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Parveen Shakir (1952-1994) attained fame early when her first poetry collection was published in 1976. The literary career that followed consisted of several acclaimed poetry collections and honors. She was highly educated, earning her degrees from Karachi and Harvard Universities. She was selected for the Pakistan Civil Service, and her untimely death in a car accident shocked everyone. With her death, the Urdu language lost one of its most promising young writers who had much more to contribute, especially on themes that concern women. Her poetry is a beautiful blending of classical as well as postmodern. Her sensibility had a great sense of beauty and a tinge of fragrance. The keywords of her ghazal are khushbuu, rusvaaii, harjaaii, shanaasaaii, and the like. There is more interest in her work now than when she was alive.

 For more about the Urdu Ghazal Poetry, please refer to:

Gopi Chand Narang, Translation by Surinder Deol. The Urdu Ghazal: A Gift of Composite Culture. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2020.

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Jaun Elia (1931-2002) was born in Amroha, a town in Uttar Pradesh. He migrated to Pakistan in 1957 with some reluctance, but the agony of migration that forced separation from his roots never left him. Coming from a highly literate family, Jaun gained a good grounding in Eastern and Western philosophy and Islamic and Sufi belief systems at an early age. Although he was born into a Muslim family and had studied at the Deoband School of Islamic Jurisprudence, he kept religion out of his life. Still, he did write some philosophic prose on the mystical nature of existence. His elder brother, Rais Amrohi, was a famous poet who used to write a new Qat’a every day on current affairs for the daily Jung newspaper in Karachi, and his uncle Kamal Amrohi was a talented screenplay writer and Bollywood film director. Jaun Elia gained fame because of the uniqueness of his poetic style, which was essentially postmodern, emphasizing lonesomeness, subversion, and the given. There is an eccentric restlessness and playful abandon in his poetry. Because of his Sufi bent of mind, he had created an Amroha of his own in his thoughts. There is a sense of tragedy in his sensibility that wrecked his life, and he becomes an alcoholic. Jaun was married, but nothing worked for him. Several of his poetic works were published after his death. 

 For more about the Urdu Ghazal Poetry, please refer to:

Gopi Chand Narang, Translation by Surinder Deol. The Urdu Ghazal: A Gift of Composite Culture. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2020.

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Nasir Kazmi (1925-1972) was born in the Indian town of Ambala in Punjab and moved to Lahore after partition. He was associated with Radio Pakistan for several years. His poetry is known for its mellow and soft lyricism and is rich in novel similes and metaphors. It is rooted in the prakritic tradition of Mir Taqi Mir and reflects sad tones reflecting the uprootedness and tragedy of partition. He wrote perceptively on Mir and also published a selection of his verse. At the same time, he was greatly influenced by Firaq Gorakhpuri, and he considered him a profound inspiration. They never met.  He was a loner, a haunted soul wandering through the dark streets of Lahore in the dead of night. A mysterious silence speaks through his despondent words as he became a cult figure during his lifetime for his peculiar forlorn personality. His Pak Tea House creative buddies who would keep his company were Intezar Husain, Ahmed Mushtaq, Zahid Dar, and others who spread his words and helped publish his verse. He is considered a trendsetter ghazal poet in the post-partition era with a heart-pulling desolate sensibility influencing many younger poets on both sides of the border. Famous Pakistani singers, Noor Jahaan, Iqbal Bano, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and others sang his ghazals, adding to his popularity. His admirers published several of his poetic collections after his death.

For more about the Urdu Ghazal Poetry, please refer to:

Gopi Chand Narang, Translation by Surinder Deol. The Urdu Ghazal: A Gift of India’s Composite Culture. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2020.

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Ahmad Faraz (1931-2008) was a close friend of both Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Ali Sardar Jafri, and he followed in their footsteps to be an icon of modern progressive poetry. Because he opposed the military rule of Zia-ul Haq, he was arrested, lost his job, and on his release, he went into a self-imposed exile, spending many years in foreign lands. He started as a romantic poet, and when Mehdi Hasan sang one of his ghazals, ranjish hi sahi, his popularity touched new heights. Following Faiz, there is musicality and lyricism in his poetry, though in a different order. There is, of course, a mix of romantic and modern in his ghazal writing.

 For more about Urdu Ghazal poetry, please see:

Gopi Chand Narang, Translation by Surinder Deol. The Urdu Ghazal: A Gift of India’s Composite Culture.New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2020.

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Majrooh Sultanpuri (1919-2000) was called Mir Taqi Mir of Urdu poetry, as someone who had fully internalized the legacy of ghazal writing. The humanistic aspects of Marxism are very much present in his poetry. He was a poet of the people, which is what he wanted to be. He had one slim volume of poetry that he expanded every few years. Since some of the keywords were common among the progressives, some readers felt that some of Majrooh’s couplets sounded like Faiz wrote them. His significant contributions to the Indian film industry through his lyrics were recognized when he received the Dada Sahib Phalke Award. Jigar Moradabadi introduced him to the film industry, but after he wrote lyrics for the film Shah Jahan, sung by legendary K.L. Saigal, there was nothing to hold him back. His composition Jab Dil Hi Tuut Gaya became so popular that K.L. Saigal wanted this ghazal to be played at his funeral. The last part of Majrooh’s life was complex and challenging. He was not getting as much attention from film producers as before and was not healthy. Just before his death, he told poet Javed Akhtar, “I have been trying to sell mirrors to the blind in this city.”

