Sher Muhammad Khan (), ( Punjabi, ), better known by his pen name Ibn-e-Insha, (), ( Punjabi, ) (15 June 1927 – 11 January 1978) was a Pakistani

Urdu poet Urdu poetry ( ) is a tradition of poetry and has many different forms. Today, it is an important part of the culture of India and Pakistan. According to Naseer Turabi, there are five major poets of Urdu: Mir Taqi Mir (d. 1810), Mirza Ghalib (d. ...

, humorist, travelogue writer and newspaper columnist. Along with his poetry, he was regarded as one of the best humorists of

Urdu 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 poetry has a distinctive diction laced with language reminiscent of

Amir Khusro Abu'l Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrau (1253 – 1325 AD), better known as Amīr Khusrau, sometimes spelled as, Amir Khusrow or Amir Khusro, was an Indo-Persian culture, Indo-Persian Sufi singer, musician, poet and scholar, who lived during the per ...

in its use of words and construction that is usually heard in the more earthy dialects of the

Hindi-Urdu Hindustani is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in North India and Pakistan as the lingua franca of the region. It is also spoken by the Deccani-speaking community in the Deccan plateau. Hindustani is a pluricentric language with two standa ...

complex of languages, and his forms and poetic style has influenced generations of young poets.Biography of Ibn-e-Insha on poemhunter.com website
Retrieved 14 June 2019

Biography

Insha was born in Phillaur tehsil of

Jalandhar District Jalandhar district is a district in Doaba region of the state of Punjab, India. The district headquarters is the city of Jalandhar. Before the Partition of India, Jalandhar was also the headquarters of the Jalandhar Division, with constituent ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, British India. His father hailed from

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

. In 1946, he received his B.A. degree from

Punjab University Punjab University may refer to: India * Punjab Agricultural University, a state agricultural university in Ludhiana, Punjab * I. K. Gujral Punjab Technical University, a state university in Kapurthala, Punjab * Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Techn ...

and subsequently, his M.A. from

University of Karachi The University of Karachi (; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (which is ...

in 1953. He was associated with various governmental services including

Radio Pakistan The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (); also known as ''Radio Pakistan'', serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate its founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in P ...

, the Ministry of Culture and the National Book Centre of Pakistan. He also served the UN for some time and this enabled him to visit many places, all of which served to inspire the travelogues he would then pen. His journeys took him to Japan,

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, China, Hong Kong,

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, France, UK and the United States. His teachers included Habibullah Ghazenfar Amrohvi, Dr. Ghulam Mustafa Khan and Dr. Abdul Qayyum. In the late 1940s, in his youth, Ibn-e-Insha had also lived along with the renowned film poet Sahir Ludhianvi in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

for a short period. He was also active in the Progressive Writers Movement.

Death and legacy

Ibn-e-Insha spent the remainder of his life in

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

before he died of

Hodgkin's Lymphoma Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the lymph nodes. The condition was named a ...

on 11 January 1978, while he was in London. He was buried in

, Pakistan. His son, Roomi Insha was a Pakistani filmmaker, who died on 16 October 2017.

Literary career

Insha is considered to be one of the best poets and writers of his generation. His most famous

ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

''Insha Ji Utthoo Ab Kooch Karo'' (Rise oh Insha Ji, and let us set off ) is an influential classic ghazal. Ibn-e-Insha had written several travelogues, showcasing his sense of humor and his work has been appreciated by both Urdu writers and critics. He also translated a collection of Chinese poems into Urdu in 1960.

Bibliography

Poetry * ''Chand Nagar'' چاند نگر * ''Is Basti Key Ik Koochey Main''اِس بستی کے اِک کوچے میں * ''Dil-e-Wehshi'' دلِ وحشی * ''Billo Ka Basta'' بِلو کا بستہ ''(Rhymes for Children)'' * ''Qissa Aik Kunvaaray ka'' (A translation of a lengthy humorous poem by a German poet Wilhelm Bosch) Travelogue * ''Awara Gard Ki Diary'' آوارہ گرد کی ڈائری * ''Dunya Gol Hey'' دنیا گول ہے * ''

Ibn Battuta Ibn Battuta (; 24 February 13041368/1369), was a Maghrebi traveller, explorer and scholar. Over a period of 30 years from 1325 to 1354, he visited much of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Iberian Peninsula. Near the end of his life, Ibn ...

Kay Taqub mein' (1974)Ibne Insha – the wanderer of Chand Nagar
The Express Tribune (newspaper), Published 10 January 2016, Retrieved 14 June 2019 * ''Chaltay Ho To Cheen Ko Chaliye'' چلتے ھو تو چِین کو چلیے * ''Nagri Nagri Phira Musafar'' نگری نگری پِھرا مسافر Humor * '' Urdu Ki Aakhri Kitab'' (1971) اردو کی آخری کتاب * ''Khat Insha Jee Kay'' خط انشّا جی کے Collection of letters * ''Khumar e Gandum'' خمارِگندم * ''Aap se kya Parda'' آپ سے کیا پردہ (published in June 2004) * ''Batain Insha ji ki'' (published in June 2005) * ''Dakhl Dar Ma'qulaat'' (published in June 2019) Translations * ''Seher Honay Tak'' (translation of Cherkhov work) * ''Karnamay Nawab Tees Maar Khan Kay'' (translation of German Short stories), published in June 1971 * ''Lakhon Ka Shaher'' (translation of some short stories of O. Henry) * ''Andha Kunvaan'' (translation of some short stories of Edgar Allan Poe)

Awards and recognition

* Ibn-e-Insha was awarded the

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...

Award by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

in 1978.Pride of Performance Award info for Ibn-e-Insha on YouTube
Retrieved 14 June 2019

References

External links

* * http://www.studybee.net/ibn-e-insha-poetry/ Poetry of Ibn-e-Insha {{DEFAULTSORT:Insha, Ibn-e- University of the Punjab alumni 1927 births 1978 deaths People from British India Writers from Jalandhar Muhajir people Urdu-language poets from Pakistan Pakistani humorists University of Karachi alumni Urdu-language humorists Pakistani Sunni Muslims Pakistani travel writers Writers from Karachi Urdu-language children's writers 20th-century Urdu-language writers Urdu-language travel writers Urdu-language columnists 20th-century Pakistani poets Recipients of the Pride of Performance Poets from Karachi