Rashid Meer (1 June 1950 – 11 May 2021) was a Gujarati

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 ...

poet, critic, editor and researcher from India. He was a founder editor of '' Dhabak'', a Gujarati ghazal poetry journal. He received his Ph.D. His significant works include ''Saat Suka Pandada'' (1993), ''Ghazal Nu Pariprekshya'' (1995), ''Thes'' (1998) and ''Adhakhula Dhwar'' (1999). The Indian National Theater,

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

conferred the Shayda Award (2003) on him for his contributions to Gujarati ghazal poetry.

Biography

Meer was born in Thasra, a village in Padal of Kheda district to Kamaluddin Meer and Halima Meer. He completed his S.S.C. in 1968 from Sharada Mandir High School, Menpura. He completed a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in 1973 at Arts and Commerce College, Balasinor and

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in 1975 from C. B. Patel Arts College,

Nadiad Nadiad is a city in the state of Gujarat, India and the administrative centre of the Kheda district. It is known for the Santram Mandir, the Mai Mandir,

with Gujarati literature as one of his subjects. He completed his B. Ed. in 1980 from Faculty of Education,

Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, formerly Baroda College, is a public university in the city of Vadodara, Gujarat, India. Originally established as a college in 1881, it became a public university on April 30, 1949 and was renamed after ...

and obtained his Ph.D. for his dissertation ''Gujarati Ghazal Ni Saundarya Mimansa'' from the same university. He died of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

on 11 May 2021 at

Vadodara Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...

Career

Meer started his career as a teacher at M.E.H Girls High School,

. He started his writing career in 1968 with influences of

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 ...

, Faiz,

Jigar Moradabadi Ali Sikandar (6 April 1890 – 9 September 1960), known by his pen name as Jigar Moradabadi, was an Indian Urdu poet and ''ghazal'' writer. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1958 for his poetry collection "Atish-e-Gul", and was the seco ...

and

Kalidasa Kālidāsa (, "Servant of Kali"; 4th–5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on Hindu Puranas and philosophy. His surviv ...

. In the same year, his ghazal came out for first time in Gujarati magazine ''Jay Jay''. He served as an administrator of Muslim Educational Society, Vadodara and wrote column ''Gulchhadi'' in ''

Gujarat Samachar The ''Gujarat Samachar'' is the leading Gujarati-language daily newspaper published in India. Its headquarters are in Ahmedabad with a branch in Surat. It is distributed from Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Mumbai, Mehsana, Bh ...

'' on every Tuesday. He was a founder editor of Gujarati ghazal poetry journal '' Dhabak'' in 1991.

Works

His first ghazal anthology, ''Thes'', was published in 1985, followed by ''Chitkaar'' (1987), ''Saat Suka Pandada'' (1993), ''Khali Hathno Vaibhav'' (1996), ''Adhakhula Dhwar'' (1999), ''Rubaru'' (2002) and ''Laapata ni Shodh'' (2010).

Criticism

His criticism of ghazal poetry includes; * ''Gujarati Ghazalni Saundarya Mimansa'' (1990; Ph.D. theses) * ''Ghazal Nu Paripreksha'' (1995) * ''Aapna Ghazalsarjako'' (1996) * ''Ghazal Vivaksha'' (2000) * ''Ghazal Vilokana'' (2001) * ''Ghazal Lok'' (2008) * ''Jigar Muradabadi'' (2002) * ''Faiz Ahmed Faiz'' (2005) * ''Ghazal Vanchana'' (2015)

Compilation

* ''Ghazal Nu Shil Ane Saundarya'' (1988) * ''Ghazals From Gujarati'' (English translation of selected Gujarati ghazals; 1996) * ''Ghazal Vimarsh'' (1998) * ''Suralay'' (2001) * ''Diwan-e-Patil'' (Unpublished works of Patil; 2003) * ''Gulchhadi'' Vol. 1 (2010)

References