Ahmed Faraz
Encyclopedia
Ahmad Faraz born Syed Ahmad Shah on January 14, 1931, in Kohat
, was a Pakistani Urdu poet
. He was considered one of the greatest modern Urdu poets of the last century. Faraz is his pseudonym 'takhalus'. Faraz died in Islamabad
on August 25, 2008.
Faraz has been compared with Faiz Ahmad Faiz, holds a unique position as one of the best poets of current times, with a fine but simple style of writing. Even common people can easily understand. Ethnically a Hindkowan, Ahmed Faraz studied Persian
and Urdu at the Peshawar University. He later became lecturer at the Peshawar University.
.
In an interview with Rediff he recalls how his father, once bought clothes for him on Eid
. He didn't like the clothes meant for him, but preferred the ones meant for his elder brother. This lead him to write his first couplet:
He was told by his parents once to learn mathematics from a class fellow during the summer vacation. "I was weak in mathematics and geography. I still don't remember maps and roads".
Coming from a respectable family of Syeds, descendents of 'Haji Bahadar" a famous saint of Kohat
, he moved to Peshawar with entire family. Studied in famous Edwards College, Peshawar and then did his Masters
in Urdu and Persian
from Peshawar University
.
During his time in college, Faiz Ahmad Faiz and Ali Sardar Jafri
were the best progressive poets, who impressed him and became his role models.
for reciting certain poems at a Mushaira criticizing the military rule
. He stayed for 6 years in Britain,
Canada and Europe before returning to Pakistan
, where he was initially appointed Chairman Academy of Letters and
later chairperson of the Islamabad
-based National Book Foundation
for several years. He has been awarded
with numerous national and international awards.
He was awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz in 2004, in recognition of his literary achievements. He returned the award
in 2006 after becoming disenchanted with the government and its policies.
"My conscious will not forgive me if I remained a silent spectator of the sad happenings around us. The least I can
do is to let the dictatorship know where it stands in the eyes of the concerned citizens whose fundamental
rights have been usurped. I am doing this by returning the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (civil) forthwith and refuse to
associate myself in any way with the regime..." a statement issued by the poet.
About his current writings he says: "I now only write when I am forced to from the inside." Maintaining a tradition established by his mentor, the revolutionary Faiz Ahmad Faiz, he wrote some of his best poetry during those days in exile. Famous amongst poetry of resistance has been "Mahasara". Faraz was also mentioned by actor Shahzada Ghaffar in the Pothwari
/Mirpuri
telefilm "Khai Aye O".
Despite his deteriorating health, he was quite active in the Judicial Crisis
, in 2007. He himself joined the lawyers to protest against the government, and also encouraged his colleagues to do the same.
Nazm: Khwaab martay naheen
Khwaab maratay naheen
Khwaab dil hain, nah aankhen, nah saansen keh jo
Rezaa, rezaa huwe to bikhar jaayen ge
Jism kii maut se ye bhii mar jaayen ge
English translation.
Dreams do not die
Dream are not heart, nor eyes nor breath
Which shattered, will scatter
Die with the death of the body.
Kohat
Kohat is a medium sized town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 33°35'13N 71°26'29E with an altitude of 489 metres and is the capital of Kohat District. The town centres around a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. A British-built narrow gauge...
, was a Pakistani Urdu poet
Urdu poetry
Urdu poetry is a rich tradition of poetry and has many different types and forms. Borrowing much from the Persian language, it is today an important part of Pakistani and North Indian culture....
. He was considered one of the greatest modern Urdu poets of the last century. Faraz is his pseudonym 'takhalus'. Faraz died in Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
on August 25, 2008.
Faraz has been compared with Faiz Ahmad Faiz, holds a unique position as one of the best poets of current times, with a fine but simple style of writing. Even common people can easily understand. Ethnically a Hindkowan, Ahmed Faraz studied Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
and Urdu at the Peshawar University. He later became lecturer at the Peshawar University.
Biography
Faraz was born in Kohat, Pakistan to Syed Muhammad Shah Barq. His brother is Syed Masood KausarSyed Masood Kausar
Syed Masood Kausar is a Pakistani politician and a senior member of Pakistan Peoples Party led by Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto. Masood Kausar is brother of famous Urdu poet Ahmed Faraz...
.
In an interview with Rediff he recalls how his father, once bought clothes for him on Eid
Eid ul-Fitr
Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr , often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting . Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means "breaking the fast"...
. He didn't like the clothes meant for him, but preferred the ones meant for his elder brother. This lead him to write his first couplet:
- Laye hain sab ke liye kapre sale se (He brought clothes for everybody from the sale)
- Laye hain hamare liye kambal jail se (For me he brought a blanket from jail)
He was told by his parents once to learn mathematics from a class fellow during the summer vacation. "I was weak in mathematics and geography. I still don't remember maps and roads".
