Firaq Gorakhpuri: The Poet of Pain & Esctasy

One of contemporary Indias most prolific Urdu poets, Firaq Gorakhpuri was well known for his ghazals, nazms, rubaais and qataa. His magnum opus, Gul-e-Naghma, won him the Jnanpith Award (1969), Indias first highest literary honour for literature. The other awards bestowed upon him include the Sahitya Akademi Award (1960), and the Ghalib Academy Award (1981). In this personalized biography, Firaqs nephew, Ajai Mansingh, tells the compelling tale of the poets life, inspiration, and struggles - shedding light on the trials and tribulations of one of Indias greatest literary figures. Firaq is a poet of the labyrinths of emotions, the sensuousness and transcendence of beauty, and the merging shades of pain and ecstasy. The softness and suppleness of his voice does not have a parallel in Urdu poetry. - Gopi Chand Narang