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 Anjum Ayaz and Javed Nazar’s Father Nazar Amrohvi passed away in Karachi Pakistan

It is with deep sadness we inform the readers of Sada-e-Watan that Famous Urdu Poet Nazar Amrohvi passed away in Karachi on Friday, 17 January 2014.Nazar Amrohvi was 96 years but healthy and well active.He was Father of International sculptor and calligrapher Anjum Ayaz and Javed Nazar (President Koocha-e-Saqafat Australia). Mr. Javed Nazar left for Karachi but due to long distance he could not attend funeral prayer.

Please remember Nazar Amrohvi in your duas, and pray that Allah SWT Grant him exalted place in Jannah and Sabr-e-Jameel to the family members. The Editorial Board of Sada-e-Watan Prayed to ALLAH Almighty to rest the departed soul in eternal peace and grant courage to his family members to bear this irrepairable loss.

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Nazar Amrohvi
A Legend of Urdu Poetry
By: Rehan Alavi, SBS Urdu Service Sydney Australia

Urdu language and literature, beyond their spatial confines, have been more heard of than read. Australian ghazal fans are fortunate enough to get a lifetime opportunity to listen live a living legend of Urdu poetry. Nazar Amrohvi, a famous Urdu ghazal poet, was in Sydney and irrespective of his age and long journey from home; he delighted the fans with his lively and hilariously versed Urdu ghazals. Nazar belongs to that tribe of Urdu poetry who adopted “Ghazal” to express the feelings. Ghazal is still considered very power-full but most difficult genre and class of expression of Urdu poetry. Nazar’s era begins when Urdu was flourishing in subcontinent via poetries. In that golden era, success of any poet was gauged by his success in Mushaira (live presentation of poets).

Nazar is a poet by nature and was not made or shaped to be a poet. Whatever he speaks, mirrors the facts of life. He has no peer in word construction. These characteristics of his personality and poetry rightly made him proud to his place of birth Amroha:

His family environs further polished his talent. In addition to the guidance of his elders he also showed his early ghazals to some master poets of the time like Shoib Hazeen.

Nazar entered in the arena of mushaira at that time when it was already encircled by several distinguish top poets of its time. Behzad Lucknowi, Khumar Barabunkwi, Tabish Dehalwi, and Shakeel Badayouni were the few popular names among them. Nazar firstly appeared at the age of 18 in All India Radio’s annual Mushara and made his unique place among his contemporaries in very short time. Nazar knows the technique of reciting Ghazals as well as singing. Hasrat Mohani and Jigar Muradabadi are his spiritual leaders in the field of ghazal.
His ghazals does not only have every charm of traditional Urdu poetry but sweetness and melody of rhythm provides Nazar a unique place in Urdu Gahzal. Jigar influences him and some times this influence overwhelmed his verses greatly, but Nazar never tried to conceal this fact. He proudly accepts that he is a follower of that school of legendry and if you are a true follower you could not avoid that influence. Though a lot of people were imitating Jigar during that period, Nazar maintained successfully his own individual style while living into same tribe.

The beauty of Nazar’s kalam is his different style, and combination of modernization and tradition. The ever- changing seasons of time reflect in his poetry:

In the post-Iqbal phase of Urdu poetry Jigar and his followers occupies a position of repute as a ghazal writer. While most of the poets were experimenting with new forms of poetic expression, Ghazal lovers like Nazar, adhered to the genre of ghazal. Nazar’s indefatigability made him a significant ghazal writer in Urdu literature. Nazar has an art of knitting his poetries and ghazal not only by choosing the most appropriate wordings but their insertion at most suitable places like a jewel in a ring. Another important element of his ghazal is reflection of life experiences. He commands the verse according to his desire. Whenever and wherever it suits the mood of ghazal, Nazer folds, molds and twists it and at the end presents it in a most suitable format of poetry like a masterpiece.

Quli Qutub Shah (1565-1611) is generally acknowledged as the first notable poet, like Geoffrey Chaucer in English (1342-1400), with a volume of significant poetry in a language later named Urdu. That was the beginning of Urdu ghazalait and the journey is still continuing and no one knows what turn will it take beyond the age of Internet and e-books. Even in this age, one surprising and fascinating fact is Nazar’s extempore verbal expression without keeping a single piece of paper in his hand ever. He never writes and he rarely uses pen and paper. All his poetry is in heart and memory. Even his first Mujmooa-e-kalam (collection of poems) Mata-e-Nazar was based on all his memories. His fans tried to collect what ever noted by others or published in press and books to bring in Mata-e-Nazar. This popular collection of his ghazals would have become thicker and more attractive as well, if publisher had found his all verses, poems and gahazals.

Nazar attended mushayaras in several countries and was acclaimed for his creative excellence. He held an impressive personality and tone of voice, display humor and idiomatic expressions, along with ease of language of the shers (verse)

Nazar Amrohvi’s Ghazals adhere to the traditional spirit and highlight contemporary values simultaneously. His ghazals reflect ideas, related to transformations in literature and the changing values of life, giving them new meaning, color and direction:

Nazar is equally popular among elder and younger generation. His lyrical style, unique voice and words combination take the audience into a new magical world. When he comes to his peak he becomes a pied piper who takes his audience into a different world of magic. Nazar is not inclined towards politics or social moments, and he concentrated on the subject of love.

Nazar’s fans are all over the world and they always appreciates shari majmooa (Poem’s Collection) with some more fragrance and freshness that is an essence of Nazar Amrohvi’s poetry and believes that his poetry books are valuable addition in Urdu ghazals’s asset.

 

 

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