Ghulam Nabi Firaq


Professor Ghulam Nabi Firaq was a Kashmiri poet, writer and an educationist. From the last fifty years he had been writing poetry and prose. In doing so he used, besides traditional ones, several poetic forms including blank verse, free verse, sonnets, quatrains, metric poems and lyrics. He also translated dozens of English poems of outstanding English poets into Kashmiri. As a result of all this, he enriched the expression of the language and made it more suitable for communicating his sensibility which in nature is modern. Besides, he had been writing essays and articles in Kashmiri language, which was his mother tongue, and which he had made the vehicle of expression from early fifties. As a literary critic and historian he had been trying to evaluate the Kashmiri poetry of the last five hundred years and rehabilitate it by bringing to prominence among other things its intrinsic merit and power of expression. He also holds the Sahitya Akademi Award for his works in Kashmiri literature. He is regarded as one of the very few people of Kashmir who has been trying to preserve the rich Kashmiri culture, heritage and language.
As an educationist he tried his best to reach all sections of society to help them in uplifting their educational standards. He was co-founder of Standard Public High School, established in 1975.

Literary work

Translation and adaptation

  1. Adapted Play The Cit becomes Gentleman by Moliere into Kashmiri entitled "Dyar-e-Khowja".
  2. Adapted play Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe into Kashmiri language.
  3. Has translated number of Literary essays and short stories from English language into his mother tongue- Kashmiri.
  4. Has translated scores of poems from English, Urdu, Bengali, French, German, Greek and Persian and some other Indian languages into Kashmiri language.

    Seminars and workshops

Memberships

Has been

  1. Member Advisory Board of Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, Srinagar for Kashmiri
  2. Bhartiya Ganpeth, New Delhi
  3. Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi
  4. Doordarshan Advisory Committee
  5. Secretary of Writers'Wing of the Cultural Conference, J & K State
  6. Founder Member of Koshur Markaz, J & K State
  7. Member of the Kashmiri Language Script Improvement Committee, formed by J & K Government.

    Has been honoured

  8. With Sadiq Memorial Award.
  9. With Life Achievement Award by J & K Academy of Art, Culture & Languages.
  10. By the State Academy of Arts, Culture and Languages in a specially organised programme "Meet the Eminent" in 1995.
  11. With "Khilat-i-Hajini" by the Literary organisation of repute-Halq-e-Adab Sonawari.
  12. Doordarshan Delhi produced and telecast a special programme on the personality under its special series "Kavi Aur Kavita".
  13. Doordarshan Srinagar has produced and telecast number of Programmes on the life and achievements of Prof Firaq from time to time. Besides it has produced, recorded and telecast an Archival programme on the life & achievements of the Poet in 1994.
  14. Radio Kashmir Srinagar has produced and broadcast number of programmes on the life and achievements of the poet from time to time. Besides, it has recorded an archival programme on the life and achievements of the personality.
  15. Commercial Broadcasting service of All India Radio, Srinagar also produced and broadcast a special programme on the life and achievements of Prof Firaq.

    Publications

Has written, broadcast, telecast and published scores of articles and more than one dozen books on Kashmiri Language and Literature. A brief summary of the same is as under:

Articles published

Name of the publication

  1. Literary forms of East & West-A critical Analysis
  2. The Individuality of Mahjoor's Poetry & its impact on Modern Kashmiri Literature
  3. The contribution of Mahjoor to Kashmiri Ghazal
  4. The local Colour of Kashmiri Literature & its Significance
  5. A critical appraisal of "Hemal Nagrai"- Masnavi
  6. An Analysis of Modern Kashmiri Poetry
  7. Ahad Zargar- The Poet of Kashmiri Mystic Poetry
  8. An Introduction to Kashmiri Romantic Poet-Rasul Mir
  9. The supernatural in the poetry of Ahad Zargar
  10. On Kashmiri Language
  11. A Brief Account of Kashmiri Verse
  12. Mahjoor-His Age & Poetry
  13. Age & Poetry of Samad Mir
  14. Poetry and Prosidy
  15. An apology for Poetry
  16. Coleridge on Imagination
  17. Iqbal & Kashmir
  18. The Evolution of Kashmiri Literary Criticism
  19. The Nature of Art in Kashmiri Poetry
  20. A comparative study of two great Kashmiri Mystic Poets-Lal Ded & Sheikh ul Alam
  21. The Principles of Romanticism
  22. Neo Classicism & France
  23. Neo Classicism & England
  24. On Ambiguity & Symbolism
  25. Gani Kashmiri-A profile
  26. Mir, Momin & Ghalib-A comparative study
  27. Contemporary Kashmiri Ghazal
  28. Prevailing Education System & Kashmiri Language-An Analysis
  29. "Adam Chuu Ajab Zaat"- A critical evaluation
  30. The Changing Values & Literature
  31. Modernity & Kashmiri Literature
  32. The Child is the Father of Man
  33. The seasons of Kashmir-Spring
  34. The seasons of Kashmir-Summer
  35. The seasons of Kashmir-Autumn

    Books published before 1989

  36. Yim Sane Aalave in collaboration.
  37. Vyur: Kashmiri translation of poems of S.Nandan Path in collaboration.Published by Academy of Art,Culture and Languages,Srinagar
  38. Nav-Shar-e-Sombrun published by University of Kashmir
  39. Adbi-Istallah
  40. Kath Insan-e-Sinz published by State Board of School Education

    Books published after 1989

  41. Sada-Te-Samandar –Sahitya Akademi Award Winner
  42. Rang Nazran Hind Publisher University of Kashmir
  43. Wudav Fikri Hund: Literary Criticism
  44. Parnai –Pate
  45. Su Akh Sada Te-
  46. The History of Kasmiri Poem- Vatsun

    Books under print

  47. Dazwun Naar
  48. Kher-ul-Bashar
  49. An Anthology of Poems & Ghazals
  50. Dr. Fastus-

    Journals and magazines edited

  51. The Pratap Magazine of Government S P College Srinagar --For seventeen years.
  52. The Kong Posh--Bimonthly
  53. The Koshur Samut Member Editorial Board
  54. The Tawi Magazine of G.G.M. Science College Jammu
The Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages has published a journal entitled Firaq Number. Academy officials visited him at his residence and presented Sheeraza of his life and works. It has been based on the essays written by different critics and scholars on the life, achievements and critical analysis of the works of Prof. Ghulam Nabi Firaq in the field of language, literature and education.