Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Litterateurs from the city remembered Bashir Badr as a “People’s Shayar” who brought Urdu ghazals and couplets close to the common man by writing in easy-to-understand language.
They said his couplets had become idioms, quoted from Parliament to tea and paan shops. The eminent poet passed away at his residence in the city on Thursday afternoon.
Manzar Bhopali, a noted shayar, recalled his 35-year association with Badr and said he had participated in innumerable mushairas alongside the late poet in India and abroad, including in the UAE. “He was both mehboob (the loved one) and maqbool (popular),” he said.
Manzar Bhopali said Badr sahab began using words in ghazals that had never been used earlier. “It is really tragic that he could not write for the past 14 years, otherwise we would have had an invaluable treasure trove of poetry,” he said. “Badr did not write in chaste Urdu. Instead, he wrote in a mix of Urdu and Hindi, which we called Hindavi or Hindustani,” he added.
Poet and Director of MP Urdu Akademi Nusrat Mehdi said she was fortunate to have worked with him when she was secretary of the Akademi and Badr was its chairman.“He could express the deepest thoughts in the simplest words. That endeared him to the common man. His couplets turned into idioms and were quoted from Parliament to tea and paan shops,” she said.
“You will find his ‘Ujale apni yaadon ke…’ couplet painted on the back of innumerable trucks,” she added, saying it was unfortunate that he had remained silent for so many years. Noted poet Badr Wasti said Bashir Badr’s poetry marked a turning point in the field of ghazals.
“He gave new symbols, new similes and new metaphors to Urdu-Hindi poetry,” he said.
“Bashir Badr could have settled in any city in any country, but he chose Bhopal as he loved the city and its people. In fact, he married Rahat Badr from Bhopal,” Wasti added. Writer Ashok Manwani said he met Bashir Badr at his home in 2024.“Despite his prolonged illness, he looked happy and contented,” Manwani said
