Agha Shahid Ali (b 1949-d 2001) was born in Delhi and studied in Kashmir, Delhi (where he also taught) and the US. In his short but glorious poetic career, he published five collections of poetry, edited a collection of ghazals and translated poems of Faiz Ahmed Faiz into English. Agha Shahid Ali's poetry can best be termed an elaboration of the subcontinent's own mixed history. It draws from the rich cultural resources of the country of his birth where plurality, compositeness and eclecticism mark cultural patterns.
Ali's greatest legacy to Indian English Poetry would perhaps be his ability to introduce a new diction in English poetry drawing from Perso-Arabic, Urdu and Hindustani tradition and introducing the rhythm of Urdu in English.
Agha Shahid Ali received praise and appreciation across the world for his poetic outpourings which expressed a blend of his South Asian diaspora sensibility and his modern education and upbringing.
Nishat Zaidi is a critic, scholar and translator. She is Professor in the Department of English, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi and is author of Anne Sexton: A Postmodern Feminist Reading. She has translated and edited a number of books including A Voyage to Modernism: Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (with Mushirul Hasan).
Much of what needs to be said within the confines of a monograph has been included here. Having worked on Agha Shahid Ali's poetry a little, and having read him in abundance did help, but working on this monograph opened many interesting facets of the life of the maverick-his background, his illustrious parents, his attachment to his motherland Kashmir, his celebration of the eclectic culture of India, his diasporic experience, his poetic experiments and his poignant poetic universe. This was enriching as well as exciting. Since many people who knew him well are still around, it was very helpful as much as much as it was challenging. That the information came from authentic sources, and in plenty, was a boon. But it was a bit of a challenge too, because every bit of information, every single anecdote seemed important and irresistible.
Of many things that I did as part of this project, meeting Agha Shahid Ali's father, Agha Ashraf Ali on several occasions in Delhi as well as in Kashmir was truly gratifying. At Agha Shahid Ali's house, Sufia Nishan in Srinagar, many facets of his life and his background came alive in my discussions with Agha Ashraf Ali. I thank Agha Ashraf Ali for his generous help. In the end, I would like to thank Sahitya Akademi for this opportunity and hope that the readers would enjoy the creative journey of Agha Shahid Ali as much as I have.
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