TRIBUTE – Dr. Khaleeque Anjum

New Delhi: Noted Urdu writer, critique and author Kaleeque Anjum passed away in Delhi on October 18.
Dr. Anjum headed the Anjuman e Taraqqi Urdu Hind for a record 38 years from 1974 to 2012 and represented the Urdu’s cause at all forums. He was 84. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
Dr. Anjum was an expert on textual criticism and Mirza Ghalib. He adopted the German technique of compilation to edit the letters (Khutoot) of Mirza Ghalib. His book Muraqqa i- Delhi, Dilli ke aasar e Qadeema, Dargah e Shah e Mardan documents the archaeological sites pertaining to famous sufi saints. He brought out the annotated and edited volumes Sir Syed Ahmed Khan’s Aasarus Sanadeed.
Dr. Anjum was a member on the Inder Kumar Gujarat Committee to submit a detailed report for development of Urdu set up by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He received his education in Delhi’s Anglo Arabic School and Aligarh Muslim University and later taught Urdu at the capital’s Kirorimal College. He was associated with Ministry of Education for some time. He also translated books from English and Persian into Urdu. His doctoral thesis was on Mirza Mazhar Jane Janan, a sufi Urdu poet. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of the Jamia Millia Islamia in Okhla the same evening. Among those present at the occasion were Mr. Athar Farooqi, current general secretary of the Anjuman, and Mr. Sirajuddin Qureshi, President of the India Islamic Cultural Centre.