Ghulam Nabi Firaq

Professor Ghulam Nabi Firaq (born 15 July 1922) was a Kashmiri poet, writer and an educationist. From the last fifty years he had been writing poetry and prose. In doing so he used, besides traditional ones, several poetic forms including blank verse, free verse, sonnets, quatrains, metric poems and lyrics. He also translated dozens of English poems of outstanding English poets into Kashmiri. As a result of all this, he enriched the expression of the language and made it more suitable for communicating his sensibility which in nature is modern. Besides, he had been writing essays and articles in Kashmiri language, which was his mother tongue, and which he had made the vehicle of expression from early fifties. As a literary critic and historian he had been trying to evaluate the Kashmiri poetry of the last five hundred years and rehabilitate it by bringing to prominence among other things its intrinsic merit and power of expression. He also holds the Sahitya Akademi Award for his works in Kashmiri literature. He is regarded as one of the very few people of Kashmir who has been trying to preserve the rich Kashmiri culture, heritage and language.
As an educationist he tried his best to reach all sections of society to help them in uplifting their educational standards. He was co-founder of Standard Public High School (a group of Educational Institutions), established in 1975.

Translation and adaptation

1. Adapted Play The Cit becomes Gentleman by Moliere into Kashmiri entitled "Dyar-e-Khowja".
2. Adapted play Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe into Kashmiri language.
3. Has translated number of Literary essays and short stories from English language into his mother tongue- Kashmiri.
4. Has translated scores of poems from English, Urdu, Bengali-Tagore and Persian into Kashmiri language.

Seminars and workshops

• Has attended and participated in a number of Seminars and Workshops conducted by prestigious institutions of India regarding the Development of Kashmiri Language and Literature.

Has been

1. Member Advisory Board of Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, Srinagar (J & K) for Kashmiri
2. Bhartiya Ganpeth, New Delhi
3. Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi
4. Doordarshan Advisory Committee
5. Secretary of Writers'Wing of the Cultural Conference, J & K State
6. Founder Member of Koshur Markaz, J & K State
7. Member of the Kashmiri Language Script Improvement Committee, formed by J & K Government.

Has been honoured

1. With Sadiq (Ex-chief Minister) Memorial Award.
2. With Life Achievement Award by J & K Academy of Art, Culture & Languages.
3. By the State Academy of Arts, Culture and Languages in a specially organised programme "Meet the Eminent" in 1995.
4. With "Khilat-i-Hajini" by the Literary organisation of repute-Halq-e-Adab Sonawari.
5. Doordarshan Delhi (National Programme) produced and telecast a special programme on the personality under its special series "Kavi Aur Kavita".
6. Doordarshan Srinagar has produced and telecast number of Programmes on the life and achievements of Prof Firaq from time to time. Besides it has produced, recorded and telecast an Archival programme on the life & achievements of the Poet in 1994.
7. Radio Kashmir Srinagar has produced and broadcast number of programmes on the life and achievements of the poet from time to time. Besides, it has recorded an archival programme on the life and achievements of the personality.
8. Commercial Broadcasting service of All India Radio, Srinagar also produced and broadcast a special programme on the life and achievements of Prof Firaq.

• Indian Muslims. "List of Sahitya Akademi Award Winners | Indian Muslims". Indianmuslims.info. Retrieved 1 September 2012. 

Has written, broadcast, telecast and published scores of articles and more than one dozen books on Kashmiri Language and Literature. A brief summary of the same is as under:

Articles published

Name of the publication

1. Literary forms of East & West-A critical Analysis
2. The Individuality of Mahjoor’s Poetry & its impact on Modern Kashmiri Literature
3. The contribution of Mahjoor to Kashmiri Ghazal
4. The local Colour of Kashmiri Literature & its Significance
5. A critical appraisal of “Hemal Nagrai”- Masnavi
6. An Analysis of Modern Kashmiri Poetry
7. Ahad Zargar- The Poet of Kashmiri Mystic Poetry
8. An Introduction to Kashmiri Romantic Poet-Rasul Mir
9. The supernatural in the poetry of Ahad Zargar
10. On Kashmiri Language
11. A Brief Account of Kashmiri Verse
12. Mahjoor-His Age & Poetry
13. Age & Poetry of Samad Mir
14. Poetry and Prosidy
15. An apology for Poetry
16. Coleridge on Imagination
17. Iqbal & Kashmir
18. The Evolution of Kashmiri Literary Criticism
19. The Nature of Art in Kashmiri Poetry
20. A comparative study of two great Kashmiri Mystic Poets-Lal Ded & Sheikh ul Alam
21. The Principles of Romanticism
22. Neo Classicism & France
23. Neo Classicism & England
24. On Ambiguity & Symbolism
25. Gani Kashmiri-A profile
26. Mir, Momin & Ghalib-A comparative study
27. Contemporary Kashmiri Ghazal
28. Prevailing Education System & Kashmiri Language-An Analysis
29. “Adam Chuu Ajab Zaat”- A critical evaluation
30. The Changing Values & Literature
31. Modernity & Kashmiri Literature
32. The Child is the Father of Man
33. The seasons of Kashmir-Spring
34. The seasons of Kashmir-Summer
35. The seasons of Kashmir-Autumn

Books published before 1989

1. Yim Sane Aalave (Collection of poems) in collaboration.
2. Vyur: Kashmiri translation of poems of S.Nandan Path in collaboration.Published by Academy of Art,Culture and Languages,Srinagar
3. Nav-Shar-e-Sombrun(edited & compiled) published by University of Kashmir
4. Adbi-Istallah (A dictionary of Literary terms, published by University of Kashmir)
5. Kath Insan-e-Sinz(Story of Man) published by State Board of School Education

Books published after 1989

1. Sada-Te-Samandar (Collection of poems) –Sahitya Akademi Award Winner
2. Rang Nazran Hind(Translation of famous poems of English, Urdu, Bengali & Persian) Publisher University of Kashmir
3. Wudav Fikri Hund: Literary Criticism
4. Parnai –Pate (Critical Literary Essays)
5. Su Akh Sada Te- (Poems in Kashmiri)

Books under print

1. The History of Kasmiri Poem- Vatsun
2. Dazwun Naar (A Long elegy on the death of his spouse)
3. Kher-ul-Bashar(A Collection of Naitya Poems)
4. An Anthology of Poems & Ghazals
5. Dr. Fastus-(Translation)

Journals and magazines edited

1. The Pratap Magazine of Government S P College Srinagar (Kashmiri Section)--For seventeen years.
2. The Kong Posh(Urdu)--Bimonthly
3. The Koshur Samut Member Editorial Board
4. The Tawi Magazine of Govt. G G M Science College Jammu (Urdu Section)

The Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages has published a journal entitled Firaq Number. Academy officials visited him at his residence and presented Sheeraza of his life and works. It has been based on the essays written by different critics and scholars on the life, achievements and critical analysis of the works of Prof. Ghulam Nabi Firaq in the field of language, literature and education.