Urdu poet
Urdu poetry ( ur, ) is a tradition of poetry and has many different forms. Today, it is an important part of the cultures of South Asia. According to Naseer Turabi there are five major poets of Urdu which are Mir Taqi Mir (d.1810), Mirza Ghali ...
, humorist,
travelogue
Travelogue may refer to:
Genres
* Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling
* Travel documentary
A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or ...
writer and
newspaper columnist
A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the form of a short essay ...
. Along with his poetry, he was regarded as one of the best humorists of
Urdu
Urdu (;"Urdu" '' His poetry has a distinctive diction laced with language reminiscent of
Amir Khusro
Abu'l Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrau (1253–1325 AD), better known as Amīr Khusrau was an Indo-Persian culture, Indo-Persian Sufi singer, musician, poet and scholar who lived under the Delhi Sultanate. He is an iconic figure in the cultural his ...
in its use of words and construction that is usually heard in the more earthy dialects of the
Hindi-Urdu
Hindustani (; Devanagari: ,
*
*
*
* ; Perso-Arabic: , , ) is the '' lingua franca'' of Northern and Central India and Pakistan. Hindustani is a pluricentric language with two standard registers, known as Hindi and Urdu. Thus, the lang ...
Jalandhar District
Jalandhar district is a district in Doaba region of the state of Punjab, India. District headquarters is Jalandhar city.
Before the Partition of India, Jalandhar was also the headquarters of the Jalandhar Division, with constituent districts J ...
,
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
, India. His father hailed from
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...
. In 1946, he received his B.A. degree from Punjab University and subsequently, his M.A. from
University of Karachi
The University of Karachi ( sd, ; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (wh ...
in 1953. He was associated with various governmental services including
Radio Pakistan
Radio Pakistan serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate Radio Pakistan's founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in Pakistan. The network was established on 14 Augus ...
, the Ministry of Culture and the National Book Centre of Pakistan. He also served the UN for some time and this enabled him to visit many places, all of which served to inspire the travelogues he would then pen. Some of the places he visited include Japan,
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, China, Hong Kong,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
, France, UK and the United States. His teachers included Habibullah Ghazenfar Amrohvi, Dr. Ghulam Mustafa Khan and Dr. Abdul Qayyum. In the late 1940s, in his youth years, Ibn-e-Insha had also lived together with the renowned film poet
Sahir Ludhianvi
Abdul Hayee (8 March 1921 – 25 October 1980), popularly known by his pen name (takhallus) Sahir Ludhianvi, was an Indian poet and film song lyricist who wrote primarily in Urdu in addition to Hindi.
His work influenced Indian cinema, i ...
in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
for a short period. He was also active in the Progressive Writers Movement. Ibn-e-Insha spent the remainder of his life in
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
before he died of
Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma, in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the patient's lymph nodes. The condition w ...
on 11 January 1978, while he was in London. He was later buried in
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
, Pakistan. His son, Roomi Insha was a Pakistani director until his death on 16 October 2017.
Literary career
Insha is considered to be one of the best poets and writers of his generation. His most famous ghazal ''Insha Ji Utthoo Ab Kooch Karo'' (Rise oh Insha Ji, and let us set off ) is an influential classic ghazal. Ibn-e-Insha had written several travelogues, showcasing his sense of humor and his work has been appreciated by both Urdu writers and critics. He also translated a collection of Chinese poems into Urdu in 1960.
Bibliography
Poetry
* ''Chand Nagar'' چاند نگر
* ''Is Basti Key Ik Koochey Main''اِس بستی کے اِک کوچے میں
* ''Dil-e-Wehshi'' دلِ وحشی
* ''Billo Ka Basta'' بِلو کا بستہ ''(Rhymes for Children)''
* ''Qissa Aik Kunvaaray ka'' (A translation of a lengthy humorous poem by a German poet Wilhelm Bosch)
Travelogue
* ''Awara Gard Ki Diary'' آوارہ گرد کی ڈائری
* ''Dunya Gol Hey'' دنیا گول ہے
* '' Ibn Battuta Kay Taqub mein' (1974)Ibne Insha – the wanderer of Chand Nagar The Express Tribune (newspaper), Published 10 January 2016, Retrieved 14 June 2019
* ''Chaltay Ho To Cheen Ko Chaliye'' چلتے ھو تو چِین کو چلیے
* ''Nagri Nagri Phira Musafar'' نگری نگری پِھرا مسافر
Humor
* ''Urdu Ki Aakhri Kitaab'' (1971) اردو کی آخری کتاب
* ''Khat Insha Jee Kay'' خط انشّا جی کے Collection of letters
* ''Khumar e Gandum'' خمارِگندم
* ''Aap se kya Parda'' آپ سے کیا پردہ (published in June 2004)
* ''Batain Insha ji ki'' (published in June 2005)
* ''Dakhl Dar Ma'qulaat'' (published in June 2019)
Translations
* ''Seher Honay Tak'' (translation of Cherkhov work)
* ''Karnamay Nawab Tees Maar Khan Kay'' (translation of German Short stories), published in June 1971
* ''Lakhon Ka Shaher'' (translation of some short stories of O. Henry)
* ''Andha Kunvaan'' (translation of some short stories of Edgar Allan Poe)
Awards and recognition
* Ibn-e-Insha was awarded the
Pride of Performance
The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...
List of Urdu language poets
The following is a List of Urdu-language poets.
13th century
15th century
16th century
17th century
18th century
* Mirza Muhammad Rafi, ''Sauda'' (1713–1780)
* Siraj Aurangabadi, ''Siraj'' (1715–1763)
*Mohammad Meer Soz Dehlvi, '' ...