Renowned Urdu Poet Munawwar Rana Dies At 71 (image- twitter/ MunawwarRana)
Urdu poet Munawwar Rana died at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow on Sunday following a cardiac arrest. The renowned poet was battling with prolonged illness for the past several months and was undergoing treatment. He was 71 years old.
Munawwar’s daughter Sumaiya Rana said that her father died at the hospital late on Sunday and will be laid to rest on Monday, reports PTI.
“He was hospitalised for 14 to 15 days due to illness. He was first admitted to Medanta in Lucknow and then to SGPGI where he breathed his last around 11 pm today,” Rana”s son Tabrez Rana told PTI.
He was battling lung and throat infection since 2017 and was also receiving treatment regularly due to kidney problems for which he had to undergo dialysis.
Born on November 26, 1952, in Uttar Pradesh’s Raebareli, Munawwar Rana is known for his significant contributions to Urdu literature and poetry, particularly for his ghazals. He received prestigious Sahitya Akademi award in 2014 for his work ‘Shahdaba’.
He also received awards including the Ameer Khusro Award, the Mir Taqi Mir Award, the Gharib Award, the Dr Zakir Hussain award, and the Saraswati Samaj Award, throughout his career. Rana’s poem ‘Maa’, is considered one of his most famous works and it holds a special place in the world of Urdu literature. The poem withholds the virtue of motherhood within the traditional ghazal form.
Rana spent most of his life in Kolkata and had a significant presence among mushairas (poetic symposiums) both in India and abroad.
Expressing grief over the great poet’s death, poet Sanjay Mishra Shauq said, “His contributions to Urdu poetry continue to resonate, leaving a lasting legacy in the realm of literature. Munawwar Rana was a luminary in the tapestry of Indian literature. His literary brilliance shone through his notable work, “Shahdaba,” which not only captivated the hearts of readers but also earned him the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 2014,” reports Hindustan Times.
The 71-year-old was also active in political developments in Uttar Pradesh. His daughter Sumaiya is a member of the Samajwadi party (SP).
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, expressed condolences in a social media post said, “The demise of the country”s renowned poet Munawwar Rana is extremely heartbreaking. Wishing peace to the departed soul. Heartfelt tribute.”
तो अब इस गांव से
रिश्ता हमारा खत्म होता है
फिर आंखें खोल ली जाएं कि
सपना खत्म होता है।देश के जानेमाने शायर मुन्नवर राना जी का निधन अत्यंत हृदय विदारक।
दिवंगत आत्मा की शांति की कामना।
भावभीनी श्रद्धांजलि। pic.twitter.com/BDDbojdYNh
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) January 14, 2024
The poet is survived by his wife, four daughters, and a son.
