The Urdu Ghazal Podcast, Episode 12 --Nasir Kazmi

Nasir Kazmi (1925-1972) was born in the Indian town of Ambala in Punjab and moved to Lahore after partition. He was associated with Radio Pakistan for several years. His poetry is known for its mellow and soft lyricism and is rich in novel similes and metaphors. It is rooted in the prakritic tradition of Mir Taqi Mir and reflects sad tones reflecting the uprootedness and tragedy of partition. He wrote perceptively on Mir and also published a selection of his verse. At the same time, he was greatly influenced by Firaq Gorakhpuri, and he considered him a profound inspiration. They never met.  He was a loner, a haunted soul wandering through the dark streets of Lahore in the dead of night. A mysterious silence speaks through his despondent words as he became a cult figure during his lifetime for his peculiar forlorn personality. His Pak Tea House creative buddies who would keep his company were Intezar Husain, Ahmed Mushtaq, Zahid Dar, and others who spread his words and helped publish his verse. He is considered a trendsetter ghazal poet in the post-partition era with a heart-pulling desolate sensibility influencing many younger poets on both sides of the border. Famous Pakistani singers, Noor Jahaan, Iqbal Bano, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and others sang his ghazals, adding to his popularity. His admirers published several of his poetic collections after his death.

For more about the Urdu Ghazal Poetry, please refer to:

Gopi Chand Narang, Translation by Surinder Deol. The Urdu Ghazal: A Gift of India’s Composite Culture. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2020.