Tag Archives: Muslim Urdu Poets of India

Former IGP, Poet Khaleel Mamoon, No More

Bengaluru ,KARNATAKA :

Bengaluru :

Khaleel ur Rehman, a noted Urdu poet and former Inspector General of Police, Karnataka breathed his last on Friday after a cardiac arrest.

Born here in 1948 and better known by his pen name Mamoon, he won the 2011 Sahitya Academi Award for his poetry collection Aafaaq ki Taraf. In 2004, Mamoon became the first Urdu writer to win the Karnataka Rajyotsava Prashasti.

After working as a staff artist for All India Radio, Delhi and later working as an Assistant editor of Daily Salar, Mamoon joined the Indian Police Service in 1977 and eventually promoted to IPS and retired as IGP in 2008.

Mamoon has published a number of works. Lissan Falsafe Ke Aine Me on the philosophy of language. Unnees Lillahi Nazmen is a translation of poems written in praise of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ by Scherzade Rikhye. Nishaat-e-Gham is a collections of Ghazals. Kannada Adab is a collection of translations of Kannada language poetry and fiction. His poems are published in ‘La Ilah’ and ‘Andherey Ujaley Mein’ – two voluminous poetry collections.

His poetry stands out for its animated use of everyday images, sometimes shocking metaphors and use of wit that lay bare everyday experiences. His poetic sensibilities are steeped into the sufi-mystical traditions of Indo-Persianate culture. He experimented in the genres of both classical ghazal and azad nazam in a collection Saanson ke paar. He was most prolific in the genre of nazm which he thought suited to articulate the changing experiences of contemporary times – Jism-o-Jaan se doorBanbas ka JhootSaraswati ke Kinare.

He served as the President of Karnataka Urdu Academy during 2008-10. During his tenure, he also edited the literary organ of the Karnataka Urdu Academy Azkaar.

source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Focus / by Mohammed Atherulla Shariff / June 22nd, 2024

Tributes Pour in as Urdu Poet Munawwar Rana Passes Away

Raibareli / Lucknow, UTTAR PRADESH:

‘I invite any Indian who claims to be a nationalist to the core to have a conversation with me,’ Rana wrote for The Wire in 2017.

Munawwar Rana (1952-2024). Photo: Youtube

New Delhi: 

Urdu poet Munawwar Rana died on Sunday, January 14. He was 71.

Rana, who had been suffering from throat cancer, breathed his last at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences  in Lucknow.

The poet is survived by his wife, four daughters and a son, PTI has reported.

Rana was an outspoken artist and was vocal against communal politics.

In 2021, Lucknow police registered an FIR against him for allegedly inciting religious feelings for his comments on Valmiki, who wrote Ramayan.

“Valmiki became a god after he wrote the Ramayana, before that he was a dacoit. A person’s character can change. Similarly, the Taliban for now are terrorists but people and characters change…When you talk about Valmiki, you will have to talk about his past. In your religion, you make anyone god. But he was a writer who wrote the Ramayana, but we are not in competition here,” Rana had said.

In 2017, the poet, who wrote the famous Maa, wrote for The Wire: 

“I invite any Indian who claims to be a nationalist to the core to have a conversation with me. Let him decide the time and place. If Allah wills it, they will emerge as traitors; and we will emerge as nationalist Indians. You say ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’. My friend, we kneel on earth and kiss this soil 94 times in veneration while offering our prayers.”

On social media, many have condoled his passing.

source: http://www.thewire.in / The Wire / Home> Books / by The Wire Staff / January 15th, 2024