Dareechah-e-Nigaarish

 Adeem Hashmi (1946-2001)  was a Pakistani modern Urdu ghazal poet.  Adeem died an untimely death at the age of 55 in Chicago of a heart attack at a time when he was just developing a unique style in Urdu ghazal.  This was a sad loss for Urdu poetry lovers everywhere. 

His ghazals stand out for their candour and directness, revealing the dark aspect of personal relationships. Adeem's ghazals carry the flavor of reality . . . soul mates, romantic relationships, personal love all appear in his poetry in modern terms, without any fake facades or cosmetic masks. It is this sense of reality that lends credibility to what Adeem Hashmi writes in his modern Urdu ghazals.

With the advent of the third brutal martial law of General Zia ul Haq on 5th July, 1977, Pakistani society was dehumanized and thrown into the pit of despaire. Not only Pakistan politics, but the Arts and the promotion of the Arts took a nose dive in Pakistan. Pakistani writers, poets, actors, painters, all creative people in Pakistan who had remained in Pakistan despite the first Martial Law of General Ayub Khan in 1958 now started leaving Pakistan and went into self-imposed exile in Europe and America.  Those Pakistani writers and poets who stayed behind in 1977 were persecuted, harassed, threatened and many were also imprisoned . . . Ahmad Faraz, the famous Urdu poet being one of them. Many left Pakistan, including Ahmad Faraz and Faiz Ahmed Faiz (Revolutionary Urdu Poet).  

Adeem Hashmi also chose self exile and lived in the USA for many years. He never surrendered the realist's approach to Art and was always experimenting.

His books of verse are

"Tarkash"  1992

"Mukaalma"  1995

"Chehra Tumhaara Yaad Rehta Hai"  1996

"Faaslay Aisay Bhee Hongay"    2000

 "Bohat Nazdeek Aatay Jaa Rahay Ho"   2001

Poetry lovers can download Tarkash and Faaslay Aisay Bhee Hongay at the following web links for free:

Tarkash by Adeem Hashmi

Faaslay Aisay Bhee Hongay by Adeem Hashmi