Noted poet and author Rehman Rahi no more

CITY REPORTER SRINAGAR,09-Jan; Kashmir’s foremost poet and Gayanpeth awardee, Prof Rehman Rahi is no more. He died during the wee hours at his Vicharnag residence in Srinagar during wee hours. He was nearly 98.

Rahi began his career as a clerk in the Public Works Department of the Government for few months in 1948 and was associated with the Progressive Writers’ Association, of which he became the General Secretary. He also edited a few issues of Kwang Posh, the literary journal of the Progressive Writer’s Association. He was later a sub-editor in the Urdu daily Khidmat. He did an M.A. in Persian (1952) and in English (1962) from Jammu and Kashmir University where he taught Persian. He was on the editorial board of the Urdu daily Aajkal in Delhi from 1953 to 1955. He was also associated with the Cultural wing of communist Party of Kashmir during his student days. As translator he did excellent translation of Baba Farid’s Sufi poetry to Kashmiri from Original Punjabi.Camus and Sartre are some visible effects on his poems while Dina nath Naadim’s influence on his poetry is also visible especially in earlier works.

A living legend and huge contributor to Kashmiri language and poetry, Rahi has authored almost a dozen books and translations and mentored hundreds of students and scholars. For his contributions to the language, he was honoured with almost every award.

“Zinda rozna bapat chii maran lukh, chii marakh naa
Lotpeth chekha pyala kyoho, uff ti karakh naa”

He was awarded the Indian Sahitya Akademi Award in 1961 for his poetry collection Nawroz-i-Saba, the Padma Shri in 2000, and India’s highest literary award, the Jnanpith Award (for the year 2004) in 2007. He is the first Kashmiri writer to be awarded the Gyanpith, India’s highest literary award for his poetic collection Siyah Rood Jaeren Manz( In Black Drizzle ).

Rahi is survived by three sons and a daughter. His wife had already passed away.

Meanwhile, his death has been widely condoled by people from different sections of society, especially the literary circles. (CNS)