An Indian Scholar's Account of Shafiei Kadkani's Standing in Indian Universities
For Persian scholars in India, Professor Shafiei Kadkani is not merely a prominent literary critic and researcher; through his studies of Bidel Dehlavi and the Indian style, he has revived the long-standing literary ties between Iran and the subcontinent. The late Professor Azhar Dehlvi, professor of Persian language and literature at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, recalls his meetings with Shafiei Kadkani, his scholarly standing in Iran's tradition of literary criticism, and his lasting role in the recognition of Bidel.
According to the report of Ambassador Arjan Mohammadreza Shafiei, Kodkani has a place beyond that of a prominent professor and researcher in the literary memory of Persian scholars of India. He is one of the figures who, with his researches, especially on Bidel Dehlavi and Indian style, provided the ground for rereading part of the common literary heritage of Iran and the subcontinent. The biography of Professor Azhar Dehlavi, a professor of Persian language and literature at Jawaharlal Nehru University of Delhi, speaks of the long-standing ties between the Persian language and literature in an area beyond the geographical boundaries of the story.
In the following, we present this note, which is based on a detailed conversation with Professor Azhar Dehlavi, which was prepared for publication with the efforts of Mohammad Hosseini Baghsangani:
My acquaintance with my dear friend, renowned researcher and prominent critic of Persian language and literature, professor Dr. Mohammad Reza Shafiei Kodkani, goes back to the sweet days of his studies in the doctoral course of Persian language and literature at the University of Tehran. At that time, I had come to Iran from the Indian subcontinent as a student interested in Persian literature, and at the same time, professor Shafii Kodkani had joined Tehran University to continue his academic studies after completing his academic and seminary degrees in Mashhad.
The memory of our first meetings in the foyer and coffee house of the faculty of literature of Tehran University is always alive in my mind. In those days, we students used to gather in that hallway and discuss literary matters. From the very first encounters, the magnanimity, poise and special kindness of Professor Shafi'i Kodkani towards this servant attracted my attention.
There was a characteristic in the behavior and character of Professor Shafi'i Kodkani that might seem a little strange to some at first glance. He was a really "low-spirited" person; In the sense that they were not into superficial meetings and unnecessary visits. All of Professor Shafi'i Kodkani's attention was focused on studying, researching and following scientific and literary issues.
However, this understatement never meant disregard for others. By the way, he had a special love for me and a very warm expression; Maybe because they saw me as a foreign student who came to Tehran University with great enthusiasm from miles away and from the land of India to understand the presence of Iranian professors. This common interest in Persian education and Bidel studies caused a very intimate and long-lasting relationship to form between us.
If we want to evaluate the scientific status of Professor Shafiei Kodkani in comparison with the history of criticism and contemporary literary studies in Iran, I must say that he is without any doubt in the ranks of the greats such as Professor Badiul Zaman Forozanfar, Professor Mojtaba Minavi and Professor Dr. Parviz Natal Khanleri. By combining a deep understanding of ancient texts and Islamic sciences with modern methods of literary criticism, he gained a high position in the rank of first-rate researchers.
Professor Shafi'i Kodkani is not only a meticulous researcher who relies on documents and manuscripts, but also an excellent poet and a narrow-minded critic who has dissected the aesthetics of Persian poetry with theoretical depth. His presence in the field of criticism and research is Balande's continuation of the same tradition that reached its peak with Farouzanfar and Khanleri.
But the greatest blessing and right that Professor Shafii Kodkani has on the Indian literary community and all Bidel lovers is his brilliant work in re-introducing and reviving the name of Abul Ma'ani Mirza Abdul Qadir Bidel Dehlavi in Iran. Bidel Dehlavi, this great poet and the sun of Indian style, was unfortunately forgotten in Iran for a long time. Biddle's difficult speech and the unkindness of some critics had caused his poetry to not receive much attention in the literary environment.
