Noon Meem Rashid

Not to be confused with Noon Meem Danish.

Noon Meem Rashed
Nazar Muhammad Rashed
BornNazar Muhammad Janjua
1 August 1910[1]
Alipur Chatha, Punjab, British India
Died9 October 1975 at age 65[2]
London, England
OccupationUrdu poet
NationalityPakistani
Alma materGovernment College Lahore, Pakistan
Literary movementProgressive Writers' Movement[1]
Notable worksMavra, La Musawi Insaan, Iran Mian Ajnabi, Gumaan Ka Mumkin

Nazar Muhammad Rashed (Urdu: نذر مُحَمَّد راشِد), (1 August 1910 – 9 October 1975) commonly known as Noon Meem Rashed (Urdu: ن۔ م۔ راشد) or N.M. Rashed, was a Pakistani poet of modern Urdu poetry.[2]

Early years

Rashed was born Raja Nazar Muhmmad Janjua into a Punjabi Muslim family of the Janjua clan in the village of Kot Bhaaga, Akaal Garh (now Alipur Chatha),[3] Wazirabad, Gujranwala District, Punjab, and earned a master's degree in economics from the Government College Lahore.[4]

Career

He served for a short time in the Royal Indian Army during the Second World War, attaining the rank of captain. Before independence of Pakistan in 1947, he worked with All India Radio in New Delhi and Lucknow starting in 1942. He was transferred to Peshawar in 1947 where he worked until 1953. Later he was hired by Voice of America and had to move to New York City for this job. Then, for a short while, he lived in Iran. Later on, he worked for the United Nations in New York.[4]

Rashed served the UN and worked in many countries. He is considered to be the 'father of Modernism' in Urdu Literature. Along with Faiz Ahmed Faiz, he is one of the great progressive poets in Pakistani literature.[4]

His readership is limited and recent social changes have further hurt his stature and there seems to be a concerted effort not to promote his poetry. His first book of free verse, Mavra, was published in 1940 and established him as a pioneering figure in 'free form' Urdu poetry.[4]

He retired to England in 1973 and died in a London hospital in 1975.[2]

Bollywood

His poem "Zindagi sey dartey ho" was set to music in the 2010 Bollywood movie, Peepli Live. It was performed by the Indian music band, Indian Ocean, and received critical appreciation as "hard-hitting" and "a gem of a track" that "everyone is meant to sing, and mean, at some point in life".[5][6]

Bibliography

  • Mavraa (Beyond) 1940[7]
  • Iran Main Ajnabi (A stranger in Iran)
  • La = Insaan (Nothingness = Man) 1969
  • Gumaan ka Mumkin (Speculations) published posthumously in 1976 [7]
  • Maqalat (Essays)- Ed. Shima Majeed, 2002.

College hall named after him

At Government College Lahore.,[4] a hall is named after him as "Noon Meem Rashid Hall" at Postgraduate Block Basement.

References

  1. ^ a b Renowned Urdu poet Noon Meem Rashid remembered Pakistan Today (newspaper), Published 1 August 2017, Retrieved 1 June 2018
  2. ^ a b c Profile of Noon Meem Rashid on rekhta.org website Retrieved 1 June 2018
  3. ^ "Map of Alipur Chatha, Noon Meem Rashed's birthplace". Wikimapia. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Poets". Encyclopedia of Pakistan. Overseas Pakistanis Foundation. December 2006. Archived from the original on 22 September 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  5. ^ Ruchika Kher (18 July 2010), "Peepli Live: Music Review", Indiatimes, archived from the original on 9 September 2010, retrieved 23 August 2010, ... Then comes the dark and edgy "Zindagi se darte ho", which makes you sit up and take notice. The hard-hitting song has Indian Ocean behind the mike. The song is basically a poem by Noon Meem Rashed. The seven-minute-long song is soaked in a rock flavour that makes it even more interesting ...
  6. ^ Rachna N. (3 August 2010), "Peepli Live: Music Review", Bollycurry, archived from the original on 20 September 2016, retrieved 23 August 2010, ... Zindagi Se Darte Ho is another track of candid facts ... A gem of a track, and a song everyone is meant to sing, and mean, at some point in life ...
  7. ^ a b Profile of Noon Meem Rashid on the-south-asian.com website Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Published January 2002, Retrieved 1 June 2018
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