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Poetry by Parveen Shakir

Poetry by Parveen Shakir

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Poetry by Parveen Shakir:

Parveen Shakir was a teacher, poet, and civil servant of the government of Pakistan. She was born in 1952 and he died in 1994. She is famous for his poetic work because she brought a distinctive feminine voice to Urdu Literature. She also used grammatical feminine gender for the word “lover”. 

  • In honor of her great work Parveen Shakir, the Urdu Literature Festival is held annually in the capital of Pakistan.

Parveen Shakir Career:

Initially, she worked under the name of “Beena”. She started writing at a very early age. She contributed columns in Urdu newspapers and also wrote poetry and prose. She also wrote a few articles in English dailies.

At the start of his practical life, she taught for nine years and later joined the Civil Service of Pakistan.

The first volume of Parveen Shakir’s poetry was published in 1976. She was awarded the Pride of Pakistan for her outstanding contribution to literature. In 1980 she published other volumes of poetry including Sad-barg. A collection of her newspaper columns was also published. 

Style of Poetry:

Parveen Shakir’s poetry is in two styles Ghazal and Azad Nazam (free verse) and she used many literary techniques. She also examined delicate topics to create a full image of the female experience.

Her Ghazilat is regarded as a combination of classical tradition with modern sensitivity. Her poetic work deals with the feminine perspective on romance. The themes such as beauty, separation, break ups, distances, and disloyalty are the subjects of her poetry. 

Free Verse:

As compared to Parveen Shakir Ghazilat, her free verse is much bolder. Her free verse unveils social problems including gender inequality, patriotism, and the human psyche. She also discussed current affairs and deceit. 

The subjects of female sexuality and femininity are also discussed in her poetry.  Economic disparities and the tendency of society to exploit the weak and poor are also the topic of her free verse. Many poems of Parveen Shakir are about the low earnings of labourers around the world. 

“We are all Dr Faustus” is a poem written by Parveen Shakir that directly addresses the prevalence of corruption in powerful circles of people. She acclaimed that the rich achieve their goals at a grave price and used these arguments to critique capitalism.

Parveen Shakir’s free verse poems have a central theme while some are written in the mode of stream of consciousness.

She is well known for the use of pop culture references and English phrases and this practice is not considered appropriate. She also works with natural pink and makes references to cosmetics brands like Peart and Tulip in the poem. Her other poems Ecstasy Nun and Flower Show are the other examples.

Themes of Poetry by Parveen Shakir:

Parveen Shakir’s poems are well known for their in-depth exploration of sensitive topics. She especially writes for women. Her poems encompass all aspects of being a woman, from innocence to the start of being conscious of one’s sexuality. These include the hardships of love, social pressure, and the restrictions faced by unique women. Her introduction of female pronouns, both first person and third person is a way to normalize femininity in poetry. 

She continued to embody a feminine voice through her Ghazals. Parveen Shakir’s personal life was influential and a topic that she chose to pursue. There is also her example that she lost her son due to Pakistan law after the separation between her and her husband. That is one of the strongest reasons that she wrote and focused on women’s problems in society. Her poems lament the discrimination between men and women. Her poetic work also talks about the life of a woman after she is divorced in a conservative country.

Legacy:

Parveen Shakir’s poetic work is well received and she is considered as one of the best and most eminent modern poets the Urdu language has ever received.  Her poetry has drawn comparisons to that of Iranian poet Forough Farrokhzad and she is regarded as a pioneer. 

Her poetic work was unique and it encouraged freedom of expression among the women. The themes of her poems are taboo. She used these themes to create provocative poems that challenge the dependency of women on men. 

  • Parveen Shakir’s writing touched on the theme of separation. 

Parveen Shakir Poetry in Urdu:

It is due to the excellent performance of Parveen Shakir that she is famous both in Pakistan and India for bringing the voice of the woman class into a male-dominated society. Parveen Shakir created an emotionally honest portrayal of the condition of women by writing from the perspective of a young woman. By writing and expressing herself she violated tradition.

Parveen Shakir’s poetry in the Urdu collection consists of newspaper columns. She also received the highest Pakistan honour, the Pride of Performance due to her contributions to literature.

Urdu Two Lines Poetry by Parveen Shakir:

It is the individuality of Parveen Shakir’s work that allows its readers to express their feelings and emotions. Her poetic work is popular among those who like and enjoy good-natured poetry. One can easily download two lines and four lines of Urdu poetry. A large number of books have been written about Parveen Shakir’s poetry. 

Parveen Shakir’s Poetry Books:

The books on Parveen Shakir’s Poetry are also available on the internet and one can easily download, read, and enjoy them.  The forum Urdu Point gives access for everyone to read all the poetic work written by Parveen Shakir. Oven the internet, one can enjoy and share his poetry with their loved ones with the assistance of a single touch.  With the help of social media accounts, one can also share all types of content with others.

Owing to her road accident death, her professional life career is not long. However, there are six books of her professional career which she wrote.

  • Sad Barg
  • Inkaar
  • Maah e Tamaam
  • Kaf e Aa’ina
  • Khushbu
  • Khud Kalami

English Poetry by Parveen Shakir:

A few books have been translated into English. Her first book in English consists of Paiker-e- Hussain translated into English in 2011. It is also a great honour for her that the Oxford University Press published a collection of 100 poems written by Parveen Shakir and these poems were translated into English by Naima Rashid.

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