Renowned Urdu poet Munawwar Rana no more, PM mourns

Munawwar Rana had a clout with words and his creations will always remain etched in our heart. Recipient of several awards, Rana often sparked a row with his 'no-nonsense' statements.

Lucknow:Renowned Urdu poet Munawwar Rana passed away on Sunday after suffering a cardiac arrest in Lucknow. The magician with words was 71. Rana was indisposed with chronic ailments for quite sometime and was undergoing treatment at the PGI.

Rana's contribution to Urdu literature and ghazals is part of the folklore. Born on November 26, 1952 in Rae Bareli, Rana who often made headlines for his controversial statements, was honoured with the Sahitya Akademi Award for his work 'Shahdaba' in 2014. However, he refused to accept the award.

Though born in Uttar Pradesh, he has spent spent his maximum years in Kolkata. Rana has also in his cap 'Amir Khusro Award', 'Mir Taqi Mir Award', 'Ghalib Award', 'Dr. Along with Zakir Hussain Award, he has also been honored with Saraswati Samaj Award among others.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X to express his condolences. "Pained by the passing away of Shri Munawwar Rana Ji. He made rich contributions to Urdu literature and poetry. Condolences to his family and admirers. May his soul rest in peace," he posted.

Rana preferred calling a spade a spade, yet isolation sunk in because of his candid nature. In an interview with ETV Bharat, he quipped that the backbone of the Opposition in the country had broken. "People in power are singing hymns of Hindu-Muslim. They always say that Nehru made a mistake and so did Babar. Many in the country are influenced by Nathuram Godse's ideas. The number of followers of Mahatma Gandhi has reduced," he added.

His controversial statement on the murder of a history teacher in France also grabbed headlines. "If someone made dirty cartoons of his parents or God, then he would also kill him. Whoever made the cartoon of Prophet Muhammad was wrong," he had said.

But he was forced to issue a clarification after his comment incurred wrath of many. "People do not like truth. If it had felt good, neither Jesus would have been crucified nor Gandhi would have been shot," he said.

Rana may have left for his heavenly abode, but his creations will always remain etched in our hearts.

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