Saeed Khan
Encyclopedia
Saeed Khan, is a renowned contemporary Urdu
poet
(also known as 'Saeed'), a Sydney
based writer and a well known social and environmental advocate. Saeed's poetry is a combination of classical and modern Urdu
ghazal
and poems full of romance. Saeed’s idol and the great Urdu Poet Ahmad Faraz praised his poetry by saying 'Saeed's voice is like a fresh breeze for Urdu poetry'.
located in Hazara Pakistan
(Hindko
: هزاره, Urdu
: ہزارہ)) Pakistan
on July 19 1966, and is the eldest son of a famous Union leader Abdul Bashir Khan , known for winning the land rights for the people of Khanpur Urdu
: ہزارہ)) during the 1970's construction of Khanpur Dam
Khan holds a Masters in Management and an MBA (E-Business Management) from the University of Technology, Sydney
and works in IT Management.
Khan has lived in Sydney for over 20 years. He was a young General Secretary of the Pakistan Association of Australia from 1999-2001 and for many years campaigned for refugee rights and multiculturalism.
He grew up reading and writing Urdu poetry in the North of Pakistan and continued his passion after he moved to Sydney during the late 1980s.
Saeed was first discovered and encouraged as a young poet in Sydney (1994) by Ashraf Shad, a senior Pakistani journalist, writer and poet. Soon after he met Ustad Om Krishn Rahat, a prominent Urdu poet from Fridabad India, who had moved to Sydney. Ustad Rahat spotted Saeed’s poetic talents and helped him improve his language and writing skills. He also developed his poetry through reading and interactions with many prominent poets from India and Pakistan who traveled to Australia for annual recitals.
Among those who have praised Saeed’s poetic works are stalwarts like Ahmad Faraz, legends like Amjad Islam Amjad
, Himayat Ali Shaer, and Pirzada Qasim
, as well as contemporaries like Noshi Gillani and Farhat Abbas Shah.
Being a founding member of the Urdu Society of Australia inc., Saeed has also been involved in promoting and developing Urdu writings in Australia since 1995. He served as a Vice President of the Urdu Society from 2003-2008 and played a key role in developing and project managing major international poetry recitals.
Saeed is married to famous Urdu poetess, Noshi Gilani
and they currently reside in Sydney.
1. MANZAR BAAT KARTEY HAIN (The Speaking Views) - The first collection of his poetry, was published by in Lahore in 2003.
2. EIK MUTHI MEIN MEREY KHWAB (A Handful of Dreams) - the second collection of Urdu Poetry was published by “Sham-k-Baad Publications in Lahore in 2007.
Renowned Urdu poet and critic Dr Abrar Ahmad reviewed Saeed Khan's 2nd book EIK MUTHI MEIN MEREY KHWAB (A Handful of Dreams) in 2007.
According Dr Abara Ahmad:
"The collection is heavily dominated by ghazal -- and unfolds a promise of going ahead with brilliance in this genre ... The strongest point he scores here is his creative ability to utilize words in their proper meaning. His stance is essentially neoclassical ... He seems deeply immersed in the greater ghazal tradition, and understands high class ghazal. All his work is meant to convey some thoughts, ideas and feelings. Subjective issues occupy the main bulk of his content. These include a longing, a sense of loss, an unquenched thirst for love and allied feelings. But he is fully conscious of the objectivity around and far from him".
"At places he offers political comments, at others he turns philosophical. A wave of romanticism runs through as an undercurrent in all his poetry".
in 2003 as he was attracted to their environmental, social and human rights policies. Khan left politics in 2008 after one term on Marrickville Council. Some of the highlights included:
Marrickville Council, Sydney
Marrickville Council, Sydney: Elected as a Greens' Councillor from March 2004 – September 2008, chaired a number of Council and Advisory committees. www.marrickville.nsw.gov.au
Candidate for 2007 Australian Federal Election
Australian Greens candidate for the Sydney electorate of Grayndler, succeeded in gaining nearly 20% of the primary vote in Greens 2nd largest electorate in the country. http://greens.org.au/grayndler
Ethnic Communities' Council of New South Wales (ECC NSW)
Ethnic Communities' Council of New South Wales* (ECC NSW): Elected Deputy Chairman (2007-2009, 2009-2011) and Vice Chairman (2005-2007) of the ECC, the peak representative body of diverse migrant communities of NSW. www.eccnsw.org.au
The Institute for Cultural Diversity (ICD)
Founding Board Member since 2007. Co-founded the ICD, a think-tank to promote a cross-political approach to issues of cultural diversity.
