Sara Shagufta

Sara Shagufta (31 October 1954 – 4 June 1984) was a Pakistani poet who wrote poetry in Urdu and Punjabi language. She committed suicide by throwing herself before a passing train in Karachi.

Sara Shagufta
Born(1954-10-31)31 October 1954
Gujranwala, Pakistan
Died4 June 1984(1984-06-04) (aged 29)
Drigh Colony, Karachi, Pakistan
OccupationPoet
LanguageUrdu, Punjabi
NationalityPakistani
Notable works
  • Aankhein
  • Neend Ka Rang
PartnerAhmad Javed

Qaiser Munawar

Afzal Ahmad Syed

Life

Sara was born on 31 October 1954 Gujranwala, Pakistan in a lower-class family. Her family had migrated to Karachi from Punjab during the partition of India. Belonging to a poor and uneducated family, she wanted to rise socially but could not pass her matriculation.[1][2]

She married for the first time at the age of 17, which was followed by other three unsuccessful marriages.[2][3]

She was admitted to a mental hospital due to her illness. After a non-fatal suicide attempt, she committed suicide at an early age of 29 on 4 June 1984, around 11 PM, by throwing herself before a train passing from Drigh Colony railway crossing in Karachi.[1][4]

Works

Her collections of poetry was published posthumously as Aankhein and Neend Ka Rang by Saeed Ahmed, a person she was in love with. Asad Alvi translated her poetry into English and published as The Colour of Sleep and Other Poems (2016).[3]

Legacy

Indian author Amrita Pritam, also a close friend of Sara, wrote two books based on the life and works of Sara; Ek Thi Sara (There was a Sara) (1990) and Life and Poetry of Sara Shagufta (1994). Main Sara (Me, Sara), a play written by Shahid Anwar, is based on the life of Sara.[4] Sara Ka Sara Aasman, another play written by Danish Iqbal and directed by Tarique Hameed, is also based on the life of Sara. Based on Amrita Pritam's books on Sara, the play was presented by Wings Cultural Society at All India Radio's Urdu Theatre Festival in 2015.[5][3]

Further reading
  • Amrita Pritam (1994). Life and Poetry of Sara Shagufta. Delhi: B.R. Publishing Corporation. ISBN 978-81-7018-771-4.
  • Amrita Pritam (1990). Ek thi Sara. New Delhi: Kitabghar Publication. OCLC 33810599.

See also
  • List of Urdu Poets

References
  1. Parekh, Rauf (27 April 2015). "Creativity and mental disorder: Urdu poets and writers who committed suicide". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  2. "सारा शगुफ़्ता : इंसान से पहले मौत ज़िंदा थी- Amarujala". Amar Ujala (in Hindi). 1 October 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  3. Modi, Chintan Girish (16 July 2016). "LITERARY REVIEW: Still I Rise!". The Hindu. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  4. Kamran Asdar Ali (1 July 2013). "Column: Respectability has many forms: remembering Sara Shagufta". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  5. Daftuar, Swati (27 March 2015). "A life in defiance". The Hindu. Retrieved 14 February 2018.


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