Ada Jafri facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ada Jafarey
ادؔا جعفری |
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Jafarey in 1987 (Karachi)
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| Born | Aziz Jahan 22 August 1924 Badayun, U.P., British India, (now India) |
| Died | 12 March 2015 (aged 90) Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan |
| Resting place | PECHS Graveyard (Society Qabristan), Jamshed Town, Karachi 24°52′0″N 67°3′18″E / 24.86667°N 67.05500°E |
| Pen name | Ada Jafarey |
| Occupation |
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| Nationality | British Indian (1924–1947) Pakistani (1947–2015) |
| Education | Primary education in poetry (Maria) |
| Period | 1945–2015 |
| Genre | Ghazal • free verse • haiku • short essay |
| Subject | Feminism among others |
| Literary movement | Modernism • post-modernism |
| Notable works | Maiṉ Sāz Ḍhūṉḍtī Rahī (1950) S̲h̲ahr-i Dard (1967) |
| Notable awards |
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| Spouse |
Nurul Hasan Jafarey
(m. 1947–1995) |
| Children |
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Ada Jafarey (born August 22, 1924 – died March 12, 2015) was a famous Pakistani poet. She is known as the first major female Urdu poet to have her work published. Many people called her "The First Lady of Urdu Poetry."
Ada Jafarey was also an author. She was a very important person in modern Urdu literature. She received many awards for her amazing work. These awards came from the Government of Pakistan, the Pakistan Writers' Guild, and other groups in North America and Europe.
Contents
Life Story of Ada Jafarey
Her Early Years
Ada Jafarey was born on August 22, 1924. Her birthplace was Badayun, which was in British India (now India). Her birth name was Aziz Jahan.
When she was only three years old, her father passed away. Her mother then raised her. Ada started writing poetry when she was just twelve years old. She used the pen name Ada Badayuni back then.
Her Married Life
On January 29, 1947, she married Nurul Hasan Jafarey in Lucknow, India. After her marriage, she changed her pen name to Ada Jafarey. Her husband, Nurul Hasan, worked for the government.
After Pakistan became independent in 1947, Ada Jafarey moved to Karachi with her husband. Nurul Hasan also loved literature. He wrote for newspapers and was a big supporter of Urdu language. He was a major inspiration for Ada's writing. Sadly, her husband passed away on December 3, 1995.
Later Years and Legacy
Ada Jafarey lived in Karachi, Pakistan, for most of her later life. She often traveled between Karachi and Toronto, Canada. She worked hard to promote the Urdu language and its literature.
Ada Jafarey and her husband had three children: Sabiha, Azmi, and Aamir. She lived with her son Aamir and his family in Karachi until her death.
Her Passing
Ada Jafarey passed away on March 12, 2015, in a hospital in Karachi. She was 90 years old. Many important people in Pakistan shared their sadness about her death. They praised her great work in Urdu poetry. Her funeral was held in Karachi, and she was buried there on March 13, 2015.
Ada Jafarey's Writing Career
The First Female Poet
Ada Jafarey lived in a time when women were not always allowed to share their thoughts freely. But she was brave and spoke her mind through her poetry. Even though she respected traditions, she was also part of modern art.
By 1950, people recognized her as "The First Lady of Urdu Poetry." Her mother and husband encouraged her to keep writing. She learned from famous poets like Akhtar Sheerani.
Her Unique Style
Ada Jafarey wrote in a way that didn't focus on whether the writer was male or female. However, her poems often talked about important topics like feminism. This included issues like how women were sometimes treated unfairly.
She wrote about her life as a wife and mother. She also explored feelings of not being completely happy in these roles.
Types of Poetry She Wrote
Most of Ada Jafarey's works are Ghazals. A ghazal is a type of poem with rhyming couplets and a refrain. But she also tried other styles, like free verse (poems without a regular rhyme or rhythm) and Urdu Haiku. Haiku are short poems, usually about nature.
She was very skilled in both main types of Urdu poetry: nazm (poems) and ghazal. In her ghazals, she used the pen name Adā. She also wrote some short essays.
Her Published Works
Ada Jafarey's first ghazal was published in a magazine in 1945. In 1950, she released her first collection of poems called "Maiṉ Sāz Ḍhūṉḍtī Rahī" (which means I kept looking for the 'musical instrument').
She published five more collections of Urdu poetry. She also wrote her autobiography, which is her life story. One of her ghazals, Hoṉṭoṉ pih kabhī un ke merā nām hī āʾe, became very popular. A famous singer, Ustad Amanat Ali Khan, sang it.
Here is the first part of that ghazal:
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ہونٹوں پہ کبھی ان کے، میرا نام ہی آئے
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؎
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آئے تو سہی، برسرالزام ہی آئے
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Transliteration:
- Hoṉṭoṉ pih kabhī un ke, merā nām hī āʾe
- Āʾe to sahī, barsar-i ilzām hī āʾe
Awards and Recognition
Ada Jafarey received many important awards for her contributions to literature.
- In 1955, the Hamdard Foundation in New Delhi called her the "Outstanding Female Poet of the Century."
- She won the Adamjee Literary Award in 1967 for her second poetry book, S̲h̲ahr-i Dard (The City of Pain).
- The Government of Pakistan gave her the Medal of Excellence in 1981. This is a high honor.
- She also received the Baba-e Urdu, Dr. Maulvi Abdul Haq Award in 1994.
- In 1997, she was given the Quaid-e Azam Literary Award.
- She earned international awards from literary groups in North America and Europe.
- In 2003, the Government of Pakistan honored her with the Pride of Performance Award for Literature.
- She was the first woman to receive the Kamal-e Fan Award in 2003. This award is for a lifetime of great achievements in literature.
Ada Jafarey's Feminist Views
Ada Jafarey believed in feminism, which supports equal rights for women. She shared her thoughts on this:
I did not accept the restrictions imposed by men, rather accepted only those restrictions which my mind has imposed upon me... I think that saying things from behind a veil is more appropriate because symbolism and allusion are the beauty of poetry, too.
She meant that she only followed rules that made sense to her. She also felt that using hints and symbols in poetry made it more beautiful.
What Critics Said About Her Work
Many literary critics praised Ada Jafarey's poetry. They said her poems were full of politeness and grace. She had a special way of blending old and new ideas in her writing.
One critic, Qazi Abdul Ghaffar, noted her unique way of expressing feminist ideas. Another Urdu poet, Jazib Qureshi, said that Ada Jafarey was the first and only female poet whose work had the timeless beauty of famous poets like Mirza Ghalib, Allama Iqbal, and Jigar Moradabadi.
See Also
- Ghazal
- Fehmida Riaz
- Kishwar Naheed
- Parveen Shakir
Images for kids
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Ada Jafri in 1940
