He was the last symbol of the Jigar Muradabadi school of Urdu ghazal, and the flag bearer of Urdu ghazal in North America. He died on 31st of May, 2009 at his residence in Dallas, Texas, USA. Syed Muhammad Hanif Akhgar Malihabadi was born on September 3rd, 1928, in the family of Qazi Syed Muhammad Shareef ‘Asar Kasmandvi’ and Mohtarma Raziun-Nisa Begum in the town of Malihabad, close to Lucknow in undivided India. He completed his primary education in Malihabad and finished his “Munshi-Fazil” from Sulaimania College in Bhopal. On 29th December, 1950, his family migrated to Karachi, Pakistan. Hanif Akhgar completed his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the Institute of Business Administration, University of Karachi. He also completed his Diploma in Industrial Financing from the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London.  He joined the United Nations (UN) as International Civil Servant (I.C.S.) in 1971 and served in different parts of world and retired on May 2nd, 1989 as Division Chief of the United Nations Capital Development Fund Division for Asia Pacific, Latin America and Arab States and settled down in New York with his family. He was also a permanent representative of World Assembly of small and medium Enterprises (WASME) in United Nations at New York. Urdu poetry was his passion and his first collection of Ghazal “Chiragaan” was published in 1989. In 1997, his second collection “Khayaabaan” was published. His last book came as collection of “Naat”, as Khalq-eMujassam in 2003.  He also completed his Autobiography, Aetraaf-wa-Inkashaf. He attended Almi Urdu Conference at New Delhi and received Khawaja Meer Dard Award. Since 1975, when the Aligarh Alumni Association of Washington DC started organizing Mushaira in the DC area, he has been a regular participant of the annual Mushaira of Aligarh Alumni Association of Washington DC. On several occasions he chaired Qaid-e-Azam Mushaira of Karachi, Pakistan and other major mushaira in and outside of North America. Aligarh Alumni Associations of Arizona, Northern California, Houston, and San Antonio invited him for their annual Mushaira on several occasions. He also started “Halqa-e-Adab” in New York area and organized several literary events and Mushaira.

Best couplet

Jo hai Taazgi meri zaat mein, wahi zikr-o-fikr chaman mein hai

Ke wajood mera kaheen bhi ho, meri rooh mere watan mein hai