Kaifi Azmi (1918-2002) devoted his entire life to the cause of humanity and working for rights of the poor, and his poetry, too, is a reflection of the same. Even towards the end of his life, after he had suffered a paralytic attack, this passion of his became the impetus to the development of his ancestral village Majwan, Azamgarh. For a few years, he even lived there with his wife, theater and film actress, Shaukat Kaifi, although at this point in his life, he had every comfort in Bombay. Battling many obstacles and oppositions, and dealing with several government officials, Kaifi transformed the state of this small, backward village. Due to the efforts of Kaifi Azmi, the village now has roadways, electricity, a humble six-bed hospital, a school and a post office. His daughter Shabana Azmi, who was a Member of Parliament at the time, started a train between Delhi and Azamgarh which was named "Kaifiyat". Shaukat Kaifi, in her autobiography "Yad Ki Rah-Guzar", has given a fascinating account of Kaifi Azmi’s stay in Majwan and his efforts to develop the village.

Prof. Shamim Hanafi (1939-2021) was a world-famous scholar, critic, playwright, poet, fictionist, and Professor Emeritus at Jamia Milia Islamia. But did you know that he was also an accomplished columnist? His columns continued to publish in various newspapers of the country. The popularity of these columns was such that the day his column was published, not a single copy of that newspaper remained in stock. His column-writing began in 1963 and continued for almost fifty years. Shamim Sahib never made column writing a profession. With respect to their subject, these columns were political and literary. He was of the opinion that these columns were pieces of his social concerns. But these were literary works that were very close to his literary criticism. A book titled “Ye Kis Ka Khwab Tamasha Hai” was published which contained 98 columns written by him. In 1965, Shamim Sahib had even started a children's newspaper in Hindi with his friends during his early lectureship days in Indore. Besides playwrighting, he has also written many interesting books for children.

Pandit Anand Mohan Zutshi Gulzar Dehlavi (1926-2020), a mellifluous Urdu poet, a paragon of the Ganga-Jamni Tahzeeb, and a freedom fighter, used to observe one fast every year in the month of Ramadan which he himself called “Roza-e-Rawaa-Daarii”, or fasting in good-faith. Usually, he would observe this fast on the “Jumu’atul-Wida”, that is the last Friday of the month of Ramadan. His friends used to make donations and arrange a wonderful Iftar feast. Invitations were sent by post. On this occasion, important personalities of various religions and sects would unhesitatingly gather. He says:
Dars-e-Urdu Zabaan detaa huu.n
Ahl-e-Iman pe jaan detaa huu.n
Main Ajab Huu.n Imaam Urdu Kaa
But-Kade mein Azaan detaa huu.n
In addition to poetry, he was for years the editor of the first Urdu science magazine, “Science Ki Duniya”, which was started by the Government of India in 1975.

Akhtar Shirani, also known Shair-e-Ruuman, was the first to name his beloved(s) in Urdu poetry. Salma, Rehana, and Azra are incarnate characters of love and affection in his poetry. He himself confessed to a friend that Salma was not his beloved’s real name but a pseudonym and that other female names, too, followed the suit.
yahii vaadii hai vo hamdam jahaa.n 'rehaana' rahtii thii
yahii.n bastii thii ai hamdam mire ruumaan kii bastii
He was also the first to write Sonnet in Urdu. But his fame as a romantic poet overshadowed his fiction-writing and translation works. Akhtar Shirani died at the age of 43 due to excessive drinking. In his brief lifespan (1905-1948), he so profusely wrote both prose and poetry, that very few people ever did. He translated the famous Turkish playwright Sami Bay's play "Kave" as "Zahak" in Urdu.
‘Aaina-Khaane Mein’, is a collection of his five short-stories. It is said that they were all written in one night. These stories are in the form of the biographies of film actresses illustrating the exploitation of women. He also wrote columns for many newspapers and magazines under the pseudonyms of Lord Byron of Rajasthan, Ibn-e-Batuta, Balam, Rajkumari, Bakavali, Akkas, etc.

In his biography titled ‘Jahan-e-Danish’, Ehsan Danish, popular as Shair-e-Mazduur, has described his extreme poverty, the various works of labor he undertook since childhood, and his literary endeavors in a very interesting way.
Once, on the invitation of the "Bazm-e-Shorish", he arrived in Amritsar to participate in a Mushaira, but was stopped by the organizers outside the town hall. He was not even identified as a poet owning to his old, discolored Sherwani which was smeared by the dust of the roads and the smoke of buses. Upon the intervention of an acquaintance, he was allowed entrance into the hall. As the compere of the Mushaira frowningly announced Danish’s name for the recital, the audiences began to hoot at him. As soon as he read the opening verse in his distinct Tarannum, the listeners became overwhelmed, and upon reciting the second verse, he was showered upon with praise and applause. Ehsan Danish recited the closing verse, wrapped up the Ghazal, and simply sat on the floor.
Did you know that the works of this poet, who passed only the fourth grade, include twenty collections of poetry, twenty-nine books of prose literature, and ten mathematics books up to the fifth grade?