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Firaq Gorakhpuri
Born in 1896 in a distinguished literary family of Gorakhpur, Raghypati Sahay wrote under the pen name, Firaq Gorakhpuri, a name which was destined for international acclaim.After graduating Firaq was nominated to the Civil Service.He however, preferred to join the freedom movement.He was imprisoned for his nationalist activities in 1920 and after his release, he worked for the Indian National Congress as one of its Under Secretaries for five years.
Firaq also continued to write in Urdu and came in close touch with the great writers and editors of his time, like Premchand, Hasrat Mohani, Daya Narain Nigam, and Taj Bahadur Sapru.Later he joined the University of Allahabad as Lecturer in English, and served with distinction until his retirement.
A passionate champion of national integration and Hindu-Muslime unity, Firaq introduced new themes andideas in Urdu poetry based on his grounding in classical Indian culture, and his vast reading in English, ?Hindi, Persian and other languages.He is known to have revolutionanised Urdu poetry, making it a vehicle of modern thought.A prolific writer of both prose and poetry, his major poetic collection, 'Gul-e-Naghma' (Lyric Flower) appeared in 1959.The other notable collections include Ruh-e-Kayenaat' (Spirit of Universe, 1945) and Ramz-o-Kinayaat' (suggestions 1946).Even though influenced by the English Romantics, he was deeply inspired by the 'sghringara Rasa' of Sanskri poetry and the poetry of the Bhakti movement.His art which reflects a fusion of the east and west, added an altogether new dimension to the lyrical sensibility of the Urdu Ghazal.He dominated the Urdu poetic scence for almost four decades and was considered a living literary legend in the Irdu speaking world.
He received the highest literary awards including Sahitya Academy Award in 1960 and Bharatiya Jnanpith Award in 1969.Government of India in recognition of his services to literature decorated him with Padma Bhusan in 1981.He passed away on 3rd March, 1982.
Department of posts is issuing a commemorative postage stamp in memory of Firaq Gorakhpuri to mark the conclusion of his birth centenary celebrations.
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