Parveen Shakir (پروین شاکر) (24
November 1952 – 26 December 1994) was an Urdu poet,
teacher and a civil servant of the Government of Pakistan.
Parveen
started writing at an early age and published her first volume of poetry, Khushbu [Fragrance],
to great acclaim, in 1976.[2] She subsequently published other volumes of
poetry – all well-received – Sad-barg [Marsh Marigold] in 1980, Khud
Kalami [Soliloquy] and Inkar [Denial] in 1990, Kaf e Aina [The
Mirror's Edge] besides a collection of her newspaper columns, titled Gosha-e-Chashm [The
Sight Corner], and was awarded one of Pakistan's highest honours, the Pride of Performance for
her outstanding contribution to literature.[2] The poetry books are collected in the volume Mah
e Tamam [Full Moon] with the exception of Kaf e Aina.
Parveen
died in 1994 in a car accident while on her way to work.
Early career
Parveen
started writing at a young age, penning both prose and poetry, and contributing
columns in Urdu newspapers, and a few articles in English dailies.[3] Initially, she wrote under the pen-name,
"Beena “Shakir” held two masters degrees, one in English Literature and
one in Linguistics. She also held a PhD and
another masters degree in Bank Administration
She was a
teacher for nine years before she joined the Civil Service and worked in the
Customs Department. In 1986 she was appointed the second secretary, CBR in
Islamabad.
Education
Shakir was
highly educated. She received two undergraduate degrees, one in English
literature and the other in linguistics, and obtained MA degrees
in the same subjects from the University of Karachi. She also held a PhD
and another MA degree in Bank Administration.[2]
In 1982,
Shakir qualified the Central Superior Services Examination. In 1991, she
obtained an MA degree in Public Administration from Harvard
University, US.
Ghazalyaat
Shakir's ghazalyaat are
considered "a combination of classical tradition with modern
sensitivity", and mainly deal with the feminine perspective on love and
romance, and associated themes such as beauty, intimacy, separation, break-ups,
distances, distrust and infidelity and disloyalty.
Most of
Shakir's ghazalyaat contain five to ten couplets, often –
though not always – inter-related. Sometimes, two consecutive couplets may
differ greatly in meaning and context [For example, in one of her works, the
couplet 'That girl, like her home, perhaps/ Fell victim to the flood is
immediately followed by 'I see light when I think of you/ Perhaps remembrance
has become the moon'[5]].
Shakir's ghazalyaat heavily
rely on metaphors and similes, which are repeatedly and thought-provokingly
used to bring force and lyricism in her work. A fine example of this is seen in
one of her most famous couplets, "Wo tou khushbu hai, hawaon main
bikhar jaye ga/ Masla phool ka hai, phool kidher jayega?"[6] [Translation: He is fragrance and would waft in
the air/ the trouble lies with the flower – where shall the flower go?] where
Shakir relates 'fragrance' to an unfaithful lover, 'air' to the unfaithful
person's secret loves, and 'flower' to the person being cheated. Other
metaphors Shakir commonly uses are titli [butterfly] for a
Romeo, badal [cloud] for one's love, baarish [rain]
for affection, and andhi [storm] for difficulties.
Some of
Shakir's ghazalyaat or, more specifically, couplets, have
gained an iconic status in Urdu literature. One of her most famous
couplets if the one given above. Another famous, Shakir couplet is "Jugnuu
ko din kay wakt parakhne ki zid karain/ Bachchay hamaray ehed kay chalaak ho
gaye"[7] [They insist upon evaluating the firefly in
daylight/ The children of our age, have grown clever], which is often quoted to
comment on the often surprising knowledge and awareness of the 21st century
child.
Honours
Shakir's
first book, Khushbu, was awarded the Adamjee Award. Later,
she was awarded the Pride of Performance,
one of Pakistan's highest honours
Upon her
death, the Parveen Shakir Trust was established by her close friend, Parveen
Qadir Agha. The Parveen Shakir Trust organises a yearly function and gives out
the "Aks-e-Khushbo" award.
In 2013,
Pakistan Post issued a commemorative postage stamp of Rs 10 denomination on
Perveen Shakir’s death anniversary. Shakir
died in a car accident in December 1994, in Islamabad. It was another rainy
day. She was 42.
Volumes
of Poetry
Khushbu (1976) – Fragrance
Sad-barg (1980) – Marsh Marigold
Khud-kalaami (1990)
– Talking to the Self
Inkaar (1990) – Refusal
Maah-e-Tamaam (1994) – Full Moon
Kaf-e-Aa'ina – The Edge of the Mirror
Prose
Gosha-e-Chashm – The Sight Corner
Source: Wikipedia.org
Source: Wikipedia.org
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