Nasir Kazmi

Nasir Raza Kazmi is one of the greatest poets of this era, especially in the use of "istha'aaray" (metaphors) and "chhoTii behr" (small meter). He was born On Dec. 8, 1925 at Ambala. He did some journalistic work with "Auraq-e-Nau" and became chief editor of the magazine "Humayun" in 1952-53. Later he was associated with Radio Pakistan, Lahore and other literary publications and organisations. Nasi Kazmi was a great admirer of Meer Taqi Meer and probably the melancholy and "Ehsaas-e-Mehroomi" in his poetry was a direct result of that. His tutor in poetry was Hafeez Hoshiarpuri, who himself used a lot of symbols from nature in his poems.

His rich body of work includes Barg-e-Nae (1952), Deewaan (1972), Pehli Baarish (1975), Nishat-e-Khwab (Collection of nazms, 1977), Sur Ki Chhaya (Drama, 1981), Khushk Chashme ke Kinare (Prose, 1982). The last four tragically were published after his death in Lahore on March 2, 1972 due to tuberculosis. Few people know that he did some great translations of English poets, especially his translation of Walt Whitman's "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry " by the title of "Brooklyn Ghaat Ke Paar" is a real masterpiece and worth reading.

Compiled by Akber Zaidi for Aligarians.com