Anjuman-i-Punjab deserves scholarly attention simply because its impact on the literary culture of the Punjab has been enormous. It carried the legacy of Delhi College to Lahore, which among other things helped Dabistan-i-Lahore in Urdu literature to flourish.
In this column, Anjuman’s evolution is mapped for the perusal of the general reader. Anjuman-i-Ishaat-i-Mutalib-i-Mufida-i-Punjab, ‘The society for the diffusion of useful knowledge’, came into existence on January 21, 1865 at Shikhsha Sabha Hall, Lahore. It was formed with the two-fold objective of reviving the study of ancient Oriental learning and, as its name succinctly suggests, diffusing useful knowledge through the medium of the vernacular. Leitner was its ‘dictator’ and Lepel Griffin its secretary.
Its original members numbered 35, all of them in government employment. The Anjuman initially set up a Madrassa in a path shala, established by Lahore Shiksha Sabha, where Hindi and Sanskrit were taught. The Anjuman took over the building and added Arabic and Persian to the curriculum. That institution later became Oriental College. The modernist trend that transformed the literary culture of Lahore, however, actually emanated from Delhi College. It is therefore imperative to say a little about that institution to put the establishment of Anjuman-i-Punjab in a proper perspective.
Delhi College was originally established in 1702, but revived in 1825. In 1828, at the behest of Sir Charles Metcalf, "it had an English class attached to it". The principal object of that ‘Anglo-Indian’ institution was to impart Western science and philosophy through the medium of the vernacular. The Society for the Promotion of Knowledge in India, generally known as the Delhi Vernacular Translation Society, was a feature of Delhi College. The society aimed to publish Urdu translations of English books in various disciplines such as philosophy, economics, history, constitutional law, mathematics, astronomy and physical sciences.
Scholars and laureates of the calibre of Felix Boutras, Dr Sprenger and Francis Taylor contributed significantly in effecting a ‘Delhi Renaissance’. Similarly, Master Ram Chandra, a prominent Indian scholar, worked zealously to impart Western knowledge to the people of Delhi. But more important was Master Pyare Lal Ashob’s contribution, not only in bringing about the Delhi Renaissance but also in transporting it to the Punjab.
Pyare Lal Ashob was born, bred and educated in Delhi. Having received his education from Delhi College, he became secretary of the Delhi Society, and worked to disseminate literature to the people of his city. In Lahore, however, his talent as a laureate found articulation when he was transferred to the Department of Education, translating English works into Urdu. In Lahore, he found an environment conducive to the enhancement of his literary prowess. He produced works of great merit such as Qisas-e-Hind and Rusum-e-Hind and Tarikh-i-Inglistan. Qisas-i-Hind, written for a competition, was a collection of stories about India. It was Ashob’s masterpiece.
Read also:An Orientalist of his own ilk
The transfusion of these influences to the culture of Lahore came about through the agency of Anjuman-i-Punjab, which shared its orientation and principal objective with Delhi College, although the former was not a teaching institution. The revival of ancient learning, the advancement of knowledge through the vernacular, the discussion of social, literary, scientific, and political questions of interest, and the association of the learned and influential classes with officers of government were the objectives of Anjuman, which were almost in complete accord with those of Delhi College.
The nature of Anjuman’s many activities necessitated the establishment of different committees with clearly defined aims. Of these, the Library Committee, the Educational Committee and the Medical Committee were noteworthy. The Anjuman’s own journal, the Journal of the Anjuman-e-Punjab, had the aim of acquainting the local populace with English thought, the expectations of government, and of acquainting the government with the needs of the people. The Anjuman established a free library and reading room, held public lectures and compiled educational texts in Indian languages.
Above all, the Anjuman established Oriental College. That institution was founded in 1870 as an Oriental School and, in 1872, it was elevated to a college with Leitner as its first principal. Extraordinary scholars like Faizul Hassan Saharanpuri and Maulvi Abdul Hakim Kalanauri came to teach Arabic and Persian, persuaded by Leitner. Saharanpuri taught Arabic at Oriental College for seventeen years. Kalanauri stayed for 44 years, from 1872 to 1916. Abdullah Tonkvi, another scholar of Arabic, served Oriental College for 34 years. Iqbal also worked at the Oriental College as McLeod Reader in Arabic, from May 1899. He worked there for almost four years.
Despite its elitist character, the Anjuman’s popularity pervaded the entire province. Soon it established branches in Kasur, Gujranwala, Sialkot and Amritsar. The efforts of the Anjuman bore numerous fruits, such as:
a) University College, Lahore was established in 1869, elevated to a University in 1882;
b) The Board of Vernacular Instruction was established;
c) The Punjab Book Depot was also set up with the object of translating and publishing books from English;
The establishment of University College was the most conspicuous feat of Anjuman-i-Punjab. The demand for a University in the province had its genesis in a letter of 1865 from McLeod, in which suggestions were invited for "the improvement of Oriental learning and the development of a sound vernacular literature". Anjuman-i-Punjab enthusiastically responded to this call and proposed that an "Oriental University" be set up at Lahore to notch up that goal.
A number of prominent Englishmen threw their lot behind the Anjuman on the condition that it would adopt a more practical and useful proposal for the establishment of "an Anglo-Oriental institution meant to impart European knowledge through the language of the people" instead of the original plan of an Oriental University. The government was also not keen to set up a university, but acceded instead "to the development of higher teaching in the Panjab by extending and improving the existing Government College, Lahore, with a grant-in-aid of Rs21,000". That move did not placate the Punjab government and the Anjuman, the sponsors of the scheme.
Eventually the government agreed "that institution be provided at Lahore, under some title as the ‘University College’." Thus, Punjab University College came into existence by December 8, 1869, with Leitner as its first principal. It was however only a stepping-stone for those in the vanguard of the movement, and particularly for Leitner, towards a full university.
These endeavours seemed to have borne fruit when in 1877, Lord Lytton, on the occasion of the Imperial Durbar in Delhi, promised to introduce a bill in the Legislative Council to endow Punjab University College with the status of a University, competent to confer degrees. Nevertheless, it took five more years until finally, Lord Ripon fulfilled the promise and on October 14, 1882, the University of the Punjab came into existence. Baden Powell was the first Honorary Vice-Chancellor and Leitner, the Registrar of the new University. Leitner retained that position until 1885.
The Punjab Book Depot became extremely important because it threw up a source of livelihood for some laureates of exceptional talent such as Muhammad Hussain Azad and Altaf Hussain Hali. Consequently, both of them came to Lahore. The journeys of these two to Lahore turned out to be a watershed in the modern history of Urdu literature. Under the watchful eye of Colonel Holroyd, Urdu poetry embraced new forms and themes consistent with modernity. In this process, a series of Mushairas was convened in 1874 under the auspices of Anjuman-i-Punjab. These Mushairas and other influences on the contemporary literature rendered by the Anjuman will be taken up in the next column.