On a fateful day in 1936, Lucknow witnessed a unique gathering of poets, playwrights, novelists and writers that announced the formation of the Progressive Writers’ Association (PWA), an organization with the audacious mission of articulating a manifesto for the future of Indian literature. The institution that was to emerge from this meeting was destined to majestically straddle the traditions of Indian literature in general and Urdu poetry in particular for a long period of time.

Spurred by the inaugural address of its first president, Munshi Premchand, the PWA signatories promised to ‘rescue literature and other arts from the priestly, academic and decadent classes in whose hands they have degenerated so long, to bring the arts into the closest touch with the people, to deal with the problems of hunger and poverty, social backwardness and political subjugation, so as to understand these problems and through such understanding, act.’ Challenging the audience to transcend the trivial preoccupations of traditional poetry, Premchand announced: Hameñ husn ke meyaar badalne honge (We will have to transform the standards of beauty).

Urdu poetry responded with enthusiasm to this call.

From Anthems of Resistance by Ali Husain Mir and Raza Mir, recently released by Roli-India Ink