themes within Urdu literature.

Curriculum and Editorial Work
Mazhari’s pedagogical reach extends through digital and broadcast media as well. For UGC’s e-Pathshala, he produced structured modules on core subjects in Urdu literary studies, including 12 lessons on Ghalib and 12 on major poetic genres such as Masnavi, Shahr Ashob, Rekhti, Sonnet, Haiku, and Triolet. These modules highlight his ability to distill complex literary-historical material into accessible formats for students and general audiences. On television, he contributed 13 episodes to ETV Urdu on Urdu Imla, reflecting a focus on language pedagogy and orthographic precision. His participation in NCPUL-led dictionary workshops and NCERT textbook preparation signals a longstanding engagement with the shaping of Urdu’s pedagogical infrastructure, from vocabulary standards to classroom materials.

Aesthetic Commitments and Critical Method
At the heart of Mazhari’s work lies an aesthetic commitment to clarity and a methodological emphasis on interpretive responsibility. His essays and books often foreground the ethical dimensions of literary criticism, seeking a balance between evaluative judgment and empathetic understanding. This approach manifests in his careful attention to textual nuance and his resistance to reductive readings of authors whose works straddle multiple traditions and influences. His interest in genre—whether Nazm, qaseeda, or autobiographical prose—invites readers to consider how form itself carries cultural memory, intellectual debates, and imaginative horizons. The recurrent pairing of close reading with contextual framing characterizes a body of criticism that is both deeply literary and conscientiously historicized.

Key Works: A Curated Overview

 

• • Jadeed Nazm: Hali se Miraji Tak: A significant study tracing modern Urdu poetry’s evolution through pivotal voices and aesthetic shifts, bridging reformist poetics and modernist experimentation.

• • Jawaz-o-Intekhab: A critical engagement with post-1980 ghazal, combining curation with critical commentary and contextual insights into changing idioms and sensibilities.

• • Qirat Aur Mukalema: Essays that reflect an ongoing conversation between text and reader, foregrounding interpretive ethics and literary criteria.

• • Jurat-e-Afkar and Baazdeed Aur Tabserey: Collections that showcase range—covering poets, critics, and genres with attention to style, theme, and intellectual lineage.

• • Monographs on Waheed Akhtar, Faaiz Dehelvi, and Shaikh Mohammad Ibraheem Zauq: Focused studies that pair biographical sketches with textual analysis, enriching the reference landscape for Urdu scholars.

• • Maazi Ka Aainda (Poetry) and Aankh Jo Sochti Hai (Novel): Creative works that reflect an intersection of critical insight and artistic sensibility.

Community and Institutional Footprint
Within the academic community, Mazhari’s work has influenced syllabi, guided research agendas, and supported an ecosystem of student publications and literary activities. As Advisor to Bazm-e-Jamia and to departmental student-led magazines, he has promoted initiatives that make literary culture a lived practice within the university. His presence on research and translation juries, as well as on Boards of Studies, has had tangible effects on how Urdu literature is taught, evaluated, and canonized within academic and cultural institutions. The continuity of his service across roles—advisor, convener, jury member, and committee participant—points to a scholar deeply invested in the long-term flourishing of Urdu studies.

Public Presence and Media Outreach
Mazhari’s media engagements underline a commitment to public scholarship. The e-Pathshala modules expand access to quality Urdu literary education, while televised lessons on Urdu Imla make essential language learning available beyond traditional classrooms. Such work aligns with the broader mission of expanding Urdu’s reach and ensuring that literary and linguistic knowledge circulates in formats accessible to diverse audiences, including younger learners and community broadcasters. In a time when digital platforms mediate much of literary pedagogy, these contributions are indispensable.

Timeline and Academic Trajectory

 

• • 1984: B.Sc. (Biology) completed at Bihar University, Muzaffarpur, with Botany (Hons) and subsidiary subjects in Zoology and Chemistry.

• • 1989: B.A. (Hons) Urdu, Bihar University, Muzaffarpur.

• • 1992: M.A. Urdu, Jamia Millia Islamia.

• • 1996: Joined a high school in Darbhanga district through Bihar’s teaching service.

• • 1997: Appointed ad-hoc lecturer, Department of Urdu, Jamia Millia Islamia.

• • 1998: Permanent appointment at JMI (10 August).

• • 2000: Ph.D. awarded by JMI under Professor Shamim Hanfi.

• • 2010: Promoted to Associate Professor (10 August).

• • 2013: Promoted to Professor (10 August).

Selected Academic Engagements and Talks
Mazhari’s conference and seminar participation is extensive, reflecting a consistent presence in literary forums. He has presented on themes such as the stylistics of satire in Urdu poetry, the modern Urdu Nazm, and the interrelations of Urdu-Hindi literature in a shared civilizational space. His engagements with institutions like Delhi Urdu Academy, Ghalib Institute, Sahitya Akademi, and departments across universities—Patna University, CCS University Meerut, Aligarh Muslim University, and JNU’s Centre for Indian Languages—attest to the breadth of his scholarly network and the recognition of his expertise across India. Notably, he has presented internationally on Bahadur Shah Zafar at the Bazm-e-Urdu conference in Doha, and delivered a featured lecture on the evolution of Urdu Nazm at Ranchi University. These appearances demonstrate his ability to address both specialist and general audiences, bringing the debates and delights of Urdu literature to a wide public.

