LAHORE - Sixth death anniversary of one of the greatest Urdu poets of the last century, Syed Ahmad Shah, known by his admirers as Ahmed Faraz, was observed on Monday. Ahmed Faraz breathed his last on August 25, 2008 due to kidney failure.
Born in Kohat, Faraz holds a unique position as one of the best poets of current times with a fine but simple style of writing. A Hindko speaking Pakhtoon, Ahmed Faraz studied Persian and Urdu at Peshawar University, where he later became a lecturer.
On raising voice against Zia-ul-Haq, he was exiled for six years, which he spent in London, Canada and other European states. He was awarded with Hilalee-Imtiaz in 2004but later returned the award to show protest and also joined the restoration of judiciary movement in 2007. From 1950 to 2008, Ahmed Faraz received many accolades and praises internationally and locally. He received six foreign awards for his literary contribution. Known for building on the themes of beauty and love, the poetry of Faraz was also used by famous singers of the subcontinent, making his work ever popular among the public.
Mehdi Hasan lent his vocals for many of Faraz’s ghazals. Lata Mangeshkar also sung many pieces of his poetry. Jagjit Singh also used Faraz’s poetry to create evergreen melodies.
Noor Jahan also sang many of his ghazals, making sure that Faraz poetry remained alive in the minds of his fans.