THIS is apropos the letter ‘The ‘bias’ of a literary giant’ (Jan 10) which has charged the late Shamsur Rahman Faruqi with bias because of his ranking of the poetic excellence of five 20th century Urdu poets in which Faiz has been ranked fifth, while Ahmed Mushtaq is ranked first, presumably, in the words of the writer, because he was Faruqi’s friend.
While one may disagree with Faruqi’s ranking, he has repeatedly explained that it was governed by criteria of literary attributes; not by those external to poetry.
Thus, the writer’s advocacy for a higher ranking for Faiz because the latter “was a great humanist who felt the pain of humanity and sang the oppressed and the downtrodden song” and that “he was a great human being” would, rightly, cut no ice with Faruqi being irrelevant to literary merit.
Shamsur Rahman Faruqi: The Ustad Who Could Catch the Bustle in A Flowerâs Scent
The acclaimed Urdu critic, poet and prose master changed the face of Urdu but also what it meant to engage with the literary in all its shapes, glorious or unsightly. Life after him means living with a slew of unfinished conversations, writes Geeta Patel.Â
Shamsur Rahman Faruqi (September 30, 1935 â December 25, 2020) Photo: Aashima
The language of flowers (in homage to Ghalib and Faruqi)
You happen upon them
Lotus midnight hands over your soul
Petalled rose harkens loveâs slow fall
Tulip stillness as the heartâs quarry
Shalini Venugopal Bhagat, The New York Times
Published: 08 Jan 2021 01:17 PM BdST
Updated: 08 Jan 2021 01:17 PM BdST Shamsur Rahman Faruqi was credited with the revival of Urdu literature, especially from the 18th and 19th centuries. He died of Covid-19. Photo taken via the poet s official Facebook page.
Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, a creative and critical voice in Urdu literature for more than a half-century, died Dec 25 at his home in Allahabad, India. He was 85. );
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The cause was complications of COVID-19, his daughter Mehr Afshan Farooqi said. (Faruqi changed the spelling of his surname in the 1980s.)
Faruqi has been credited among scholars with the revival of Urdu literature, especially from the 18th and 19th centuries. His output over the years as a scholar, editor, publisher, critic, literary historian, translator and acclaimed writer of both poetry and novels was varied and prolific.
Three remarkable people
Celebrating the lives of Roddam, Faruqi and Sudarshan
Three remarkable men, all in their late eighties, passed away within days of each other in December 2020, two of them in Bengaluru and a third in Allahabad.
Enough has appeared in this paper and elsewhere about Professor Roddam Narasimha who died on December 14, as a scientist and a teacher in the Indian Institute of Science. India’s aerospace programme owes a lot to him.
A scientist strategist
Roddam was a tremendously curious individual who wore his achievements lightly. He was a member of India’s highest-level strategic and security bodies.
Farewell Father : Shamsur Rahman Faruqi s Daughter Remembers the Legendary Urdu Critic Father would come up with searing verses from Mir and Ghalib that reflected his state of being. He recited Coleridge, Hardy and Shakespeare, recalls Mehr Afshan Farooqi.
Shamsur Rahman Faruqi with his daughter Mehr Afshan Farooqi. Photo: Author.
Culture01/Jan/2021
A black and white photo of mine with my parents holding hands sits on my fatherâs study table. I am four, and bright-eyed with a mop of short hair and bangs.
I can vividly remember the colour of my frock. It was sky blue, embroidered with tiny white flowers, satin ribbons tied at the waist. My motherâs