AMU students & faculty remember Meerza for his simplicity

Mumbai: The great grandson of Wajid Ali Shah, the last nawab of Awadh, Kaukab Quder Sajjad Ali Meerza, who died on Sunday in Kolkata, was fascinated by the “throne” filmmaker Satyajit Ray got prepared for his iconic first Hindi film ‘Shatranj Ke Khiladi’ (1977). A historical drama based on Munshi Premchand’s story of the same name, the film depicted the two noblemen devoted to chess and the officials of the British East India company scheming in the background.
Since the film was mostly shot at Indrapuri Studios in Kolkata, all the actors and others associated with the film stayed in the city. Amjad Khan (he played Nawab Wajid Ali Shah), Shabana Azmi, Saeed Jafri were among others who essayed the roles that made it a masterpiece to Ray’s remarkable repertoire.
Meerza, who completed his research on “Literary and Cultural Contributions of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah” at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), joined the varsity’s Urdu department as lecturer and taught there from 1967 to 1993. His colleagues and students remember him as a simple person. “He was a simple person. You would not know about his royal lineage by looking at him or from his dress as he wore simple sherwani-pyjama,” recalled retired Urdu teacher at AMU Prof Asghar Abbas.
His student and later, colleague, Prof Abul Qalam Qasmi, said: “He penned many books, including one on his great grandfather Wajid Ali Shah. He had inherited the literary legacy as Wajid Ali Shah was too was a poet.”
Prof Ali Nadeem Rezavi, who teaches medieval history at AMU, recalled that Meerza was an unassuming person. “I never remember him throwing his weight around. He led a simple man’s life and never used the title “Prince” against his name, as opposed to his more flamboyant and socially conscious brother, Prince Anjum Qauder,” Rezavi wrote in his Facebook post. “He was a regular at the University Staff Club where he would come daily to play billiards.”
Delhi-based former student of AMU, Salim Kidwai, remembered Meerza as a simple man. “
The family had a long association with AMU. Prince Anjum Quder too had studied there and even became President of the AMU students’ union.