Ahmad Ali Barqi Azmi (25 December 1954 – 5 December 2022) was an Indian poet in the

Urdu language Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

. His poetic collections included ''Rooh-e-Sukhan''. Professionally, he served in the Persian service of

All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

. He devoted his life to furtherance of the Urdu language and its literary culture.

Education

Ahmad Ali Barqi was educated at Shibli National College in Azamgarh and at

Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU; ISO: Javāharalāla Neharū Viśvavidyālaya) is a public research university located in Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university ...

. He held a degree in Education, a master's degree in Urdu and Persian, and received a doctorate in Modern and Classical Persian from the Centre of African & Asian Languages of Jawaharlal Nehru University in 1996.

Literary works

Barqi's poetic works are assembled in the books ''Rooh-e-Sukhan'' published in 2013 and ''Mahshr e Khayal'' published in 2020. In this massive work, he treats traditional subject matter, such as romantic love and spiritual devotion, but also non-traditional topics such as the Internet and global health crises. He includes tributes to Urdu literary giants, including

Mir Taqi Mir Mir Muhammad Taqi (February 1723 – 20 September 1810), known as Mir Taqi Mir (also spelled Meer Taqi Meer), was an Urdu poetry, Urdu poet of the 18th century Mughal Empire, Mughal India and one of the pioneers who gave shape to the Urdu ...

Ghalib Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan (27 December 179715 February 1869), commonly known as Mirza Ghalib, was an Indian poet. Widely regarded as one of the greatest poets in the Urdu language, he also produced a significant body of work in Persian. Ghali ...

, Iqbal, Sir Syed, and

Faiz Ahmad Faiz Chaudhry Faiz Ahmad Faiz (13 February 1911 – 20 November 1984) was a Pakistani poet and author of Punjabi language, Punjabi and Urdu literature. Faiz was one of the most celebrated, popular, and influential Urdu writers of his time, and his ...

. He continued to publish new poems online in numerous international Urdu poetry forums, including HamariWeb, aalmiahkbar.com, and on Facebook. Barqi's father, Rahmat Elahi Barqi, was also a renowned poet in Urdu, well known for his collection ''Tanweer-e-Sukhan'', or "The Light of Language."

Professional life

Barqi served as Translator-cum-Announcer (T/A In-charge) in the Persian Service of the External Services Division of All India Radio, New Delhi. He has traveled extensively, including to Iran and Afghanistan, on study tours. In addition to his own writing, he devoted his time and efforts to the furtherance of Urdu literary culture, promoting the works of Urdu poets of the past and present. In live forums and recitations, on television, radio, and social media, Dr. Barqi continued to spread international interest in the unique literary and cultural traditions of Urdu.

Death

Barqi died in

Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh Jaunpur () is a city and a municipal board in Jaunpur district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located 228 km southeast of state capital Lucknow. Demographically, Jaunpur resembles the rest ...

on 5 December 2022, at the age of 67 and buried in his neighborhood Kot,

Azamgarh Azamgarh is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the headquarters of Azamgarh division, which consists of Ballia, Mau and Azamgarh districts. Azamgarh is situated on the bank of Tamsa River (Tons). It is located east of the ...

Awards

* Academy Award, conferred by Urdu Academy, New Delhi.

References and footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barqi Azmi, Ahmad Ali 1954 births 2022 deaths 21st-century Indian Muslims Indian male poets Poets from Uttar Pradesh Urdu-language writers from India People from Azamgarh Urdu-language poets from India Indian Persian-language writers