Syed Waheed Akhtar was born on 12th August 1934 in Aurangabad. He was a renowned Urdu poet, writer, critic, orator, and one of the leading Muslim scholars and philosophers of the 20th century.
Early Life of Life Syed Waheed Akhtar
Waheed Akhtar was born in Aurangabad in what was then the Hyderabad State of Nizam (present day Indian state of Maharashtra), to a family which had migrated from Nasirabad - Jais (Jais-birth place of poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi/), boroughs of Saadat inhabitants in Raebareli district of Uttar Pradesh.
His father`s name was Syed Nazr-e Abbas, and mother`s name was Syeda Aliya Begum. They had seven children. Waheed Akhtar was the second child, among six sons and one daughter. After spending his childhood in Aurangabad, and completing his early education, he went to Hyderabad, to enrol at Osmania University.
He was in Hyderabad for eight years until he completed his Ph. D. and was appointed lecturer at Aligarh Muslim University. It is thought that his years in Hyderabad were crucial for moulding his personality as a poet and writer.
Waheed Akhtar wrote prolifically in Urdu from a very early age and during his initial years he adopted the pen name "Barq". He married Syeda Mahliqa Qarai in Hyderabad in 1962. They had four sons: Hasan, Husain, Haider (who died in the fifth month of his birth) and Mohsin.
Education of Syed Waheed Akhtar
His early education took place at Chelipura High School, a government school in Aurangabad. He passed all examinations at the Osmania University, Hyderabad, gaining first class results. He gained his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy in 1954, and his Master of Arts in 1956 and his Ph.D. in 1960, with a dissertation titled "Khwaja Mir Dard`s Contribution to Sufism".
Academic Positions Held By Syed Waheed Akhtar
He was appointed Lecturer in General Education in 1960 at Aligarh Muslim University and Lecturer in Philosophy in 1962. He became Reader in Humanities in 1970, Reader in Philosophy in 1975 and Professor in 1979. He headed the Department of Philosophy at AMU from 1987 to 1990 and 1992 until 1995. He also served the University as Dean of the Faculty of Arts from 1990 to 1992.
Syed Waheed Akhtar died on December 13 in the year 1996
