Urdu Poet Rifatul Qasimi passes away
Karachi:A literary giant and a distinguished Urdu poet, Rifatul Qasimi, passed away after a protracted illness on Tuesday morning. He had been suffering from asthma since last several years.
Qasimi was around 75. He was the only member of his family who had migrated to Pakistan in the early sixties. His other family members preferred to settle in India. He spent his last days at a house located in Zafar Town, Landhi.
Qasimi, whose original name was Muhammad Abul Qasim, was born in Shaikhpur District Mongeer (Bihar India) in 1934.
He was laid to rest at the Korangi Graveyard after Zohr prayers. The news of the demise of Qasimi spread like wild fire amongst the literary circles and despite of the early funeral, a reasonable number of writers offered ‘Namaz-e-Janaza’. Qasimi once (in early eighties) was considered to be a more dynamic literary personality of the city holding ‘Mushairas’ and other big literary sittings. Qasimi had given two poetry collections titled ‘“Dukh Paighambri Ke” in 1986 and after about five years another collection titled “Ishqe Na Tamaam”.
A famous couplet of one of his powerful Urdu ‘Ghazals’ — “Diaye hain toone dukh paighmbari ke; Ilahi ye maira rutba naheen tha” — gained him immense popularity amongst the people.
A senior poet and journalist, Shahbuddin Shahab, while talking to The News, said that in early eighties, when Qasimi had a central position amongst the writers he used to sit either in the office of famous Urdu Magazine titled ‘Seep’ (edited by Naseem Durrani) or at the residence of a famous poet, Obaidullah Aleem located in North Nazimabad. During these meetings, a number of literary figures use to take part in the discussions.
Describing the story of his personal life, Qasimi had broken through the common misconception that he has led a completely bachelor life. Married at a young age in India, Qasimi had revealed that he wed his wife when he was hardly 17, however, his wife passed away only two years later during child birth, survived only by their young son.
Distraught by the early demise of his wife, Qasimi left his son in the care of his mother-in-law and came to Pakistan.
City writers including S Anwer Jawid Hashmi, Fazil Jamili, Qamar Afzal Qamar and Saira Ghulam Nabi in their messages have expressed their deep shock and grief over Qasimi’s death.THE NEWS
