Sahitya Akademi awardee Abdul Rashid Nazki dead

Our Correspondent

Srinagar, January 7

Noted poet and winner of the Sahitya Akademi award from Kashmir Prof Abdul Rashid Nazki passed away at Sheri Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) yesterday. He was 84.

Nazki, who was admitted to hospital a few days ago, is survived by two sons and a daughter. The funeral prayers were offered at his ancestral village in Bandipora this afternoon which was attended by a large gathering of people.

Nazki, who was a known literary figure in Kashmir, was born on September 18, 1931, at Bandipore in north Kashmir and began his career as a teacher in 1949.

“He pursued his MA in Kashmiri from Kashmir University and taught Kashmiri, Persian and Iqbaliyat. He holds the distinction of being the first PhD holder in Kashmiri for his research on the topic of ‘Mystic Trends in Kashmiri and Urdu Poetry’, said one of his close associates.

Professor Nazki is the first Kashmiri writer to write the biography of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the only writer who succeeded in compiling the life history of the Prophet in two volumes in the Kashmiri language.

Nazki was also the founder president of Adbee Markaz Kamraaz. He held the office for 12 years from 1972 to 1984. It is during this period, Markaz got Sadiq Memorial Award for its service towards the Kashmiri language.

One of Nazki’s famous poetic collections is “Vahraat” for which he got the Sahitya Akademi award in 1999. He also authored many books in Kashmiri and Urdu. After shifting to Kashmir University in 1979, he was selected by the president of the akademi as a reviewer of the first volume of the encyclopedia.

In 2005, Nazki was honoured with the Certificate of Honour by then President of India APJ Abdul Kalam. In 2010, he was honoured with the state award.