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{{short description|Pakistani poet and linguist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Ehsan Danish
| native_name = {{lang |ur|احسان دانش}}
| image = [[File:Ehsan Danish.jpg|center]]
| imagesize =
| caption =
| pseudonym =
| birth_name = Ehsan-ul-Haq
| birth_date = {{birth_date|1914|11|17|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Kandhla]], [[British Raj|India]]
| death_date = {{death_date_and_age|1982|03|22|1914|02|02|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Lahore]], Pakistan
| occupation = Poet, prose writer, linguist & lexicographer
| nationality =
| citizenship =
| education =
| alma_mater =
| period = 1914 - 1982
| genre = Poetry, prose, linguistics & lexicography
| subject = Urdu Language & Literature
| movement = [[Progressive Writers Movement]]
| notableworks = ''[[Jahan-i-Danish]]''
| spouse =
| children = 5
| awards = [[Sitara-e-Imtiaz]] (Star of Excellence) Award by the [[President of Pakistan]] (1978)
| website = {{URL|https://shazandanish.wixsite.com/ehsandanish}}
}}

'''Ehsan Danish''' ({{transliteration|ur|''Eḥsān Dāniš''}}, 17 November 1914 – 22 March 1982), born '''Ehsan-ul-Haq''' {{transliteration|ur|''Eḥsānu l-Ḥaq''}}), was an [[Urdu]] poet, prose writer, linguist, lexicographer and scholar from Pakistan.<ref name=Dawn>{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1245469 |author=Rauf Parekh|title=Literary Notes: Ehsan Danish: a labourer, poet and lexicographer |date=14 March 2016|newspaper=Dawn (newspaper)|access-date=17 April 2021}}</ref><ref name=TheNation>{{cite news|url=https://www.nation.com.pk/23-Mar-2023/ehsan-danish-remembered|url-status=dead|title=Ehsan Danish remembered |date=23 March 2023|newspaper=The Nation (newspaper)|archive-date=4 April 2023|access-date=13 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404235012/https://www.nation.com.pk/23-Mar-2023/ehsan-danish-remembered}}</ref><ref name="samaa.tv"/> Ehsan Danish penned over 100 scholastic books of poetry, prose, linguistics, lexicography and prosody. At the beginning of his career, his poetry was very romantic but later his poems addressed the lot of the labourers and he came to be called the "Šhāʿir-e Mazdūr" (lit "the workman's poet") by his audience. According to one commentator, his poetry inspired the common people's feelings and he has been compared with [[Josh Malihabadi]]. He holds the unique position as one of the best poets of all time, with fine, romantic and revolutionary, but simple style of poetry.<ref>Urdu Shairi ka Tanqeedi Jaiza (Critical Review of Urdu Poetry) by Idrees Siddiqui-1971.p.541/542</ref>

==Biography==
Danish (birth name: Ehsan-ul-Haq) was born in Maulanan [[Kandhla]], a small town in the [[Shamli district]] of [[Uttar Pradesh]], India. He belonged to a poor family and he could not continue his studies due to financial reasons but still learned the [[Arabic]] and [[Persian language|Persian]] languages on his own. His father's name was Danish Ali.<ref name=Dawn/><ref name="samaa.tv">{{cite web|url=http://www.samaa.tv/newsdetail.aspx?ID=29853
|title=Ahsan Danish's death anniversary today |publisher=Samaa TV News website|date=22 March 2011 |access-date=17 April 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403134828/http://www.samaa.tv/newsdetail.aspx?ID=29853
|archivedate=3 April 2012 |df=dmy}}</ref> Later he migrated to [[Lahore]] and settled there permanently. He struggled very hard to earn his living. He worked as an ordinary labourer for years in odd jobs,<ref name="samaa.tv"/> finally becoming a poet of excellence. His autobiography, ''[[Jahan-i-Danish]]'', is a classic and has inspired many people.<ref name="samaa.tv"/> Danish wrote more than 80 books and hundreds of articles<ref name="samaa.tv"/> about and including poetry, [[prose]], [[linguistics]], [[philology]], autobiographies and the famous interpretation of "[[Diwan-e-Ghalib]]". Much of his literary work is still unpublished.<ref name="samaa.tv"/<ref name=TheNation/>

According to family records, he had sons named Zeeshan Danish, Salman Danish, and Fozan Danish.