Mentoring Future Scholarship
The scholarly themes of the dissertations he has supervised point to an enduring interest in how Urdu literature registers social, cultural, and aesthetic change. Doctoral work under his supervision includes studies of natural imagery in Urdu Nazm, the subject of Sufi institutional contributions to Urdu culture, lexicographic projects such as Farhang-e-Abul Kalamiyat, and focused literary histories of figures like Bano Qudsia and Firaq. At the M.Phil level, his supervision has guided work on poets, novelists, and critics across a range of periods and movements, including Jameel Mazhari’s national and communal poetics, Sohail Azeemabadi’s fiction, and critical surveys of major novelists and movements. These projects collectively signal an approach to mentorship that is both capacious and exacting.

Publications List: Scope and Depth
The span of Mazhari’s published writings includes:

 

• • Research and critical essays on figures such as Shibli, Majaz, Ghalib, Firaq, Meeraji, Kaifi Azmi, Wahab Danish, and Zafar Gorakhpuri, among others.

• • Thematic and theoretical pieces on modernist aesthetics, poetic motifs, translation, autobiographical prose, and genre studies.

• • Editorial work including a special issue on Hamidi Kashmiri, evidencing editorial leadership and curation.

• • Contributions to popular and academic platforms, reflecting a deliberate effort to bridge scholarly analysis with public readerships.

Institutional Affiliations and Roles
Within the university, Mazhari’s roles have included:

 

• • Advisor, Bazm-e-Jamia (Urdu Subject Association), Department of Urdu, JMI (2015–present).

• • Convener, Literary Society, Jamia Cultural Committee (2010–2012).

• • Advisory Board Member, university magazine Tahzeeb (2007–2008).

• • Advisor, Humsukhan (Departmental wall magazine) (2005–2007).

Beyond JMI:

 

• • Member, Research Degree Committee, Department of Urdu, CCS University, Meerut (2013–2014).

• • Member, Undergraduate Board of Studies, M.D. University, Rohtak.

• • Member, Board of Studies, All India Taleemi Ghar, Lucknow (2010–2011).

• • Member, Jury Committee for Translation Award, Sahitya Akademi (2009).

Honors and Institutional Recognition

 

• • Delhi Urdu Academy: Award for Jawaz-o-Intekhab (2001) and for Qirat Aur Mukalema (2010).

• • Bihar Urdu Academy: Awards for Jadeed Nazm: Hali Se Miraji Tak (2006), Qirat Aur Mukalema (2010), and Bazdeed Aur Tabserey (2015).

• • All India Radio, Delhi: Playwright Award (2001).

Pedagogical Media and E-Learning Contributions

 

• • UGC e-Pathshala: 12-lesson modules on Ghalib (2015) and 12-lesson modules on poetic genres including Masnavi, Shahr Ashob, Rekhti, Sonnet, Haiku, and Triolet (2017). These resources expand access to structured, quality content in Urdu literature for students across institutions.

• • ETV Urdu: Urdu Imla, 13 episodes (2002), focusing on orthography and language skills. This initiative is part of a larger commitment to language pedagogy within and beyond the academy.

A Living Legacy
Kausar Mazhari’s career exemplifies a life of letters oriented toward both the archive and the horizon—toward a careful preservation of inherited forms and a probing engagement with contemporary poetics. His dual vocation as critic and poet produces a dialogic scholarship that is attentive to the creative process even as it evaluates and historicizes it. As a teacher and mentor, his influence is visible in the diversity of research he has supervised and in the institutional cultures he has helped build and sustain at Jamia Millia Islamia and beyond. As a public intellectual, his contributions via seminars, media, and curricular development demonstrate a commitment to making Urdu literature’s richness available to wider publics. In sum, his work provides scholars, students, and readers a durable framework for understanding modern Urdu poetry’s evolution from Hali to Meeraji and beyond, while inviting new generations to “read innocently and write honestly.”

Selected Bibliography (Books and Monographs)

 

• • Jadeed Nazm: Hali se Miraji Tak (Research and Criticism; multiple editions, 2005, 2008).

• • Jawaz-o-Intekhab (80 Aur Baad Ki Ghazlein; 2001; new edition 2007).

• • Jurat-e-Afkar (Essays; 2002).

• • Qirat Aur Mukalema (Essays; 2010).

• • Baazdeed Aur Tabserey (Essays; 2013).

• • Mazhar-e-Jameel (2014).

• • Intekhab-e-Kalam-e-Jamil Mazhari (Sahitya Akademi, 2011; ISBN 978-81-260-3165-8).

• • Waheed Akhtar (Monograph; Sahitya Akademi, 2008; ISBN 978-81-260-2643-2).

• • Faaiz Dehelvi (Monograph; Delhi Urdu Academy, 2008).

• • Shaikh Mohammad Ibraheem Zauq (Monograph; NCPUL, 2016; ISBN 978-93-5160-112-8).

• • Aankh Jo Sochti Hai (Novel; 1999).

• • Maazi Ka Aainda (Poetry collection; grant by Delhi Urdu Academy, 2008).

• • Jan-e-Chaman (Long poem; 72 musaddas; 1987).

• • Arsh-o-Taiba (Hamd and Na’at; 1998).

• • Translations: Shikasta Par (Khalil Gibran’s novel, Eng.–Urdu; 1996); short stories for NBT (Pyar Ki Khushboo; Budha Faqir).

Note on Personal Data and Privacy
This profile draws exclusively on details and publications listed in the attached CV, emphasizing academic and literary contributions appropriate for a public-facing literary website. Identifiers such as government-issued numbers and residential addresses listed in the CV have been omitted here to respect privacy and focus on professional achievements and scholarship.