Irfan 'Abid' : An Introduction

Urdu being the language of communication at home, Irfan ‘Abid’ had the opportunity to pick it in his early childhood. He was first drawn to shaairii when he read poems in some of the Urdu magazines that his parents subscribed to. His interest in shaairii grew significantly when he went to Aligarh Muslim University in Aligarh, India to study engineering. With a highly literary atmosphere around him, which boasted of poets like Nasim Qureshi and Shahryar, he soon started attending the poetry-recital gatherings that were a norm in university life. During his final year at the university, he was appointed the Secretary of the prestigious Viqar-ul-Mulk Hall Cultural and Literary Society, a position that he used to further his interest in Urdu poetry and promote it among his peers. All of this eventually prompted him to try his hand at writing poetry. His emphasis on perfection forced him to look for a person who could teach him the basics of this art. His searched ended when he met Ustad ‘Mazaq’ Charkhariwi, a renowned poet and a master of the art, who graciously took him under his shaagirdii.

The works of Irfan ‘Abid’ have been published on line, in print and in musical compositions. He has been featured with Zafar Gorakhpuri, Ibrahim Ashk and F. S. Aijaz among others in ‘SuKhanvar Chahaarum’, a directory of Urdu poets compiled Ms. Sultana Meher, California based writer, poetess, critic and publisher.

Irfan ‘Abid’ lives in Indianapolis, USA. He was a Civil Engineer by profession for a number of years but later chose Information Technology as his career. He is now a Systems Administrator.

Articles by Irfan 'Abid' :

Bah'r : The Backbone of Shaayari