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Munir Niazi (Punjabi, Urdu: منیر نیازی; 19 April 1923 – 26 December 2006), was a Pakistani poet of the Punjabi and Urdu languages. He also wrote for newspapers, magazines and radio. In 1960, he established a publication institute, Al-Misal. He was later associated with Pakistan Television, Lahore and lived in Lahore till his death.

Early life and career

Munir Niazi was born on 19 April 1923, in a village in Hoshiarpur district, Punjab, British India to a Punjabi family of Niazi Pashtun ancestry. He was initially educated at Khanpur. After the partition of India in 1947, he migrated and settled in Sahiwal, where he passed his matriculation examination. He earned an intermediate degree from Govt. Sadiq Egerton College, Bahawalpur and a B.A. degree from Dayal Singh College, Lahore. Munir Niazi launched a weekly, Seven Colours, from Sahiwal in 1949. Some of his poetry was used in films and these film songs became popular super-hits among the Pakistani public which established him as one of the foremost movie songwriters of Pakistan in the 1960s. For example, the film song in film Shaheed (1962), Uss Bewafa Ka Shehar Hai Aur Hum Hain Dosto and many others.

Niazi's poetry that became super-hit film songs

Bibliography

Below are some of his Urdu publications:

• Taiz Hawa Aur Tanha Phool
• Jungle Mein Dhanak
• Dushmanoon Kai Darmiyan Sham
• Mah-e-Munir
• Kulyat e Munir
• Jungal Ma Dahanak
• Aik Lamha Taiz Safar ka

In Punjabi language, he has published:

• Safar Di Raat
• Char Chup Cheezan
• Rasta Dassan Walay Tarey
• Che Rage Arwaze

Effective imagery in his poetry conveys pictures in a few words. He had experimented with poetic forms and had tried to create a new style, rhythm and diction in Urdu poetry. Innocence, mythology, nostalgia, dreams, eroticism, and romance are some of his most common themes. Selected English translations of Munir Niazi's poetic works were edited by Suhail Safdar and published in 1996.

Death and legacy

Munir Niazi died of respiratory illness on 26 December 2006 in Lahore, Pakistan.

On his 86th birth anniversary, a book titled 'Munir Niazi Ki Baatain, Yadain' was launched to honor him at the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture (Pilac) at Lahore. This book has interviews of the late Munir Niazi and opinion columns about him.

Awards and recognition

• Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan in 1992
• Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) Award by the President of Pakistan in 2005

References

1. ^ Munir Niazi Pride of Performance Award info on ARY TV News website Published 26 December 2015, Retrieved 30 May 2019
2. ^ Death anniversary of poets Parveen Shakir and Munir Niazi being observed today Dawn (newspaper), Published 26 Dec 2014, Retrieved 30 May 2019
3. ^ "A fitting tribute to Munir Niazi". Dawn (newspaper). 10 April 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
4. Munir Niazi hit film song on IMDb website Retrieved 30 May 2019
5. "7th death anniversary of Munir Niazi today". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
6. Munir Niazi song on YouTube Published 17 February 2011, Retrieved 30 May 2019
7. "Taiz Hwa Aur Taha Phool".
8. ^ "منیر نیازی". 17 January 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
9. Safdar, Suhail (1996). The Poetical Works of Munir Niazi, Pakistan Writings.
10. 130 nationals, foreigners to get civil awards Dawn (newspaper), Published 14 August 2004, Retrieved 29 May 2019

• 1928 births
• 2006 deaths
• Deaths from respiratory failure
• People from Hoshiarpur
• Poets from Lahore
• Urdu-language poets from Pakistan
• Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz
• Recipients of the Pride of Performance
• People from Sahiwal
• 20th-century Pakistani poets
• Punjabi-language poets
• Punjabi-language writers
• Pakistani male songwriters
• Pakistani songwriters
• Writers from Lahore
• People from Punjab Province (British India)