poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
who gained repute as a poet and also as a translator.
Biography
Munavvar Lakhnavi (1897-1970) was the takhallus of Bisheshwar Prasad who was born in
Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
and
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
litterateurs. His father, Dwarkaprasad Ufuq (1864-1913) was a prolific writer of prose and poetry. He was educated in Lucknow and joined Railway Accounts office in 1913 at Lucknow. He was transferred to Lahore in 1927 and then to
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
where he retired from service in 1957. After retirement, he decided to stay in Delhi where he purchased a house and founded a publishing house – Adarsh Kitab Ghar. He died in Delhi in the year 1970 aged 73 years.
Literary life
Munavvar Lakhnavi was an
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 ...
, and a translator, belonging to the old school. He wrote
ghazal
The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...
s and
nazms
''Nazm'' () is a major part of Urdu and Sindhi poetry that is normally written in rhymed verse and also in modern prose-style poems. is a significant genre of Urdu and Sindhi poetry; the other one is known as ''ghazal'' ().
is significantly ...
s. He gained renown as a translator with the publication in 1936 of a translation of Bhagvad Gita in Urdu verse titled- ''Naseem e Irfaan''. In 1952 his translation of
Kalidasa
Kālidāsa (''fl.'' 4th–5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on the Vedas, the Rāmāyaṇa, the Mahābhārata and ...
's Kumarasambhava and in 1956 his translation of ''Durga Saptshati'' i.e.
Devi Mahatmya
The ''Devi Mahatmya'' or ''Devi Mahatmyam'' ( sa, देवीमाहात्म्यम्, devīmāhātmyam, Glory of the Goddess) is a Hindu philosophical text describing the Goddess as the supreme power and creator of the universe. It is ...
, both in Urdu verse, were published. He had also translated important aayats of
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
, select Persian sh’ers of Hafez Sherazi, and Gitanjali of
Rabindra Nath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resha ...
. His translation of the teachings of
Gautam Buddha Gautama, Gautam or Gotama may refer to:
Ancient sages and philosophers
* Akṣapāda Gautama, a Hindu sage and founder of the Nyaya school of Hindu philosophy: see Nyāya Sūtras
* Indrabhuti Gautama, chief disciple of Mahavira
* Gautama Buddha, t ...
in Urdu verse titled ''Dhampad ya sachi raah'' published by the Anjuman e Tarraqi (Hind), Aligarh in 1954 is considered a masterpiece. Earlier his two collections of rubais and nazms, Nazre Adab published in 1929 and Kainat e dil that was published in 1939 had already established him as a poet of note so much so that a selection of his poems was prominently included in the book titled ''Teen Shair'' published by Likhaani Book Depot,
Amritsar
Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...
, and in the April 1952 issue of Urdu Monthly "Seemab",
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
.
An appraisal of his life and literary works titled ''Munavvar Lakhnavi – ek mutala’ah'' by Shabab Lalit was published in 1996 by Modern Publishing House, New Delhi. Yet another appraisal titled ''Munavvar Lakhnavi – Shakhsiyat aur Shairi'' by Raj Narain Raaz was published by Nusrat Publishers,
Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...
.http://catalog.hathitrust.org/record/001330662
Bibliography
Urdu Poetry:
* ''Nazre adab''
* ''Kainat e dil''
* ''Nawa e kufr''
* ''Ada e kufr''
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