Shama (Magazine)

ShamaCategories| Monthly Literary Magazine

|

Founder| Yusuf Dehlvi
Year founded| 1939
Final issue| 1999
Country| India
Language| Urdu

Shama was an Indian film and literary magazine published monthly in Urdu language from 1939 to 1999.[1] The magazine was a household name and has been described as a "movement of Urdu which gave birth to a new tradition".[2][3]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 1.1 Popularity
* 2 References
* 3 External links

## History[edit]

Shama was started in September 1939 by Delhi based businessman Yusuf Dehlvi. It was initially sold for two Indian anna per copy. Following the format of some other Urdu film magazines like Chitra, Shama's content was a combination of film and literary writing which was partly the reason for its wide circulation.[4][1] The magazine wasn't an instant success but Dehlvi managed to sustain it even in tumultuous times, and the magazine eventually became a credible name. The Partition of India brought many Urdu readers to India which gave a boost to the magazine's readership. Dehlvi was joined by his three sons Idrees, Ilyas and Yunus when the magazine started to hit the jackpot.[4]

### Popularity[edit]

Shama became the first Urdu magazine to reach a circulation of one lakh copies a month and special flights were booked for transporting the magazine overseas.[4][5] It featured popular Urdu writers and poets like Arzoo Lakhnavi, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Ismat Chughtai, Krishan Chander, Jigar Moradabadi and regularly featured columns by those associated with the film industry.[2][4] Actor Sanjay Dutts name was chosen by crowdsourcing through Shama and it was reported by the magazine that Nargis would send an autographed picture and a personal letter to the person who had suggested the name.[6] After the death of actress Meena Kumari, Nargis wrote a personal essay in Shama in June 1972.[7] The magazine carried condolence messages from President Zail Singh and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi upon the death of founder Yusuf Dehlvi in 1985.[4] In a 1985 issue, actor Dharmendra wrote that his desire to get into films was aroused by Shama.[4] A popular feature of the magazine was its literary crosswords called 'Adabi Muamma' which carried attractive prizes worth lakhs of rupees.[5][4] The magazine carried a column 'Sitaaron Ki Duniya' written by Idrees Dehlvi under the pseudonym 'Musafir', which gave access to the lives of actors and filmmaking, but avoided salacious content.[4]

## References[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Taj, Afroz (2020-12-28). "The Filmī-ʿIlmī Formula: Shama Magazine and the Urdu Cosmopolis". Journal of Urdu Studies. 1 (2): 177–210. doi:10.1163/26659050-12340016. ISSN 2665-9042.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Abbasi, Yasir (2019-01-12). "The lost world of Urdu film magazines". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
3. ↑ "Idrees Dehlwi's death a great loss for Urdu". Milli Gazette. Archived from the original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Abbasi, Yasir. "The Golden Age". The Indian Quarterly. Archived from the original on 2020-11-24. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bakht Ahmed, Firoz (2019-02-10). "Yunus Dehlvi was the Mirza Ghalib and Maulana Azad of Urdu magazines!". Counterview. Archived from the original on 2020-09-27. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
6. ↑ Usman, Yasser (2018). Sanjay Dutt: The Crazy Untold Story of Bollywood's Bad Boy. Juggernaut Books. pp. 14, 203. ISBN 978-93-86228-58-1.
7. ↑ Malik, Ektaa (2019-01-06). "'This place is not meant for people like you': When Nargis wrote on Meena Kumari's death". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2020-09-19. Retrieved 2021-03-02.

## External links[edit]

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