Eric Cyprian ( 1911-1995)
A forgotten Progressive
Born 28 August 1911-Died 21 December 1995
He was among rare communists who disagreed with 2nd CPI Congress decisions and supported Punjabi
Many students of the Government CollegeLhore used to come to the Islamia College Civil Lines to attend Eric Syprian classes Hussain Naqi
Eric was a great teacher and the hallmark of his personality was his down-to-earth nature and patience Mubarak Haider
Eric’s most favourite student was Ghulam Rasool, a renowned painter of the country. Ajaz Anwar,
the columns published in the book ‘Discourse on Life’ were a wonderful read for professionals and new writers. Masoodullah Khan
Ijaz Syprian died....Eric Syprian still alive Khalid Hassan
In early 1990s Punjab Lok Lhar and Punjabi Morcha organized a protest in Pindi for the promotion of Punjabi, Iqbal Bali was our host in Pindi and in this protest we met with Eric Seprian and in 1993 when I founded Gautam Publisher, due to Zim (Zafar Iqbal Mirza) I met Safdar Mir and he shared many incidents of Eric Seprian. After his death I met with his wife. Many of his comrades were not happy from his 2nd marriage due to various reasons but still after 29 years of his death none of his loyalists or others penned that story. His lectures about English literature were recorded and telecasted at PTV but his wife failed to get it before the publication of his articles in book form. I wrote this blog about Eric in October 2017 but as website of AJF Awami Jumhori Forum Lhore is under construction so I added JPG images of Sibtul Hassan unusual article about Eric Seprian here below.
Here attached few writings yet it is important to write his biography and if you have anything regarding him, you can send it to aamirriaz1966@gmail.com .
There is a Facebook Page about his name and its link is
Sibtul Hassan Zygum Article about Eric Cyprian Published in the left magazine AJF no 18 in December 2004
Mr Saeed Ahmad's biographical Article about Eric. C R Aslam never attended CPI 2nd conference and for reference click below
Saeed Ahmad Article
Biography
Eric Cyprian was born on 28th August, 1911. This was three years before the First World War (1914-18). This war had left a deep impression on his mind since it was in the influenza epidemic that broke out after the war in September 1918, that his mother died. In 1919, following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by the British and there was the British Martial Law in Lahore to suppress the mass agitation that shook the raj after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. His father, fearing that they might suffer at the hands of the soldiers packed them off to Allahabad to his maternal aunt and grandparents.
Later, he learnt from his father that in 1919 all Indians were made to crawl in the streets before the British and anyone who hesitated to obey the soldiers was cut down with a sword or flung into the prison.
Eric Cyprian's childhood was spent in a corner house from across the street where the Tribune was and after the partition the office of the Pakistan Times, his house was in the RattanChand ka Bagh. This Bagh was a large mogul type garden with residential houses in the four corners and one large mansion in the southern end.
Rattan Chand ka Bagh was their garden of Eden and there Eric Cyprian had the most happy memories of his mother.
Eric Cyprian studied in the Cathedral School in Lahore and after that he was sent to Lawrence College of Ghora Gali in Murree. There he studied, played, fought and learnt to smoke.
Eric Cyprian was a day scholar in Simla and there he did his Cambridge Examinations.
During his college days he witnessed the turbulent political movements of the 30s in which on the one hand was Gandhi's non-violent political forms struggle and on the other hand militant forms of struggle led by man like Bhagat Singh.
During his M.A. days he came to hear about the Soviet Union but at that time all Communist literature was strictly banned in India and the nearest they came to Socialist literature was the writings of Ruskin, Oscar Wilde, and G.B. Shaw.
Among his classmates in the M.A. were Krishan Chander, he was the editor of the college magazine but nobody suspected that he would turn out to be such a celebrated writer. They hobnobbed with some selected Government College students and they had a circle of friends which included Balraj Sahni, the famous film actor and writer.
Eric Cyprian went to Oxford in 1934, and returned two years later. In Oxford, he came into a new world, where freedom was a wine that kept him intoxicated for months. It was there that Eric Cyprian read Marxist literature to his heart's content and joined all the left-wing clubs for weekly study circles, lively discussions and lapped up eagerly the ideology of scientific socialism.
Eric Cyprian actively engaged in the work of the labor party and helped them in elections. When he returned home, he thought that he was a full-fledged Communist. Eric Cyprian joined the Communist Party of India. He stayed in Forman Christian College for seven years, associated with CPI in one or another way.
After the partition, he and C.R. Aslam went to attend the Congress of CPI in Calcutta. Eric Cyprian remained in a banned Communist Party of Pakistan till the Martial Law of Ayub Khan. He was many times imprisoned and spent long time underground.
Eric Cyprian joined Islamia College Civil Lines and remained there till he was expelled from the college along with his colleagues, Professor Manzoor Ahmed and Professor Amin Mughal on the charges by Anjuman Hamayat e Islam for their Anti-Islamic activities.
Eric Cyprian associated himself with Mazdoor Kissan Party with his comrades Major Ishaque Mohd. and Afzal Bangash.
Eric Cyprian worked for the English daily The Muslim for years.
He is liked by his students, friends, comrades, colleagues, and workers for his bold, outspoken, and very clear-headed political ideas. He is remembered as one of the most honest, credible, perfectionist, hard working and fearless person.- (Saeed Ahmed)
An extract from the article of eminent journalist Khalid Hassan
Link of the article Published in Awami Jumhori Forum
LAHORE: A book containing published works of the late Professor Eric (Ejaz) Cyprian, titled ‘Discourse on Life’, was launched at the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture here
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