Pakistani organizations in Australia
General Secretary of Pakistan Association of Australia (1999-2001) and Founding Member (1995) and Vice President (2003-2008) of Urdu Society of Australia Inc., involved in promoting Urdu language and writings in Australia since 1995. Organising major international Urdu poetry recitals.
Pakistan Earthquake Appeal Coordination Committee
Founding Coordinator of *Pakistan Earthquake Appeal Coordination Committee (PEACC), Australia (Since 2005). The committee, through its Australia-Wide Appeal and its lobbying in Federal Parliament, played as key role in facilitating nearly A$50 Million of Australian humanitarian aid for Pakistani earthquake victims including medical teams. www.peacc.org
Other achievements
–Founding member of Marrickville Transport Action Group www.marrickvilletag.org
–Initiated and chaired the Steering Committee of "Across my Bridge"(2007-present),an innovative arts-based leadership project for the Islamic Youth of Sydney. Funded by the Australian Government and Westpac Bank.
–Media- Opinion Writing: His opinion pieces have been published in Sydney Morning Herald (Australia's largest newspaper), ABC Online, Inner-Western Courier, Indus Age, Online Opinion, as well as international website such as www.Chowk.com
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
(also known as 'Saeed'), a Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
based writer and a well known social and environmental advocate. Saeed's poetry is a combination of classical and modern Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
ghazal
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
and poems full of romance. Saeed’s idol and the great Urdu Poet Ahmad Faraz praised his poetry by saying 'Saeed's voice is like a fresh breeze for Urdu poetry'.
Biography
Saeed Khan was born in Khanpur DamKhanpur Dam
Khanpur Dam is a dam located on the Haro River near the town of Khanpur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Pakistan, about 25 miles from Islamabad, Pakistan...
located in Hazara Pakistan
Hazara Pakistan
Hazara is a region of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It comprises six districts: Abbottabad District, Battagram District, Haripur District, Kohistan District, Mansehra District and now, since 28 January 2011, the new Tor Ghar District...
(Hindko
Hindko language
Hindko , also Hindku, or Hinko, is the sixth main regional language of Pakistan. It forms a subgroup of Indo-Aryan languages spoken by Hindkowans in Pakistan and northern India, some Pashtun tribes in Pakistan, as well as by the Hindki people of Afghanistan...
: هزاره, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
: ہزارہ)) 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...
on July 19 1966, and is the eldest son of a famous Union leader Abdul Bashir Khan , known for winning the land rights for the people of Khanpur Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
: ہزارہ)) during the 1970's construction of Khanpur Dam
Khanpur Dam
Khanpur Dam is a dam located on the Haro River near the town of Khanpur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Pakistan, about 25 miles from Islamabad, Pakistan...
Khan holds a Masters in Management and an MBA (E-Business Management) from the University of Technology, Sydney
University of Technology, Sydney
The University of Technology Sydney is a university in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university was founded in its current form in 1981, although its origins trace back to the 1870s. UTS is notable for its central location as the only university with its main campuses within the Sydney CBD...
and works in IT Management.
Khan has lived in Sydney for over 20 years. He was a young General Secretary of the Pakistan Association of Australia from 1999-2001 and for many years campaigned for refugee rights and multiculturalism.
Urdu Poetry
Saeed is considered one of the up and coming Urdu poets of today.He grew up reading and writing Urdu poetry in the North of Pakistan and continued his passion after he moved to Sydney during the late 1980s.
Saeed was first discovered and encouraged as a young poet in Sydney (1994) by Ashraf Shad, a senior Pakistani journalist, writer and poet. Soon after he met Ustad Om Krishn Rahat, a prominent Urdu poet from Fridabad India, who had moved to Sydney. Ustad Rahat spotted Saeed’s poetic talents and helped him improve his language and writing skills. He also developed his poetry through reading and interactions with many prominent poets from India and Pakistan who traveled to Australia for annual recitals.
Among those who have praised Saeed’s poetic works are stalwarts like Ahmad Faraz, legends like Amjad Islam Amjad
Amjad Islam Amjad
Amjad Islam Amjad, PP, SI is a famous Urdu poet, drama writer and lyricist from Pakistan.-Life and career:...
, Himayat Ali Shaer, and Pirzada Qasim
Pirzada Qasim
Prof. Dr. Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui is a noted Pakistani scholar, Urdu poet scientist and educationist.He is serving as Vice Chancellor of the University of Karachi.- Biography :...
, as well as contemporaries like Noshi Gillani and Farhat Abbas Shah.
Being a founding member of the Urdu Society of Australia inc., Saeed has also been involved in promoting and developing Urdu writings in Australia since 1995. He served as a Vice President of the Urdu Society from 2003-2008 and played a key role in developing and project managing major international poetry recitals.
Saeed is married to famous Urdu poetess, Noshi Gilani
Noshi Gilani
Noshi Gilani is an Urdu poet of international fame and a former academic from the Bahawalpur University, Punjab Pakistan....
and they currently reside in Sydney.
Books
Two books of Saeed’s Urdu poetry have been published so far.1. MANZAR BAAT KARTEY HAIN (The Speaking Views) - The first collection of his poetry, was published by in Lahore in 2003.
2. EIK MUTHI MEIN MEREY KHWAB (A Handful of Dreams) - the second collection of Urdu Poetry was published by “Sham-k-Baad Publications in Lahore in 2007.
Reviews & Comments
The great Urdu Poet Ahmad Faraz praised his poetry by saying 'Saeed's voice is like a fresh breeze for Urdu poetry'.Renowned Urdu poet and critic Dr Abrar Ahmad reviewed Saeed Khan's 2nd book EIK MUTHI MEIN MEREY KHWAB (A Handful of Dreams) in 2007.
According Dr Abara Ahmad:
"The collection is heavily dominated by ghazal -- and unfolds a promise of going ahead with brilliance in this genre ... The strongest point he scores here is his creative ability to utilize words in their proper meaning. His stance is essentially neoclassical ... He seems deeply immersed in the greater ghazal tradition, and understands high class ghazal. All his work is meant to convey some thoughts, ideas and feelings. Subjective issues occupy the main bulk of his content. These include a longing, a sense of loss, an unquenched thirst for love and allied feelings. But he is fully conscious of the objectivity around and far from him".
"At places he offers political comments, at others he turns philosophical. A wave of romanticism runs through as an undercurrent in all his poetry".
Activism and Politics
Khan joined the Australian GreensAustralian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
in 2003 as he was attracted to their environmental, social and human rights policies. Khan left politics in 2008 after one term on Marrickville Council. Some of the highlights included:
Marrickville Council, Sydney
Marrickville Council, Sydney: Elected as a Greens' Councillor from March 2004 – September 2008, chaired a number of Council and Advisory committees. www.marrickville.nsw.gov.au
Candidate for 2007 Australian Federal Election
Australian Greens candidate for the Sydney electorate of Grayndler, succeeded in gaining nearly 20% of the primary vote in Greens 2nd largest electorate in the country. http://greens.org.au/grayndler
Ethnic Communities' Council of New South Wales (ECC NSW)
Ethnic Communities' Council of New South Wales* (ECC NSW): Elected Deputy Chairman (2007-2009, 2009-2011) and Vice Chairman (2005-2007) of the ECC, the peak representative body of diverse migrant communities of NSW. www.eccnsw.org.au
The Institute for Cultural Diversity (ICD)
Founding Board Member since 2007. Co-founded the ICD, a think-tank to promote a cross-political approach to issues of cultural diversity.
Pakistani organizations in Australia
General Secretary of Pakistan Association of Australia (1999-2001) and Founding Member (1995) and Vice President (2003-2008) of Urdu Society of Australia Inc., involved in promoting Urdu language and writings in Australia since 1995. Organising major international Urdu poetry recitals.
Pakistan Earthquake Appeal Coordination Committee
Founding Coordinator of *Pakistan Earthquake Appeal Coordination Committee (PEACC), Australia (Since 2005). The committee, through its Australia-Wide Appeal and its lobbying in Federal Parliament, played as key role in facilitating nearly A$50 Million of Australian humanitarian aid for Pakistani earthquake victims including medical teams. www.peacc.org
Other achievements
–Founding member of Marrickville Transport Action Group www.marrickvilletag.org
–Initiated and chaired the Steering Committee of "Across my Bridge"(2007-present),an innovative arts-based leadership project for the Islamic Youth of Sydney. Funded by the Australian Government and Westpac Bank.
–Media- Opinion Writing: His opinion pieces have been published in Sydney Morning Herald (Australia's largest newspaper), ABC Online, Inner-Western Courier, Indus Age, Online Opinion, as well as international website such as www.Chowk.com