Lala Malik (11 March 1923 – 27 August 1988), known under his

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Lala Aragami, was an Indian poet,

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, ...

mystic and spiritual teacher in

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

Life

He was born on 11 March 1923 in village

Aragam Aragam is a village in the Himalayan region of North Kashmir, located about from Srinagar on the route from Srinagar to Bandipore. Aragam is located on the banks of Wular Lake and surrounded by wooded mountains on three sides. The location/v ...

Bandipore district Bandipore district (also spelt as Bandipora or Bandipur) is one of the 20 districts in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Bandipore town is the administrative headquarters of the district. Bandipore, a township with peculiar scenic ...

in a poor family. His father was Dawood Malik and mother was called Doulat Deddi. Malik received only primary education. At age of 17, he learnt about Sufism from Shaban Solur. After his death, he was guided in Sufism by Ama Kawa, a Sufi from

Charari Sharief Charar-i-Sharief (variously spelled Chrar-e-Sharif, Charari Shareef, etc.) (, known as Tsrar-i-Sharif () in Kashmiri, is a town and a notified area committee in Budgam district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The to ...

. Malik married a woman named Gasha from the same village. They had one daughter and three sons. He worked as a labourer, milkman and

imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

. He sang Sufi poetry and himself authored numerous poems in

Kashmiri language Kashmiri () or Koshur (, /kəːʃur/) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by around 7 million Kashmiris of the Kashmir region, primarily in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. In 2020, the Parliament of India passed a bill to make ...

; two books of his poetry have been published, including ''Kuliyati Lala Aragami'' (2008). As a Sufi teacher, he attracted followers from across the

Kashmir Valley The Kashmir Valley, also known as the ''Vale of Kashmir'', is an intermontane valley concentrated in the Kashmir Division of the Indian- union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The valley is bounded on the southwest by the Pir Panjal Range and ...

. Malik died on 27 August 1988. A shrine built at his ancestral home at Aragam attracts pilgrims, especially on his death anniversary on 6 and 7 May.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Argami, Lala Kashmiri Sufi saints 1923 births 1988 deaths 20th-century Indian poets Indian male poets Poets from Jammu and Kashmir 20th-century Indian male writers