Ali Sardar Zafri was born in Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh. He came to
Mumbai in 1942 and made it his home. Arrested for writing against
British rule in India, Zafri was among the votaries of the progressive
movement in Urdu literature. Zafri 's literary career began at the young
age of 17. He has written nine books of verse, two plays, one
memoir-reportage, three collections of critical essays and one volume of
short stories. With the publication of his very first collection of
Nazam and Ghazal, Parwaz, in 1943, he established himself as a poet to
reckon with.
Five
years later 'Nai Duniya Ko Salaam', an unconventional, longish Nazam
brimming with revolutionary optimism, took the Urdu world by pleasant
surprise. Sardar had by then become a familiar and revered name. Among
his other poetic works Khoon Ki Lakeer (1949), Ashia Jaag Uttha (1951),
Patthar Ki Deewar (1953), Pairahan-e-Sharar (1966), Lahoo Pukarta Hai
(1978) and November, Mera Gahwara (1998) is remarkable, both for their
theme and style. Sardar's early works reflected a restless yearning for
India's independence from the colonial yoke. Equally intense was his
yearning for the freedom and dignity of the proletariat. This was
because of the strong impact of the Progressive Writers' Movement
inspired by Marxism.
The principal theme of his poetry was compassion, love, perseverance
and sensitivity surviving amidst the callous inhumanity of our times. In
his unique style, he depicted the exemplary survival of the human spirit
in face of all-pervasive adversity and defeatism. He was awarded the
Iqbal Gold Medal by the Pakistan government in 1978. In India, he was
awarded the prestigious Jnanpith Award in 1998. His memorable work, Ek
Khwab Aur, received the Sahitya Akademi award. Ali Sardar Zafri died of
prolonged illness in the year 2000.
