Nehru, Firaq had strong bonding

Politics and literature generally don’t go together. Nehru and Firaq, however, were exceptions. Raghupati Sahay ‘Firaq Gorakhpuri’ was seven years younger to Nehru, but the two shared strong bonds.
“Nehru's friendship with Firaq goes back to 1920 when they were jailed together for boycotting Prince of Wales’ visit which continued till Nehru’s death,” says Prof Yogeshwar Tiwari of the department of Medieval and Modern History AU.“After independence, Nehru also nominated him for Rajya Sabha.”
Known for his frank comments, Firaq would openly say that ‘only two and a half men know English in India’: first was Firaq himself, second, the then President Dr S Radhakrishnan, and Nehru being the remaining half’. Such informal was their relationship that Nehru took it in his stride. As for Firaq, despite being a professor of English at Allahabad University, wrote over 4,000 Urdu couplets.
Sharing his memories about the chemistry between the two, Prof Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, a student of Firaq, said: “Both were very close friends and Firaq would often visit Nehru at Swaraj Bhawan and discuss nuances of politics and freedom struggle.”
Firaq also worked as undersecretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) for a lucrative salary of Rs 250 (from 1923 to 1927) but not finding the job very rewarding, he quit to teach English, first at Lucknow Christian College and later at Sanatan Dharam College, Kanpur. In 1930 he did his MA in English from Agra University and was subsequently appointed lecturer in English at AU from where he retired on December 31, 1958.
His proximity with the family continued even after Nehru. “He would often write Indira Gandhi for for help and was duly responded,” says Prof Raza. When he fell in 1982, it was Indira, the then prime minister, helped him getting admitted to AIIMS where he breathed his last.