Urdu poet and critic Shamsur Rahman Faruqi passes away
What's the story
Legendary Urdu poet and critic Shamsur Rahman Faruqi passed away on Friday at his Allahabad home, a month after recovering from COVID-19. He was 85. "He had been insisting on going back to his home in Allahabad. We reached here only this morning and within half an hour he passed away at around 11," Faruqi's nephew and writer Mahmood Farooqui told PTI.
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The Padma Shri poet had recovered from COVID-19 last month
The Padma Shri poet was discharged from a hospital in Delhi on November 23 after recovering from coronavirus. "But due to steroids, he developed a fungal infection, mycosis, which further worsened his condition," Farooqui added. Faruqi's last rites will be performed at Ashok Nagar cemetery in Allahabad at 6 pm on Friday.
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The legacy of Shamsur Rahman Faruqi
Born on September 30, 1935, in Uttar Pradesh, Faruqi is credited to have revived Dastangoi, a 16th century Urdu oral storytelling art form. His books Mirror of Beauty (Urdu: Kai Chaand The Sar-e-Aasmaan ), Ghalib Afsaney Ki Himayat Mein (1989), and The Sun That Rose From The Earth (2014) are among other works he penned in his five-decade-long literary career.
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A recipient of Saraswati Samman
He also received Saraswati Samman in 1996 for his work She'r-e Shor-Angez, a four-volume study of the eighteenth-century poet Mir Taqi Mir. Writer William Dalrymple took to Twitter to mourn the demise of Faruqi. "RIP, Janab Shamsur Rahman Faruqi saheb, one of the last great Padshahs of the Urdu literary world. This is such sad news," Dalrymple said.
Twitter Post
Writer William Dalrymple tweets to mourn the demise of Faruqi
RIP, Janab Shamsur Rahman Faruqi saheb, one of the last great
— William Dalrymple (@DalrympleWill) December 25, 2020
Padshahs of the Urdu literary world. This is such sad news...
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Sanjiv Saraf, founder of Jashn-e-Rekhta, condoled his death
Sanjiv Saraf, the founder of Urdu festival Jashn-e-Rekhta, also condoled the death of "the century's most iconic figure in the realm of Urdu literature." "His demise has left us bereaved as an entire generation of literature lovers mourn this loss. I extend heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones," Saraf said.