Ali Hyder Tabatabai, (Syed Ali Hyder Nazm Tabatabai) born 1854 at Awadh, died 1933 at Hyderabad Deccan, India, was a poet, translator and a scholar of languages. He descended from a long line of soldiers. He is known for his poetic translation into Urdu of Thomas Gray's masterpiece "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard".[1]
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The founder of Tabatabai family was most likely Ali Hyder's grandfather who was a member of the Royal Guards under the Qajar dynasty of Iran, came with the troops given as dowry to an Iranian princess perhaps grand mother of Wajid Ali Shah married to the ruler of Awadh and settled in Awadh after retirement. Tabatabai is a large family still resides in large parts of Iranian Western district of Kerman Shah (Bakhtaran) and also in eastern parts of Turkey. They are descendants of Hasan ibn Ali from his son Hassan Musannah (Hassan the second), he used to lisp while talking which is called "tabtabah" in Arabic.
As Shahi Attaleeq (Royal Teacher) with Wajid Ali Shah's Grand Sons
As a young man Ali Hyder was employed by the Nawab of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah as Shahi Attaleeq. This did not continue for very long, Wajid Ali Shah who was sort of a prisoner with the British, died. Since all the salaries and other expenditures of the Royal Family were controlled by the British, it stopped with the death of Wajid Ali Shah. British offered Ali Hyder to work for them and his salary will continue on enhanced rates, Ali Hyder turned down the offer saying he can not be employed by "Thugs" and "Plunderers", since he believed that British had wrongly occupied India and had no right to rule it. He left Awadh and moved to Calcutta Kolkata, he remained unemployed and saw many difficult days there. He was well known for his command over Urdu. The European serving the British Crown were encouraged to have knowledge of the local language, this included monitory benefits, so many Europeans eager to learn Urdu came to him to learn the language. He taught several on the condition that they will teach him their language. This is how he learned several European languages, i.e. English, French and German.
Gor e Gharibaan
His famous Gor e Gharibaan (Graves of the poors) is a translation of Thomas Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. The most remarkable thing is that its a poem translated into a poem, those who master both in Urdu and English can understand the extent of accuracy in meanings and sense. If either of the poem is translated into other language in text the reader will find no resemblance what so ever, but translating an idiom of English into an idiom of Urdu conveying exactly the same sense though word to word meanings might be different. This can very easily be seen in the Titles of two poems, Thomas Grays elegy's title is "elegy written in Country Churchyard" and Gor e Gharibaan is Persian meaning Graves of the poor, sense is the same while word to word translation is different.
Osmania University
Mir Mahboob Ali Khan,Asaf Jah VI had heard about Ali Hyder, a Shahi Ataleeq of Wajid Ali Shah, Asaf Jah though a very powerful ruler under the British Crown apparently didn't need to be impressed by any one, specially Wajid Ali Shah dead and the state taken by the British. Asaf Jah invited Ali Hyder probably to give him some post in his court, as Asaf Jah himself did poetry and patronized scholars and poets. He offered Ali Hyder to critique his work, Ali Hyder had heard from the other people in court that the Nizam had been very rude to the gentleman who worked in that place, so he tactfully declined. Later Nizam offered him the job of Head of the Translation Department (Dar ul Tarjuma) of an Urdu Medium University, the Nizam had plans to build. Later the University was named Osmania University. Since all the subjects in this university were to be taught in Urdu, previously there were no Urdu Medium Universities in British India, syllabus of many other institutions was collected, this was in different languages mostly European, selection of appropriate books and literature and then organizing it in a way to form syllabus of different faculties of the University, that included Engineering, Medicine, subjects like Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Astronomy, and others. and then translating it into Urdu and publishing the books was all done by (Dar ul Tarjuma) under Ali Hyder.
Syed Ali Hyder Nazm Tabatabai is now seen as a Master of all subjects and professions by his admirers, that was probably due to his work in Dar ul Tarjuma, where he had to study several books in the process of organizing the University's syllabus
While living in Calcutta and being of Iranian descent he learned of another family of Iranian descent living in the city anonymously, learning about he went to pay a visit to the family. The lady of the house was grand daughter of Siraj-Ud-Daulah, his daughter's daughter. This acquaintance finally resulted in the marriage of one of the daughters of the family, Siraj-Ud-Daulah's great grand daughter to Ali Hyder. He had two sons and four daughters.
1. Khadija Begum
2. Syed Ahmad Tabatabai - 1898, Calcutta India 1969 Dera Ismail Khan Pakistan
3. Syed Amjad Tabatabai - 1896 Calcutta, India.
4. Fatima Begum
5. Sajida Begum -
6. Tayaba Begum - 1904 Hyderabad Deccan, India, 1965 Karachi Pakistan