Mohammad Imran Pratapgarhi
Imran Pratapgarhi is an Indian Urdu-language poet known for his protest poetry that particularises the Muslim experience and identity in India and other parts of the world; Pratapgarhi is known for his Urdu nazms, especially "Madrasa," and "Han Main Kashmir Hoon."[1] Imran Pratapgarhi is an Indian politician and well known Hindi-Urdu poet. Born in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh in 1987. He completed his master’s in Hindi Literature and Post graduate diploma in Journalism from Allahabad University. Among numerous awards, he was awarded Yash Bharti in the year 2016 by the then Uttar Pradesh government for his contribution in the field of literature and social work. He was the INC candidate from Moradabad in the last General election. He is very popular and a known voice who raises the issues and plights of downtrodden and muslim community through his poetry. Pratapgarhi politically engages his followers to inculcate and encourage activism and engages his followers to inculcate and encourage activism1 and uses public sphere of mushairas as an antidote for hate. [2]
Imran Pratapgarhi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Mohammed Imran Khan 6 August 1987 Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Notable awards | Yash Bharti Award 2016 |
He appropriates his public space to bring awareness about social realities and convert it into bringing political and social awareness to the masses. He is a youth icon and is popular on social media, he is followed by more than a million followers on social media. Pratapgarhi plays crucial roles in national politics and has become a strong voice of the minorities and people living on the margins. Disheartened by the incidents of mob lynchings in India, he built a strong movement against the incidents of mob lynchings. Through his protest poetry, he reached millions of people.
His nazm on ‘Najeeb Ahmed, the disappeared student of Jawaharlal Nehru University, became very popular among the masses. Also, he is unique in his approach as he took multiple political issues and penned nazms on various contemporary issues including ‘palestine’, ‘Kashmir’, ‘Madrasa’, ‘Akhlaq’, ‘ Pehlu Khan’ etc. To bring into notice and spread awareness about the horrendous incidents of lynchings of muslims; the kind of discrimination and communal targeting they face in independent India shocked him and he started an initiative called “Lahu Bol Raha Hai” (Our Blood Speaks). In this initiative thousands of people gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and donated blood against the mob killings and lynchings. The adage “Against Mobocracy”, served the cause to bring awareness about the gruesome incidents propelled by hatred, and to let people think and recognise the face of cruelty and inhumanity. It was a unique protest as it carried an earful dispatch that ‘Please don’t spill or waste our blood in mindless killings, we are humans; we are donating our blood to save humans including soldiers, farmers and citizens of this country. Consequently, this initiative against the hate crime was replicated in different parts of the country.
Mr.Pratapgarhi unsuccessfully contested 2019 Loksabha election as an Indian National Congress candidate from Moradabad.
Early life and poetic career
Pratapgarhi was born as Mohammed Imran Khan to Mohammed Iliyas Khan on 6 August 1987 in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh.[1] He completed his masters in Hindi literature from Allahabad University.[1] At that time he wrote poetry in Hindi and participated in Kavi Sammelans (poetry symposiums). He started participating in Mushairas in 2008 and his Nazm Madrasa became popular.[1]
Apart from Madarsa, his other writings include Filisteen, Najeeb, and Umar out of over 100 Nazms written by him.[1]
Political career
A critic of Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, Pratapgarhi joined the Indian National Congress and contested in 2019 Indian general election from Moradabad, where he lost to S. T. Hasan of Samajwadi Party [6]
Awards
- Yash Bharti Award 2016 - highest Award of Uttar Pradesh Government[7][8]
References
- Manazir, Wasi (25 April 2018). "Meet Imran Pratapgarhi, the rockstar poet who draws tens of thousands of fans at Urdu mushairas". Scroll.in. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
- scroll.in/article/952895/how-did-the-indian-muslim-identity-express-itself-through-poetry-before-independence
- https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jan/11/poetry-is-the-antidote-in-fight-against-hindu-nationalism-india-turns-to-verse
- https://aajtak.intoday.in/story/blood-donation-imran-pratapgarhi-mob-lynching-jantar-mantar-1-944975.html
- https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/cafe/poetry-of-protest-in-the-times-of-lynch-ra
- https://indianexpress.com/elections/moradabad-lok-sabha-election-results-2019-live-winner-runner-up/
- "UP Government confers Yash Bharti award to 46 people, list includes nine Muslims". twocircles.net. 22 March 2016.
- "CM Presented Yash Bharati Awards". The Pioneer. 22 March 2016.