Srinagar: Renowned Kashmiri Poet Rehman Rahi passed away on Monday morning at his Vicharnag residence in Srinagar city, he was 98.
Born on May 6, 1925, Mr. Rahi was awarded the Indian Sahitya Akademi Award in 1961 for his poetry collection, Nawroz-i-Saba, and the Padma Shri award in 2000. He was also the first Kashmiri poet to receive the Jnanpith award (India’s highest literary award) for his poetic collection (In Black Drizzle) 'Siyah Rood Jaeren Manz' (for the year 2004) in 2007.
He translated many Persian poems into Kashmiri and considered his mother tongue, the Kashmiri language as the mother of Sanskrit and the Persian language.
He also worked as a sub-editor in the Urdu daily Khidmat and was a member of the editorial board of the Urdu daily Aajkal in Delhi from 1953 to 1955.
He pursued an M.A. in Persian (1952) and English (1962) from the University of Kashmir where he later taught Persian.
Many noted personalities mourned the death of the poet with Kashmiri author, Mirza Waheed terming it the slow death of the Kashmiri language.
“It is said, that every day in the world there are languages that die as there are no speakers. If the same happens with Kashmir, then what is Rehman Rahi, Dina Nath Nadim, or Mehjoor?” A light has gone, may your words live long among us, Rahi Sa’eb," Mr. Waheed tweeted.
J&K Lieutenant Governor also called his death the “end of an era".
"Deeply saddened to learn of the passing away of Jnanpith awardee Prof Rehman Rahi, one of the most influential poets in Kashmir in recent times. His passing marks the end of an era. My sincere condolences to his family, friends, and well-wishers," Sinha said in a tweet.
"Rehman Rahi was one of the most outstanding figures in Kashmiri literature. His creative brilliance found expression in various genres of literature. His works reflect the cultural and political vicissitudes of Kashmir. They'll continue to influence young bards and writers. Deep condolences" tweeted CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami.