Safia Akhtar was a litterateur with a distinctive style in twentieth century. She was born in Rudauli. Rudauli is an ancient town with continuous history for about a millennium. Rudauli produced a number of Muslim dignitaries, one of which was the famous romantic poet. Asrarul Haq Majaz, four years senior to his sister.
In 1943, Safia Jan Nisar Akhtar, Safia worked as a school teacher. She was meeting a practical necessity, to work outside her home, because Jan Nisar’s income was at best sporadic, and it was necessary for her to work to support her children. Thus, when Jan Nisar moved to Mumbai to try his luck at earning a living as a film lyricist, Safia stayed back in Gwalior with their children, and wrote her absent husband a series of letters in Urdu. A collection of these letters, written between 1 October 1943 to 29 December 1953, were first published in 1955 in two volumes under the title, “Harf-e-Aashna” and “Zer-e-Lab.
Safia Akhtar is considered a genuine writer and critic in Urdu language. Herr lucid, simple, powerful, moving and literary expressions are manifested in her letters and some critical essays.
Javed Akhtar, son of Safia Akhtar is an established lyricist of Bollywood, who is married secondly to Shabana Azmi, a Bollywood actress and social activist, who is the daughter of another great Urdu poet, Kaifi Azmi. Another son of Safia and Jan Nisar Akhtar is Salman Akhtar, who is an established Psychiatrist in United States.
About her education, an article published in feminismininda.com says:
Safia Akhtar then started studying at Abdullah College and excelled in her academics. After completing high school, she had to wait a year for the B.A. classes to start in the girls’ college. Safia stayed in a hostel during her B.A. and after completing it, worked as a supervisor of a training program with her teachers as they were amazed. After completing her undergraduate course, she studied further and got a Master degree in education from Aligarh Muslim University.
Safia grew up imbibing a progressive ideology. She set foot into education and pursued it at a time when women were rarely given the choice or opportunity to do so. Safia Akhtar chose her life partner; she worked and financially supported her family as well as her husband who was in another state, looking for work. To top it all off, she also took care of her two sons. Safia’s brother and husband were also part of the progressive writers’ movement at the time.
Safia Akhtar died on 17 January 1953, less than ten years after her wedding, and left behind two very small sons.
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