Samina Raja facts for kids

Samina Raja (Urdu: ثمینہ راجہ ‎ 11 September 1961 – 30 October 2012) was a famous Pakistani Urdu poet and writer. She was also an editor, translator, teacher, and broadcaster. Samina lived in Islamabad, Pakistan. She worked as a specialist at the National Language Authority.

Samina Raja's Early Life

Samina Raja was born in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, in 1961. She earned a master's degree in Urdu Literature. She studied at Punjab University in Lahore. Samina started writing poetry when she was just 12 years old in 1973.

She published many books of her poetry. She also wrote some books in Urdu prose. Prose means regular writing, not poetry. Samina also translated important books from English into Urdu.

Her Work and Contributions

Samina Raja joined the National Book Foundation in 1998. She worked there as a consultant. She was also the editor of a monthly magazine called Kitab. In the same year, she became an editor for another monthly magazine, Aassar.

Samina was also a well-known broadcaster. Since 1995, she hosted poetry events called All Pakistan Mushairas. These events were shown on Pakistan Television (PTV). She also presented a TV show about women's roles in Urdu literature. The show was called Urdu Adab Mein Aurat Ka Kirdar.

Samina Raja was a Subject Specialist at the National Language Authority in Islamabad. She had many unique ideas for writing. One of her biggest dreams was to translate the Quran into Urdu poetry. No one had ever done this before. She started this huge project, but sadly, she became ill and could not finish it.

Samina was known for her kind and caring personality. She cared about everyone's problems, no matter who they were. She was also very principled. She refused to accept two big awards, the Prime Minister Award and the Writers Award. She felt that some other people nominated for the awards did not deserve them. She also often refused to attend literary events where the main guests were not truly involved in literature.

Samina Raja passed away from cancer in Islamabad on October 30, 2012. She left behind three sons. Her death was a great loss to Urdu literature.

Samina Raja's Books

Samina Raja wrote many books during her life.

Poetry Collections

She published twelve collections of her poems:

• Huweda (1995)
• Shehr e saba (1997)
• Aur Wisal (1998)
• Khwabnaey (1998)
• Bagh e Shab (1999)
• Bazdeed (2000)
• Haft Aasman (2001)
• Parikhana (2002)
• Adan Ke Rastey Par (2003)
• Dil e Laila (2004)
• Ishqabad (2006)
• Hijr Nama (2008)

She also published two collections of all her poems (called Kulliyat) and one selection of her romantic poetry:

• Kita e Khwab (2004)
• Kitab e Jan (2005)
• Woh Sham Zara Si Gehri Thi (2005)

Prose and Translated Books

Samina Raja also wrote and translated books that were not poetry:

• Sharq Shanasi (Orientalism, 2005) – This was a translation of a book by Edward Said.
• Bartanvi Hind Ka Mustaqbil (Verdict on India, 2007) – This was a translation of a book by Beverley Nichols.

Magazines She Edited

Samina Raja was also the editor for four different literary magazines:

• Mustaqbil (1991–1994)
• Kitab (1998–2005)
• Aasar (1998–2004)
• Khwabgar (2008)

See also

In Spanish: Samina Raja para niños