==Death and legacy==
He died on 22 March 1982 in Lahore and was laid to rest at [[Miani Sahib Graveyard]]. His poetry and writings about the dignity of labour earned him the title of 'Shaer-i-Mazdoor' (poet of the labourers).<ref name="samaa.tv"/><ref name=Dawn/><ref name=rekhta>[https://www.rekhta.org/poets/ehsan-danish/profile Profile of Ehsan Danish on Rekhta.org website] Retrieved 17 April 2021</ref>

==Autobiography - Jahan-e-Danish==
Ehsan Danish was a prolific prose writer and had contributed hundred of articles, essays and books in the domain of Urdu prose. Ehsan Danish autobiography "Jahan-e-danish" is a splendid masterpiece in Urdu literature. It was first published in 1973 by Ehsan Danish in Lahore, Pakistan and duly received [[Adamjee Literary Award|Adam Ji literary award]] in recognition of its literary value and linguistic stature. The language, diction, realism, sincerity and above all a unique classical flavor of language and literature elevates this autobiography in the realm of Urdu autobiographies.<ref name=Dawn/>

==An excerpt==
Maulvi Saeed talks of Ehsan Danish, the poet. He recalls:

"In 1928, when we lived in [[Mozang Chungi|Mozang]], I happened to be present at a gathering in the street adjoining ours where a short-statured but a well-built darkish young man recited a naat in a voice which kept the audience spell-bound".
The poet was Ehsan-bin-Danish (now Ehsan Danish, for 'bin' though in Arabic stood for 'son of', in Hindi meant 'without'). The poet had come from across the [[Yamuna]] in search of employment – and perhaps recognition, too. [[Lahore]] gave him both; employment which hardly did any credit to this city, recognition, of course, which it never held back.

Ehsan was seen in the evening at the [[mushaira]]s; in the morning, at the building sites with a brush in one hand and the lime-bucket in the other; or doing a gardener's job on the [[Hill States#Simla Hills|Simla Hill]]. He has recorded the experiences of his early days in a fascinating autobiography – ''Jahan-e-Danish''. In the realm of poetry, he was not a mere labourer, but a master architect."<ref name="dawn">{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1064153/dawn-features-february-3-2003|title=Day-night encounters (scroll down to read under this section about Ehsan Danish)|newspaper=Dawn (newspaper)|date=3 February 2003|accessdate=17 April 2021}}</ref>

==Awards==
* [[Sitara-e-Imtiaz]] (Star of Excellence) Award (1978) from the [[President of Pakistan]].<ref name=Dawn/>

==Publications==
*''[[Jahan-i-Danish]]'', his autobiography.<ref name=Dawn/><ref name=TheNation/>
* ''Jahan-i Diger''
* ''Tazkir-o-Tanees''<ref name=Dawn/>
* ''Iblagh-i-Danish''
* ''Tashrih-i-Ghalib''
* ''Awaz sey Alfaz tak''
* ''Fasl-i-Salasil''
* ''Zanjir-i-Baharan''
* ''Abr-i-Naisan''
* ''Miras-i-Momin''
* ''Urdu Mutaradifaat''<ref name=Dawn/>
* ''Dard-i-Zindagi''<ref name=Dawn/>
* ''Hadis-i-Adab''<ref name=Dawn/>
* ''Lughat-ul-Islah''<ref name=Dawn/>
* ''Nafeer-i-Fitrat''
* ''Dasttoor-i-Urdu''<ref name=Dawn/><ref name=TheNation/>
* ''Ramooz-i-Ghalib''<ref name=rekhta/>
* ''Meerras-i-maumin''
* ''Zakhm-o-Marham''<ref name=TheNation/>

==Ehsan Danish Poetry==
Ehsan Danish was titled Poet-Laborer (Shair-e-Mazdoor) due to his revolutionary, passionate and novel poems for the laborers, the poor people and the oppressed. He had presented stark realities about the labor class in a powerful and unique style. He was initially impressed with the poet [[Josh Malihabadi]]'s style of poetry.<ref name=Dawn/><ref name=rekhta/>

yeh uDi uDi si rangat yeh khule khule se gesu <br/>
teri sub,h keh rahi hai teri raat ka fasana <ref name=rekhta/>

==See also==
*[[List of Pakistani poets]]
*[[List of Urdu poets]]
*[[Naz Khialvi]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060506042824/http://www.urducouncil.nic.in/i_today/index.htm Govt. of India Link]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Danish, Ehsan}}
[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:1982 deaths]]
[[Category:Muhajir people]]
[[Category:Poets from Lahore]]
[[Category:Urdu-language Pakistani poets]]
[[Category:Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz]]
[[Category:Pakistani philologists]]
[[Category:Writers from Lahore]]
[[Category:20th-century Pakistani poets]]
[[Category:20th-century philologists]]
[[Category:Linguists from Pakistan]]
[[Category:Linguists of Urdu]]
[[Category:People from Shamli district]]

Ehsan Danish - Revision history

Tjackson at 12:56, 14 March 2026