In such an atmosphere, Professor Shafii Kodkani with his scientific courage paid special attention to Bidel Dehlavi. He made Khursheed Iqbal Bidel once again shine in the literary sky of Iran by writing the precious work "The Poet of Mirrors". After the publication of this work, Bidel research forums and specialized meetings about Bidel were formed all over Iran, and Bidel became one of the most popular poets among Iranian researchers.
The question may be raised as to what approach Professor Shafi'i Kodkani had to Bidel in the book "Shaer of Mirrors". Bidel Dehlavi is an outstanding poet in the field of aesthetics, imagery and subtle imagination, but at the same time, his poetry has multiple intellectual layers and linguistic difficulties. Beadle is not a poet that the general audience can easily get into the depths of his words; His poetry requires a mind familiar with philosophy and mysticism.
Professor Shafii Kodkani penetrated into these complex layers with amazing accuracy and deep study. He dissected the aesthetics of Biddle's poetry and with his structural analysis, solved the difficult knots of understanding Biddle's poetry for literature lovers. What Professor Shafii did was a scientific decoding of a huge literary school, which made Bidel truly worthy of his position.
Professor Shafii Kodkani's attention was not limited to Bidel, but he also studied other figures of Indian style, including Hazin Lahiji. Although Hazin Lahiji in the Indian subcontinent may not be as popular as Bidel Dehlavi or Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, but Ustad Shafi'i highlighted the historical and poetic importance of Hazin with a fair view.
In the eyes of us Indians, three shining jewels in the sky of Persian literature of the subcontinent have a very high place: Amir Khusro Dehlavi, Mirza Abdul Qadir Bidel and Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib. Professor Shafii Kodkani's research showed that the Indian style is not a linguistic degeneration, but a huge treasure of narrow thinking and imagination, which is an important part of our common heritage.
One of the most valuable aspects of Professor Shafiei Kodkani's view is his transnational and cultural perspective on the Persian language. His researches revealed that although today the political boundaries of geography have divided us into countries like Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and India, but from the point of view of culture and language, we all have a single and integrated culture.
This great Iranian and Persian culture has been speaking the same language for centuries in Tajikistan, Kabul, Herat, Delhi and Shiraz. Professor Shafii Kodkani, with his research and revival of Indian style works, repeatedly reminded everyone of this ancient cultural link and proved that our cultural solidarity is much deeper than geographical credit lines.
Professor accreditation in Indian universities
Today, the blessed name and precious works of Professor Shafii Kodkani are known and respected in all the scientific centers and prestigious universities of India. In Delhi and other Indian cities, the important seats of the Persian language are Dair; Including at Jawaharlal Nehru University where I had the honor of teaching for many years and retired from there, Delhi University, National Islamic Society and Aligarh Old Islamic University.
In all these prominent universities of India, the researches of Professor Shafii Kodkani are taught. Whenever our professors and students discuss Bidel, Indian style or poetry criticism, the name of Professor Shafii and his books are definitely mentioned as the main reference. Everyone in India looks at him with respect.
During these years, I sincerely invited my dear friend Professor Shafii Kadkani to visit India many times. They also always graciously accepted my invitation and said that they were eager to visit India, but unfortunately, until today, we Indians and Delhi universities have not been fortunate enough to host their sweet existence.
However, in every trip I had to Iran, I would definitely visit him and benefit from the opportunity to speak with this unique scientist. The desire to meet the professor is still alive among all Indian professors and students, and we hope that one day this wish will come true.
In the end, as a representative of the Indian community of Persian scholars, I sincerely pray that the almighty God will keep Professor Dr. Mohammad Reza Shafiei Kodkani alive and healthy for many years so that he can continue to provide valuable services to Persian culture and literature.
We Indians are sincerely indebted to Professor Shafii Kodkani's research and scientific fairness; A scientist who strengthened the bridge between cultures with the worthy introduction of Bidel Dehlavi and the greats of Indian style. I hope that his long scientific and knowledge shadow over the lovers of Persian literature will last.