aane vaalii nasleN tum par rashk kareNgii ham-asro
jab unko ye Khayaal aayegaa tumne “Firaq” ko dekhaa tha
Raghupati Sahay “Firaq” Gorakhpuri is one of the most popular Urdu poets of the latter half of 20th century. Born in Gorakhpur, he qualified for the Provincial Civil Service but eventually joined Allahabad University as a Lecturer in English. His Urdu poetry is known for its brilliant metaphors and non-Persianized diction. He was awarded the Jnanpeeth award in 1969, the highest literary award in India. He passed away on 3rd March 1982.
Many of his Ghazals have been sung by popular Ghazal singers like Begum Akhtar (sar meN saudaa bhii nahiiN dil meN tamannaa bhii nahiiN), Jagjit Singh – Chitra Singh (bahut pahle se un qadmoN kii aahaT jaan lete haiN, raat bhii niiNd bhii kahaanii bhii, ye to nahiiN ke Gham nahiiN) and others.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
After Firaq’s demise, Urdu magazine Naya Daur had brought out two mega special issues on him. They are really wonderful as they throw light on various aspects of the poet that were hidden from public eye also.
Have you seen them! Octogenarian Persian (and Urdu) Poet Saraswati Saran Kaif has told me a few things about Firaq’s ‘uftaad-tiba’a, (his lifestyle) which I wish to write but what deters me is the fact that some elder relatives read my blog also and that might create scandal.
@ Adnan bhai,
I haven’t read those issues of Naya Daur but would love to.
I have also heard a lot of stories about Firaq and his ‘lifestyle’ many of which seem apocryphal. I also think it would be more relevant to focus on his poetry than his ‘lifestyle’ unless his ‘lifestyle’ helps in understanding his poetry better. Having said that I would love to read about your conversation with Kaif saahab as he can be counted as a reliable source.