Renowned poet Munawwar Rana passed away on Sunday. According to reports, he took his last breath at the age of 71. He had been undergoing treatment at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow for some time.
Munawwar Rana had been unwell for an extended period, battling throat cancer. Rana is survived by his wife, five daughters, and one son.
Rana's son, Tabrez Rana, shared, "Due to illness, he had been admitted to the hospital for several days. Initially, he was admitted to Medanta in Lucknow and then transferred to SGPGI, where he took his last breath around 11 PM on Sunday night."
Munawwar Rana was born on November 26, 1952, in Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh. He is widely acknowledged for his significant contributions to Urdu literature. In 2014, he was honoured with the Sahitya Akademi Award for his poetry collection 'Shahdaba'. However, about a year later, he decided to return the award citing growing concerns about increasing intolerance in the country.
His poetry used to be based on very simple words, making him popular among the common people.
He received several accolades and awards for his outstanding literary work, including the Amir Khusro Award, Mir Taqi Mir Award, Ghalib Award, Dr. Zakir Hussain Award, and Saraswati Samaj Award, among others.
The demise of Munawwar Rana has led to expressions of grief from several prominent figures. Former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, expressed his sorrow through a tweet.
Rana spent a considerable portion of his life in Kolkata and held a noteworthy presence in mushairas (poetic symposiums) both within India and on the international stage.
The poet was actively involved in political developments in Uttar Pradesh, with his daughter Sumaiya being a member of the Samajwadi Party (SP), led by Akhilesh Yadav.
