Munawwar Rana was a famous and respected poet of Urdu language. He wrote poems about love, mother, society, and politics. He won many awards and honors for his poetry. He also faced many difficulties and controversies in his life. He died from cancer on 14 January 2024, at the age of 71.
Early Life
Munawwar Rana was born on 26 November 1952, in Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, India. His family was Muslim and had land and property. But after the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, they lost their land and many of their relatives moved to Pakistan. His father decided to stay in India and started a transport business. His mother was a big fan of football and taught him to love the game.
When Munawwar Rana was a child, his family moved to Kolkata, West Bengal. He went to school there and learned Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, and English languages. He also developed an interest in poetry and started writing his own poems. He was influenced by the poets Wali Aasi and Rahat Indori.
When he was a teenager, he joined the Naxalite movement, which was a radical communist group that fought against the government and the landlords. He met many Naxalites and became friends with them. But his father did not like his involvement in the movement and threw him out of the house. He wandered around for two years and learned a lot about life and people.
Poetic Career
Munawwar Rana returned to his home and started writing poetry seriously. He published his first collection of poems in 1976. He wrote in Urdu language, but used many Hindi and Awadhi words. He avoided using Persian and Arabic words, which were common in Urdu poetry. He wanted to make his poetry easy and simple for the common people to understand and enjoy.
He wrote poems on various topics, such as love, mother, society, and politics. He was famous for his poems on mother, which expressed his deep love and respect for his mother and all mothers. He also wrote poems on social issues, such as poverty, injustice, violence, and corruption. He criticized the government and the politicians for their failures and crimes. He also wrote poems on political events, such as the Babri Masjid demolition, the Gujarat riots, and the Kashmir conflict.
He published many collections of poems and received many awards and honors for his poetry. He won the Rais Amrohvi Award, the Dilkush Award, the Saleem Jafri Award, the Saraswati Samaj Award, the Ghalib Award, the Kavita ka Kabir Samman Upadhi, and the Maulana Abdul Razzaq Malihabadi Award. He also won the Sahitya Akademi Award, which is the highest literary award in India, in 2014, for his poem Shahdaba. But he returned the award in 2015, to protest against the killing of writers and thinkers by some extremist groups. He said that he would never accept any government award in the future.
Personal Life
Munawwar Rana was married and had five children, including two sons and three daughters. He lived in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, for most of his life. He was a religious and spiritual person and followed Islam. He also respected other religions and cultures and celebrated festivals like Holi and Diwali. He was fond of flying kites and listening to classical Indian music.
He was also involved in some controversies and conflicts in his life. His son Tabrez Rana was arrested in 2021, for allegedly staging a fake attack on himself to frame his uncle and cousin over a property dispute. He also wanted to contest the assembly elections from Tiloi. His daughter Sumaiya Rana joined the Samajwadi Party, a political party, in 2021, in the presence of its leader Akhilesh Yadav.
He also made some controversial statements and opinions on some issues, such as the Ram Mandir verdict, the murder of Samuel Paty, and the caricatures of Prophet Muhammad. He accused the former Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi, of selling himself to deliver the Ayodhya verdict, which gave the disputed land to the Hindus to build a temple. He also supported the murder of Samuel Paty, a French teacher, who showed some cartoons of Prophet Muhammad to his students. He said that he would kill anyone who insulted Prophet Muhammad and Islam.
Death
Munawwar Rana was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2023. He underwent treatment and surgery, but his condition did not improve. He died on 14 January 2024, at the age of 71, in Lucknow. He was buried in his hometown, Raebareli, as per his wish. His death was mourned by many people, including his family, friends, fans, and fellow poets. He was remembered as a great poet and a brave person, who spoke his mind and heart.
Conclusion
Munawwar Rana was a poet of love and resistance. He wrote poems that touched the hearts and minds of the people. He wrote poems that challenged the status quo and the injustice. He wrote poems that celebrated the beauty and the diversity of life. He wrote poems that inspired and influenced many people. He was a poet who lived and died with dignity and courage. He was a poet who left a legacy of poetry and humanity.