THE Progressive Writers Movement era wordsmith whose resilient literary campaign made him a soldier of Kashmiri language, Rehman Rahi passed away in Srinagar at the age of 98 on Monday.
Born on 6 May 1925, Rahi rose to become Kashmir’s legendary poet, translator and critic and won the Sahitya Akademi Award, the Padma Shri and India’s highest literary award, the Jnanpith Award for his massive literary contribution.
Rahi breathed his last in the early hours at his residence in Vitsar Nag locality of Nowshera quarter of the city.
His nimaz-e-Jinazah was held at 2:30 pm after Zuhr prayers and was laid to rest near the shrine of Khwaja Habibullah Nowshehri (RA).
Hundreds of people from different walks of life joined his funeral prayers and his death was widely mourned, especially in the literary circles.
His funeral prayers were led by Moulana Showket Hussain Keng, and was attended by a battery of literary figures.
A poet, translator and critic. Prof Rahi was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1961 for his poetry collection Nawroz-i-Saba, the Padma Shri in 2000, and India’s highest literary award, the Jnanpith Award (for the year 2004) in 2007.
Prof Rahi was the first Kashmiri writer to be awarded the Jnanpith award for his poetic collection Siyah Rood Jaeren Manz (In Black Drizzle).
He was honored with Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 2000 by Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi.
Prof Rahi began his career as a clerk in the Public Works Department of the Government for a few months in 1948 and was associated with the Progressive Writers’ Association, of which he became the General Secretary.
He also edited a few issues of Kwang Posh, the literary journal of the Progressive Writers Association.
He later joined Urdu daily Khidmat as sub-editor.
Rahi did his M.A. in Persian (1952) and in English (1962) from Jammu and Kashmir University where he later taught Persian. He was on the editorial board of the Urdu daily Aajkal in Delhi from 1953 to 1955.
He was also associated with the Cultural wing of communist Party of Kashmir during his student days.
Tributes Pour In
The people associated with literature mourned his loss and maintained that his void will be difficult to fill.
While recalling his contribution, Prof. Majrooh Rashid, Director Centre for Kashmiri Language and Literature told Kashmir Observer that the demise of Prof. Rahi is a huge loss to the Kashmiri language and literature.
“He is a Kashmir poet who will be remembered till the Kashmir language in literature survives. We haven’t produced another Rehman Rahi till date,” Prof. Rashid said.
He further noted that it was Prof. Rahi who made Kashmiri language in its real essence as far as poetry is concerned.
“Prof. Rahi was the only poet who could lift the Kashmir language from the ground and took to the new heights,” Prof. Rashid who was the student of Prof. Rahi.
The people from literary circles recalled that his poetry would remind them of well known and internationally acknowledged poets including Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal and Mirza Asadullah Khan etc.
Rahi wrote several collections of poems and translated the works of some of the celebrated poets in other languages into Kashmiri.
Prof. Nazir Azad, another poet and critic, told Kashmir Observer that Prof. Rashi would patiently hear the poetry in different Mushairas and would encourage the poets. He said he would also do criticism in a subtle way.
“Tames asse Kasher zabane henz dag, ti tem khatre oas su mehanat ti mashaqat karran (he was worried about the Kashmiri language and for it’s upliftment, he would do a lot to activities )” Prof. Azad said.
Prof. Rahi was not only a great poet, recalls Prof. Mushtaq Ahmad Zargar, but also a brilliant teacher.
“His lectures in the class would be so crystal clear that his students would never forget,” said Prof. Zargar who is currently in-Charge Kashmiri Section, Department of Modern Indian Languages, Aligarh Muslim University.
He said after Lal Ded, Prof. Rahi is seen as the best poet in the literary world.
“But his way of criticism was different. We will always cherish these moments,” he added.
Prof. Shafi Shauq said that Prof. Rahi was the only well read Kashmiri poet who consciously tried to imbibe all those healthy features of Western literature in Kashmir and gave them local colour and hibitation.
“His major contribution to Kashmiri literature was that he reformed the department of Kashmiri at University of Kashmir and I have had the honor to work under him from the inception of the department in 1976,” said Prof Shafi Shauq who retired as Head of the Department, Kashmiri department, KU in 2010.
Rahi’s demise was also condoled by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who termed his death as “end of an era”.
“Deeply saddened to learn of the passing away of Jnanpith awardee Prof Rehman Rahi, one of the most influential poets in Kashmiri in recent times. His passing marks the end of an era. My sincere condolences to his family, friends and well-wishers,” Sinha said in a tweet.
Former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti also condoled Rahi’s death.
“Saddened to hear about the sad demise of towering literary personality and Gyanpeeth Awardee Jinab Rehman Rahi sb. In his death, Kashmiri Literature and society has been left with a void that can never be filled. My condolences to the family,” she tweeted.
“Rehman Rahi was one of the most outstanding figures in Kashmiri literature. His creative brilliance found expression in various genres of literature. His works reflect cultural and political vicissitudes of Kashmir. They’ll continue to influence young bards and writers. Deep condolences,” tweeted CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami.
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