Professor Jilani Kamran (born Ghulam Jilani; 24 August 1926 22 February 2003), also spelled Gilani Kamran, was a Pakistani poet, critic, teacher, and the head of Forman Christian College at English department. He wrote about thirty-five books, comprising poems and some uncertain genres, he is also credited for translating the publications of a 9th century's
Sufi
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
(Hons) from the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
.
He served in various education departments since his first appointment in 1958 at the
Government College University, Lahore
The Government College University, Lahore (colloquially known as GCU), is a public research university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Opened as Government College, Lahore, in 1864, it became a university in 2002.
Overview
In 1864, Gov ...
. He initially served as a teacher until 1973. He was later transferred to the
Government College Asghar Mall Rawalpindi
, mottoeng =Taught man that which he knew not
, established =
, type = Public
, principal = Khushi Muhammad Nasir
, city = Rawalpindi
, province = Punjab
, country = Pakistan
, colours = Blue, white, a ...
and served as principal from 1973 until he was transferred in 1975 to the Government Shalimar College at
Baghbanpura
Baghbanpura ( ur, ) is a town and Union Council of Shalimar tehsil, Lahore District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located along the Grand Trunk Road some 5 kilometres northeast of the main Lahore city.
The site for Baghbanpura was granted by Mughal ...
where he served until 1979. Later in 1979, he was appointed as head of the Forman Christian College (formerly F. C. College) for
English department
English studies (usually called simply English) is an academic discipline taught in primary, secondary, and post-secondary education in English-speaking countries; it is not to be confused with English taught as a foreign language, which is ...
until he retired in 1986.
Literary work
Jilani started his career around 1958 when he was appointed as a teacher. He primarily wrote Sufi devotional poems, and was influenced by the contemporary European literature. His some authorship include ''Nai Nazm kay Taqazay'', ''Ibn-e-Arabi'', and ''Mansur Hallaj'' among other publications, including some books on
mysticism
Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...
Urdu poetry
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 Ghalib ...
with the help of
romantic
Romantic may refer to:
Genres and eras
* The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries
** Romantic music, of that era
** Romantic poetry, of that era
** Romanticism in science, of that e ...
and
Arabic poetry
Arabic poetry ( ar, الشعر العربي ''ash-shi‘ru al-‘Arabīyyu'') is the earliest form of Arabic literature. Present knowledge of poetry in Arabic dates from the 6th century, but oral poetry is believed to predate that.
Arabic poetry ...
.
Publications
Awards
Death and legacy
Jilani was suffering from
hypertension
Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...
medical condition, and was subsequently admitted to a hospital. He died of brain haemorrhage on 23 February 2003 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. ...
, Pakistan, and is buried in Nishtar Block cemetery, Lahore. Among the survivors are his wife, three sons and a daughter.
Jilani Kamran was considered an authority on English and Urdu literature in Pakistan and was a life-member of the
Pakistan Academy of Letters
The Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) ( ur, ) is a national academy with its main focus on Pakistani literature and related fields. It is the largest and the most prestigious learned society of its kind in Pakistan, with activities throughout th ...
. He was often invited to participate in PTV literary programmes and also was a frequent newspaper columnist in many Pakistani newspapers.
On 9 March 2003, an event was organized in Jilani Kamran's memory by the
Halqa-e Arbab-e Zauq
Halqa-e Arbab-e Zauq (Circle of the Men of Good Taste) is a Pakistani literary movement begun in Lahore, British Punjab, India on April 29, 1939.
Early members included Urdu language poets Noon Meem Rashid, Qayyum Nazar, and Meeraji, the latte ...
, Islamaabad where many contemporary Pakistani scholars paid him tributes.
Government College University, Lahore
The Government College University, Lahore (colloquially known as GCU), is a public research university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Opened as Government College, Lahore, in 1864, it became a university in 2002.
Overview
In 1864, Gov ...
Rekhta Foundation
Rekhta is an Indian literary web portal owned by the Rekhta Foundation, a nonprofit and non-governmental organization dedicated to the promotion of the Urdu literature in South Asia. It has digitalized about ninety thousand books during the peri ...