Coming from a respectable family of Syeds, descendents of 'Haji Bahadar" a famous saint of Kohat
Kohat
Kohat is a medium sized town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 33°35'13N 71°26'29E with an altitude of 489 metres and is the capital of Kohat District. The town centres around a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. A British-built narrow gauge...
, he moved to Peshawar with entire family. Studied in famous Edwards College, Peshawar and then did his Masters
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Urdu and Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
from Peshawar University
University of Peshawar
The University of Peshawar is a public sector university in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan. The university was established in October 1950 by Mr...
.
During his time in college, Faiz Ahmad Faiz and Ali Sardar Jafri
Ali Sardar Jafri
Ali Sardar Jafri was an Urdu writer, poet, critic and film lyricist from India.-Early life and education:Ali Sardar Jafri was born in an aristocratic family in Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh, where he spent his formative years....
were the best progressive poets, who impressed him and became his role models.
Literary and Political life
Outspoken about politics, he went into self-imposed exile during the Zia-ul-Haq era after he was arrestedfor reciting certain poems at a Mushaira criticizing the military rule
Military rule
Military rule may mean:* Militarism or militarist ideology - the ideology of government as best served when under military control* Military occupation, when a country or area is occupied after invasion.** List of military occupations...
. He stayed for 6 years in Britain,
Canada and Europe before returning to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, where he was initially appointed Chairman Academy of Letters and
later chairperson of the Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
-based National Book Foundation
National Book Foundation
The National Book Foundation, founded in 1989, is an American nonprofit literary organization established "to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America." It achieves this through sponsoring the National Book Award, as well as the medal for Distinguished Contribution to American...
for several years. He has been awarded
with numerous national and international awards.
He was awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz in 2004, in recognition of his literary achievements. He returned the award
in 2006 after becoming disenchanted with the government and its policies.
"My conscious will not forgive me if I remained a silent spectator of the sad happenings around us. The least I can
do is to let the dictatorship know where it stands in the eyes of the concerned citizens whose fundamental
rights have been usurped. I am doing this by returning the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (civil) forthwith and refuse to
associate myself in any way with the regime..." a statement issued by the poet.
About his current writings he says: "I now only write when I am forced to from the inside." Maintaining a tradition established by his mentor, the revolutionary Faiz Ahmad Faiz, he wrote some of his best poetry during those days in exile. Famous amongst poetry of resistance has been "Mahasara". Faraz was also mentioned by actor Shahzada Ghaffar in the Pothwari
Pothohari language
Potwari , also known as Potohari ), is a rich north Indian sub-continent dialect spoken in the Pothohar Plateau around Rawalpindi, Kahuta, Gujar Khan, Jehlum, up to Gujrat in the south and Chakwal in the West, Hazara in the north, Azad Kashmir in the east and also by Sikhs from the Pothohar...
/Mirpuri
Mirpuri
Mirpuri may refer to:* Potwari language, an Indo-Aryan Lahnda language related to Hindko* Mahan Singh Mirpuri , General in the kingdom of Maharaja Ranjit Singh* Mirpur, Azad Kashmir, city in Pakistan-administered Jammu & Kashmir...
telefilm "Khai Aye O".
Despite his deteriorating health, he was quite active in the Judicial Crisis
Lawyers' Movement
The Lawyers' Movement was the name given to the popular mass protest movement started by the lawyers of Pakistan in response to the dictatorial actions of 9 March 2007, by the country's military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, when he unconstitutionally sacked Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the Chief...
, in 2007. He himself joined the lawyers to protest against the government, and also encouraged his colleagues to do the same.
Death
Faraz died from kidney failure in a local Islamabad hospital on 25 August 2008. His funeral was held on the evening of 26th, by many admirers and government officials at H-8 Graveyard, Islamabad, Pakistan.Samples of poetry
A sample of his poetry is:Nazm: Khwaab martay naheen
Khwaab maratay naheen
Khwaab dil hain, nah aankhen, nah saansen keh jo
Rezaa, rezaa huwe to bikhar jaayen ge
Jism kii maut se ye bhii mar jaayen ge
English translation.
Dreams do not die
Dream are not heart, nor eyes nor breath
Which shattered, will scatter
Die with the death of the body.
External links
- احمد فراز : تعارف اور منتخب شاعری (Selected Poetry of Ahmad Faraz)
- لفظ کو پھول بنانا تو کرشمہ ہے فراز، احمد فراز کی شاعری اور زندگی کے مختلف پہلوں پر مبنی ایک خصوصی ڈاکومنٹری
- Ahmed Faraz at Kavita Kosh (Poetry in Hindi font)
- 10 Selected Poems of Ahmed Faraz
- Ahmed Faraz's Audio and Video Poetry
- جب شعر سفر کرجائےگا
- Obituary of Ahmed Faraz
- http://www.gulfnews.com/world/Pakistan/10240423.html
- http://www.pakistantimes.net/2008/08/27/top10.htm by waqar ahmed odho
- Link of some of his beautiful creations.
- The New York Times