Renowned poet Munawwar Rana dies at age 71

Rana’s daughter Sumaiya Rana told PTI that her father died at the hospital late on Sunday night and will be laid to rest on Monday.

The poet is survived by his wife, four daughters and a son.

“He was hospitalised for 14 to 15 days due to illness. He was first admitted to Medanta in Lucknow and then to SGPGI where he breathed his last around 11 pm today,” Rana’s son His son Tabrez Rana told PTI.

Born in 1952 in Rae Bareli, Munawwar Rana was awarded the Gyanpeeth Award in 2014. His use of simple words in the poems made his works popular among the common people.

Rana’s poem ‘Maa’, which is considered one of his most famous works, has a special place in the world of Urdu literature.

Sharing a couplet from Rana’s poem, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, in a post on X, condoled the poet’s demise.

तो अब इस गांव से
रिश्ता हमारा खत्म होता है
फिर आंखें खोल ली जाएं कि
सपना खत्म होता है।

देश के जानेमाने शायर मुन्नवर राना जी का निधन अत्यंत हृदय विदारक।

दिवंगत आत्मा की शांति की कामना।

भावभीनी श्रद्धांजलि। pic.twitter.com/BDDbojdYNh

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) January 14, 2024

“The demise of the country’s renowned poet Munawwar Rana ji is extremely heart-wrenching. Wishing peace to the departed soul. Heartfelt tribute,” Yadav wrote.