AMN / WEB DESK
Renowned Urdu poet Munawwar Rana passed away today after prolonged illness. He was 71.
Winner of several prestigious awards, Lucknow-based poet Munawwar Rana was one of India’s most popular and admired poets with a unique tone of voice.
He wrote both in Hindi and Urdu and was a prominent name in Mushaira circles in India and abroad. His most famous poem was the ground-breaking ‘Maa’ in which he used the genre of Ghazal to extol the virtues of a mother.
kisī ko ghar milā hisse meñ yā koī dukāñ aa.ī
maiñ ghar meñ sab se chhoTā thā mire hisse meñ maañ aa.ī
Some of his other works include Muhajirnama, Ghar Akela Ho Gaya and Peepal Chhaon. He was recently conferred with the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award for his poetry book, Shahdaba. This award adds to a long list of honors already bestowed upon him, some of which include the Ameer Khusro Award, Mir Taqi Mir Award, Ghalib Award, Dr. Zakir Hussain Award, and the Saraswati Samaj Award. Rana’s poetry has also been translated and published in Hindi, Urdu, Gurumukhi and Bangla.