Amjad Islam Amjad, a well-known Urdu poet and playwright, passed away due to a heart attack at the age of 78 on Friday. Hailing from Lahore, Amjad was born in 1944 and was widely recognized for his poetry that touched upon themes of love and romance. He crafted his own distinct style that blended traditional elements with contemporary diction, resulting in a unique form of blank verse that was rich in rhythm and flow. He was a firm believer in the importance of Naghmagi (rhythm) in his verse and often emphasized that it was the rhythm, more than the thoughts in his poems, that his readers remembered.
In his early years, Amjad had aspirations to become a cricketer but eventually found a deep love for literature, which he discovered during his school days when he was made the editor of his school magazine. He pursued his passion for literature further and went on to complete his Master’s degree in the field from the Oriental College, Punjab University, where he also served as the chief editor of the university’s literary magazine, Mehwar. During his time at the university, Amjad excelled in his studies and was awarded a gold medal for topping the Punjab University exams, which led to a teaching job at the MAO College from 1970 to 1975. He went on to serve as the deputy director of the Punjab Arts Council from 1975 to 1979, and later as the director general of the Urdu Science Board in 1997. At the time of his retirement, he was working as the director of the Punjab Textbook Board.
Amjad’s poetry was highly regarded by his peers and received critical acclaim. Munir Niazi, a renowned poet himself, praised Amjad’s collection, Barzakh, which was published in 1974, as having the ability to move readers with its modern sensibility and melody. In his foreword to the book, Amjad himself wrote about his ideology of poetry, explaining that he was wary of both traditionalists and pseudo-revolutionaries. He followed the same philosophy in his subsequent works, emphasizing that there were only two types of poets – good poets and bad ones – and that poets had been unjustly labeled as revolutionary, spiritual, philosophical, psychological, or orthodox.
Amjad was also a talented translator, having translated modern Arabic poems as well as works by black poets from around the world. He also wrote several poetry collections and travelogues, and was highly regarded for his work as a TV playwright. His career in the field of television writing began with Ya Naseeb Clinic in 1972, and he went on to write nine serials, including Waris, which was a trendsetter and made him a household name. Many famous singers gave voice to his poems, including Mein Teray Sang Kaisay Chaloon Sajna by Noor Jehan, Guzar Gaya Jo Zamana Ussay Bhula He Dou by Hamid Ali Khan, and Jo Nah Mil Saka Ussay Bhool Ja by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. In his later years, Amjad also wrote columns for newspapers.
Amjad’s funeral prayers were held at the Masjid Chowk near his residence in the DHA, and he was laid to rest in the Miani Sahib Graveyard. He is survived by his wife, a son, and two daughters.
