Adil Mansuri

Adil Mansuri Biography

Adil Mansuri was a famous writer associated with Gujarati language. He also wrote in Hindi and Urdu languages. Apart from a noted poet he was also known as a playwright, and calligrapher. He was interested in experimental forms of ghazals, and has published a few books under this category - Valank (1963), Pagarav (1966) and Satat (1970). In fact he got popular for the ghazals he wrote, though he wrote other forms of poetry too. He published two collections of absurd one-act plays titled Haath Pag Bandhayela Chhe (1970) and Je Nathi Te (1973). He was a recipient of Vali Gujarati Award in 2008 and Kalapi Award in 1998.

His birth name is Farid Mohammed Gulamnabi Mansuri. He was born on May 18, 1936 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. He spent his early days in his hometown where he completed his school studies and he completed his studies at Karachi. He experimented with different forms of businesses. Apart from assisting his father in a textile shop, he ventured into cotton and clothes business, and also worked as a journalist for a couple of magazines. He served as a copywriter of advertising agency Shilpi in 1972. He spent his last years in New Jersey, USA, where he died in 2008. He left to US about 25 years before his death.

Became popular through ghazals, he wrote in Hindi, Urdu and Gujarati languages, and freely used words of one language in another. In fact he guided and gave enough courage to many Gujarati poets to come out of the traditional mould and write in new style. He was a calligrapher par excellence who left behind more than 3,000 works. He is also known as a noble man. Even after he migrated to New Jersey, he continued with poetry recital programs (mushaira) across US, Middle East, Canada, UK and also India.

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Updated: June 19, 2016