Dareechah-e-Nigaarish

Zaheer Kashmiri (1919 -  1994)

Zaheer Kashmiri was born in 1919 in the Punjabi town of Amritsar, British India to a family who had migrated many generations ago from Srinagar, Kashmir to Amritsar.  He did his Masters in English. He started writing poetry in 1930 when he was only a lad of eleven years age. Later, he became the editor of "Sawera", the literary magazine run by the Progressive Writers Association.

Zaheer Kashmiri spent the latter half of life (after the Partition of India in 1947)  in Lahore, Pakistan. He remained a very popular and respected figure in the liberal, progressive literati of Pakistan. When Faiz Ahmed Faiz headed the editorial board of ‘Sawera’ the literayr magazine run by the Progressive Writers Association of British India (and devoted to socialist and progressive thought), the other board members included Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi and Zaheer Kashmiri..

Azmat-E-Aadam, Taghazzul, Chiragh-E-Aakhir-E-Shab, Raqse Junuun and Auraaq-E-Musawwir are collections of his poetry.

Safdar Hussain of Al-Hamd Publications, Lake Road, Old Anarkali, Lahore has published the Collected Poetry of Zaheer Kashmiri. He passed away on 12th December 1994 in Lahore.

 Here is the complete text of an important essay written by Zaheer Kashmiri, published in the 1951 issue of Sawera Magazine, Lahore in which he describes his struggles for Leftist, Communist Politics in the last decade of British India and in the early  days of a newly established independent state of Pakistan: (courtesy of Rekhta web site' Zaheer Kashmiri web page): 

Zaheer Kashmiri remembered 

News Report courtesy DAWN, LAHORE, Sept 9 2009

Speakers paid a tribute to legendary progressive poet and activist Zaheer Kashmiri at a sitting arranged by the Progressive Writers Association (PWA) in collaboration with the Youth Vision at Alhamra Art Centre, The Mall, on Wednesday.

Speaking at the reference titled 'Remembering life and works of Zaheer Kashmiri', Dr Mubarak Ali said in any enlightened society an intellectual could live and write independently, but in a backward society, like that of ours, it was difficult for an enlightened intellectual to survive. This was the reason that many intellectuals living in a backward society turned their heads to the state for benefits. When they got attached with the state, their creativity and independence got affected and such behaviours then culminated into institutions like Writers Guild.

Dr Mubarak said Kashmiri never received any medal in his life and he was given Pride of Performance after his death. “I am sure had he been alive, he would have never received that medal.” His poetry was the poetry of change, he created consciousness among people through his verses, he was not given the status he should have been given, Dr Mubarak added.

Rasheed Misbah, an intellectual, said Kashmiri had status equal to that of Faiz and Faraz, rather he surpassed them when it came to consuming one's energies for the welfare of labourers and peasants. Kashmiri was still alive when it came to his thoughts, he added.

Bio Sketch courtesy of  Reekhta (Urdu literary web site, Mumbai, India)

Peer Dastgeer Zaheer was known as Zaheer Kashmiri in the literary world. He was born on 21st August 1919 in Amritsar, British India to a family who had migrated many generations ago from Srinagar, Kashmir to Amritsar.  He did his Masters in English. He started writing poetry in 1930 when he was only a lad of eleven years age. Later, he became the editor of "Sawera", the literary magazine run by the Progressive Writers Association.

After the Partition of India in 1947, he emigrated to Lahore, Pakistan. In those early days of Pakistan,  he worked for films. In 1959, he started writing a column in Ehsaan daily, under the pseudo name, Majnu. He wrote the story of Teen Phool, a movie that he directed himself. He remained associated with Masawat as well. Azmat-E-Aadam, Taghazzul, Chiragh-E-Aakhir-E-Shab, Raqse Junuun and Auraaq-E-Musawwir are collections of his poetry. He passed away on 12th December 1994 in Lahore.