Sajjad Zaheer

Sajjad Zaheer Biography

Sajjad Zaheer was an Urdu writer, Marxist ideologue and radical revolutionary from Lucknow in British India, whose works were spread in both India and Pakistan. He was a leading member of the Communist Party of India in the pre-independent era, and a torch bearer of communism in India. After partition, he moved to Pakistan where he became a founding member of the Communist Party of Pakistan. After he got caught for the infamous Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case, he moved to India soon after release, and continued in politics till his death in 1973 aged 73. He died in 1973 during one of his frequent visits to USSR. Famous theatre artist and wife of actor-politician Raj Babbar, Nadira Babbar is his daughter.

His full name is Syed Sajjad Zaheer. He was born on 5 November 1899 in Lucknow, United Provinces of British India. He was born into an affluent Muslim family of Syeds who were rich. His father Sir Syed Wazir Hasan was a barrister. Zaheer's mother’s name is Sakina-tul-Fatima and he had 6 siblings. His brother Syed Ali Zaheer was the India's Ambassador to Iran. Noted politician and congress leader Nurul Hasan is his nephew.

Sajjad completed his law studies from England. However, he never practiced law. Instead he lived off the labour of farmers who toiled in his family estates and provided their absentee landlord with an ample income. Soon after independence, landlordism was abolished in India, and he lost his sole income. It was at the same time when communist ideology surfaced in USSR, and Soviet-funded Progressive Movement in India provided him with both income and public prestige. He was a co-founder of All-India Progressive Writers' Movement & Association, soon after a collection of short stories, Angaaray, which included his story was banned by British. Zaheer, who was a leading member of the Communist Party of India became one of the founding members of the Communist Party of Pakistan, soon after Partition.

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Updated: June 08, 2018