 For more about Urdu Ghazal poetry, please see:

 Gopi Chand Narang, Translation by Surinder Deol. The Urdu Ghazal: A Gift of India’s Composite Culture.New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2020.

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Kaifi Azmi (1919-2002) was born in a conservative Muslim family near Azamgarh in UP, but he adopted socialism as his creed. He was an active participant in the Communist Party of India. He published his first collection of poems called Jhankaar in 1943. Sajjad Zahir welcomed Kaifi as a valuable addition to the front-ranking poets in the assembly of Urdu poetry. His entry into Hindi films and his energetic presentations in mushairas brought him great fame. Kaifi stood firmly for three things. First, he was against all forms of communal divisions, caste system, inequalities, etc. Second, he was against all forms of social injustice. That meant speaking for the oppressed, workers, and those without a voice in the system. Third, he was optimistic about the future. Humanity survives because there is hope, he used to say. In the absence of hope, there is no future for anyone. Although he suffered a stroke, he did not limit his public presence. Despite his limited mobility, he continued to attend poetical symposiums and led an active life.

 To read more about the Urdu ghazal poetry, please refer to:

 Gopi Chand Narang, Translation by Surinder Deol. The Urdu Ghazal: A Gift of India’s Composite Culture.New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2020.

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Jan Nisar Akhtar (1914 – 1976), father of poet Javed Akhtar, was a part of the Progressive Writers Movement and a famous lyricist for several Bollywood movies. He was the son of poet Muztar Khairabadi and great-grandson of freedom fighter Fazle-Haq Khairabadi.  From his early days, he was sympathetic to progressive thinking. Although he wrote both ghazals and poems, we find the soul of his poetry in his ghazals. His poetry collection Khaake Dil (Ashes of the Heart) got him the Sahitya Akademi Award. Prime Minister Nehru asked him to collect the Hindustani poetry of the last three hundred years. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi later released the two-volume work called Hindustan Hamara. He married Safia Akhtar, the sister of poet Majaz and mother of Javed Akhtar in 1943, whom he left behind while trying his luck in the Bombay film industry. Unfortunately, she died of tuberculosis. Javed Akhter left the house when his father married another woman.

To read more about Urdu ghazal poetry, please refer to:
Gopi Chand Narang, Translation by Surinder Deol. The Urdu Ghazal: A Gift of India’s Composite Culture. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2020.

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Jigar Moradabadi (1890-1960) was born in Benaras. Because he lost his father at an early age, he struggled to get a start in life and gain proficiency in Urdu and Persian. Due to his friendship with Asghar Gondvi, he settled in Gonda, a town near Lucknow. Jigar kept alive the classical, rhythmic traditional style of ghazal writing, and his name often occurs near the top of twentieth-century Urdu poets. His ghazals have a rare psychological touch and a sweeping lyrical flow. While making a socio-political point, he handles the metaphor masterly so as not to deviate too much from the make-belief art of the ghazal. He was awarded an honorary D. Litt. by the Aligarh Muslim University – a rare honor he shares with Allama Iqbal and Sarojini Naidu. 

 For more information about the Urdu ghazal poetry, please get a copy of:

 Gopi Chand Narang, Trans. by Surinder Deol, The Urdu Ghazal: A Gift of India’s Composite Culture. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2020.

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Asrarul Haq Majaz (1911-1955) of Lucknow lived a relatively short life of 44 years, but within this short time, he made a significant impact with his alluring poems and captivating ghazals. Although he was not an excellent academic student, he influenced many people during his stay at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). He wrote his best work while at Aligarh. He composed the Tarana, anthem for AMU that is passionately sung today. His first poetry collection Aahang was heralded by Sajad Zahir, as the opening of a new rosebud in the garden of progressives. His poem Rail subtly refers to the revolution's roar in the night's pitch darkness and the upsurge of the freedom struggle. He had a carefree, witty disposition and was very popular with the younger folks of his time. Over-adornment by his fans and alcoholism killed him at a young age. 

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Among the modern progressives and those who were also associated with the film industry, Sahir Ludhianvi (1921-1980) occupies a very special place. It has to do with his celebrity status as much as his romantic poetry that appealed to a new generation of young people in post-independent India. Sahir was also a powerful voice against social injustice, exploitation, denial of women’s rights, and income inequalities. His collection of poetry Talkhiyaan was published in 1944, and several of the compositions in that volume were used in Hindi films. He also published a longer poem called Parchhaiyaan, considered the best peace poem written by an Urdu poet. Sahir is among those few Urdu poets who gained fame for his nazm poetry as well as his ghazals. His poem about the Taj Mahal is a rare gem in the genre of Urdu love poetry. And who can forget his lyrics for films like Pyasa and Kabhi Kabhi?

 Gopi Chand Narang, Surinder Deol, trns. THE URDU GHAZAL: A Gift of India’s Composite Culture. New Delhi: The Oxford University Press, 2020.