Akbar Jaipuri memorial committe of Srinagar has expressed sorrow over the passing of Kashmir’s veteran poet, broadcaster, and media personality, Janab Farooq Nazki on Tuesday, February 6, 2024.
He was a great personality who made significant contributions to our cultural identity, Akbar Jaipuri Memorial said in a press statement.
“This is a moment to celebrate the life and contributions of Mr. Nazki. We should honor his legacy and remember the words of Akbar Jaipuri, who said that people of literature will depart one by one,” the Committe said.
In its press release, Akbar Jaipuri Memorial asked people to honor Mr. Nazki’s legacy and reflect on his efforts to revive our diverse poetic traditions. “He will be greatly missed.”
Not only was he a talented poet himself, but he also made significant translations of Mirza Ghalib’s work. Mr. Nazki was a regular attendee of the Akbar Jaipuri Day organized by the Akbar Jaipuri Memorial Committee, the press release read.
During one of these events, he expressed great remorse and said, “Akbar Jaipuri Sahab did not value himself,” highlighting the selflessness of the late poet Akbar Jaipuri. It’s admirable that Mr. Nazki acknowledged the virtues of his former contemporary, even if they had different viewpoints.
“Nazki Sahab and Akbar Jaipuri lived in close proximity to each other as poets. Nazki Sahab used to live near Akbar Jaipuri Sahab’s house in Hassanabad. It’s likely that they not only influenced each other’s work. At a Tahri Mushaira organized in memory of Akbar Jaipuri Sahab, Janab Nazki Sahab recited the following couplet:
Roz pathar mere angan mein gira kartay hain mere hamsaye mujhay yaad kia kartai hain (Every day stones land in the front yard, for my neighbors keep remembering me).”
Someone from the audience asked Mr. Nazki if he was the baleful neighbor referred to in this couplet by Akbar Jaipuri Sahab. Mr. Nazki denied it, leaving the audience with an intriguing question but emphasizing the deep connection between the two poets, the press release added.
The passing of Mr. Nazki is a reminder that we are witnessing the end of a generation of brave scholars, leaving us with the responsibility to further advance and deepen our literary roots. We pray to Allah that he frees us from the slavery of thoughts and grants flair to our pens, Akbar Jaipuri Memorial said.