Raja Nazar Muhammad Janjua (), (1 August 1910 – 9 October 1975) commonly known as Noon Meem Rashed () or N.M. Rashed, was a
Pakistani poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
of modern
Urdu poetry.
[ Profile of Noon Meem Rashid on rekhta.org website]
Retrieved 1 June 2018
Early life and education
Rashed was born Raja Nazar Muhammad Janjua into a
Punjabi family of the
Rajput-
Janjua clan in the village of Kot Bhaaga, Akaal Garh (now
Alipur Chatha),
,
Gujranwala District,
Punjab. His father Raja Fazal Ilahi Chishti was an
Islamic scholar fond of
Urdu poetry, especially
Ghalib.
[Raza Mir. '']
I Come Bearing Dreams: N.M. Rashed and Modernist Urdu Poetry
. ''The Punch Magazine''. Accessed May 7, 2025.
He earned a
Master's degree in
Economics
Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...
from the
Government College Lahore.
He also studied
English literature.
Writing career
Rashed his first poem ''Jurrat-e-Parwaz'' (''The Courage to Fly'') in 1932 as a college student while he published his first collection of poetry in a book-form, ''Maavra (''Beyond), in 1940.
He is considered to be the 'father of Modernism' in
Urdu Literature. Along with
Faiz Ahmed Faiz, he is one of the great progressive poets in
Pakistani literature.
His readership is limited and recent social changes have further hurt his stature and there seems to be a concerted effort not to promote his poetry. His first book of
free verse, ''
Mavra'', was published in 1940 and established him as a pioneering figure in '
free form'
Urdu poetry.
Other work
Military service
He served for a short time in the
Royal Indian Army during the
Second World War, attaining the rank of captain.
Politics
For some time he was associated with
Inayatullah Khan Mashriqi.
Radio work
Before independence of
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
in 1947, he worked with
All India Radio in
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 ...
and
Lucknow starting in 1942. He was transferred to
Peshawar in 1947 where he worked until 1953. Later he was hired by
Voice of America and had to move to
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
for this job. Then, for a short while, he lived in
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 ...
.
Diplomacy
Later on, he worked for the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
in New York.
Rashed served the UN and worked in many countries.
Last years and death
He retired to England in 1973 and died in a London hospital in 1975.
[
]
Reception and legacy
Faiz Ahmad Faiz called him ''Malik-us-Shoara'' (the king of poets).
Bollywood
His poem "''Zindagi sey dartey ho''" was set to music in the 2010 Bollywood movie, Peepli Live. It was performed by the Indian music band, Indian Ocean, and received critical appreciation as "''hard-hitting''" and "''a gem of a track''" that "''everyone is meant to sing, and mean, at some point in life''".
College hall
At Government College Lahore a hall is named after him as "Noon Meem Rashid Hall" at Postgraduate Block Basement.
Books
* ''Mavraa'' (Beyond) 1940[
* ''Iran Main Ajnabi'' (A stranger in Iran)
* ''La = Insaan'' (Nothingness = Man) 1969
* ''Gumaan ka Mumkin'' (Speculations) published posthumously in 1976 ][Profile of Noon Meem Rashid on the-south-asian.com website]
Published January 2002, Retrieved 1 June 2018
* ''Maqalat'' (Essays)- Ed. Shima Majeed, 2002.
References
External links
Selected Poetry of N.M. Rashid Translated in English
Kuliyat e Noon Meem Rashid
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rashed, Noon Meem
1910 births
1975 deaths
People from Wazirabad
Urdu-language poets from Pakistan
Government College University, Lahore alumni
People from British India
20th-century Pakistani poets
Sonneteers