Jagan Nath Azad

Jagan Nath Azad (Urdu: جگن ناتھ آزاد‎, Hindi: जगन नाथ आज़ाद) (5 December 1918 – 24 July 2004) was a renowned Urdu poet, writer and academician. A literary giant, Azad penned over 70 books, including poetry collections, epic poems, biographies and travelogues.

He was an acclaimed authority on the life, philosophy and works of Dr Sir Allama Mohammad Iqbal. Azad's books (in Urdu and English) on Allama Iqbal are recognised as the "definitive reference" in the Urdu-speaking world. He served as President of the Iqbal Memorial Trust for a term of five years (1981–85).

Azad was elected vice-president of Anjuman_Taraqqi-i-Urdu (Hind) (a national body for the promotion of Urdu under the Ministry of Human Resource Development) in 1989 and President in 1993, remaining in this office till his demise.

He was at his writing desk till fifteen days before he died – of carcinoma and a brief illness – at the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre in New Delhi, India on 24 July 2004. He was 84 and was survived by his wife and five children.