Shareef Kunjahi

Shareef Kunjahi Biography

Shareef Kunjahi was a prominent Punjabi writer and critic of the 20^th century. He wrote both poems and prose works. One of the first teachers of Punjabi Language at University of Punjab in the 1970s, he was known as a great teacher too. Kunjahi was also known as a distinguished research scholar, linguist, lexicographer and translator. Among his translation works, the most prominent works include - Bertrand Russell and Allama Iqbal’s lectures — ‘Reconstruction of Religious Thoughts’. He used modern techniques of literary criticism, one of the early critics to use this method. Kunjahi was one of the earliest Muslim writers of Punjabi literature who stepped into the modern era of writing style.

Shareef Kunjahi was born in 1915 in Kunjah, a small town in Gujarat. After Ghanimat Kunjahi during the reign of Aurangazed, Sharif is one among the prominent writers who put Kunjahi in India’s literal map. His father was a school teacher. Shareef started writing poetry in the early 1930s during his intermediate studies. Got name as a progressive writer, he was sympathetic to Indian National Congress and freedom movement. He wrote poetry in Urdu and Persian and made a name as an Urdu poet during the early phase of his literal career. However Punjabi poetry remained his first love.

His affiliation to Indian National Congress through his works became a hindrance to get good jobs at government service. He needed to get the certificate of good character from police which he never got. Thus he returned back to hometown from Jhelum. He later completed graduation and started his career as a lecturer in Lahore. He worked at different colleges including newly established Punjabi Department at the Punjab University Lahore during the period - 1973 to 1980. His first collection of Punjabi poetry Jagrate was published in 1958. His second anthology Orak Hondi Lou was published in 1995.

Published: N/A

Updated: January 28, 2016