Anwar Masood

Anwar Masood (, ; born 8 November 1935) is a Pakistani poet and educationist primarily known for his comic Punjabi poetry. His works include a wide variety of genres including humour, sentimentalism and literary criticism. He predominantly writes in Punjabi, and Urdu, but in Persian as well.

His poetry is known for the unique use of everyday, commonplace phrases and wording that is instantly relatable for masses in the region. Numerous of his Punjabi lines and phrases have actually become figures of speech in everyday conversations. The most prominent feature of his expression is the poignant undertones of his humorous verse, making his poetry one of its kind. The nuance of tragedy in his poems is a reflection of social injustice, discrimination, and personal misfortunes of his characters. This is why he himself commented: "قہقہ وہ ہے جسے نچوڑیں تو آنسو ٹپکیں" (Real laughter is one that sheds tears when squeezed).

He was awarded the Hilale Imtiaz Civil in 2024. He was awarded the Pride of Performance in 1999.

Early life and education

Anwar Masood was born on 8 November 1935 into an Arain family in Gujrat, Punjab, Pakistan. Some of his poems are so popular that wherever he goes in the world, people like to listen to them again and again. Some of his famous poems are "Anar Kali Diyan Shanan", "Aj Kee Pakaeay", "Banyan", "Juma Bazaar", "Jehlum Dey Pul Tey", "Hun Ki Karye", "Mela Akhian Da", "Ambri" and many others. Masood has performed and given live recitations of his poetry among many international communities and is popular worldwide.

Students: Over the span of the last 5 decades, Anwar Masood has had several scholastic students learning Persian, Poetry, Radeef, Translation of Old Scholarly Articles, etc. He has been mentoring only up to 2 students at a time and his current students are Muhammad Ali Abbas and Arqam Shah. Muhammad Ali Abbas is known for composing poetry and learning Persian under Masood's mentorship, and amongst Ali's popular works is "Aurat Ki Nami" translated into "Women's Warmth" in English. Ali Abbas is also adept at documenting the latent cultures within Pakistan and is constantly occupied with such journalistic endeavors during his travels, for Mushairas, across Pakistan with Anwar Masood. On the other hand, Arqam is beginner in the field of poetry and is currently learning Persian Poetic genres and stylistic distinctions.

A poem reviewer once said about him, "He is a poet that has the rare gift of being able to take a very serious subject and make it light and entertaining". He is a great command of covering all aspects of the topic or subject.

Famous poems

چاء تے لسی (Tea and curd milk, it is a metaphor for two different civilizations) آج کی پکائیے (What should we cook today) امبڑی (Mother, a heart touching story of a student who used to beat his mother) جہلم دا پُل (Jehlum bridge)

Books and publications

Mela Akhiyan Da (Punjabi poetry, includes "Ambri", published in 1974) Hun Ki Kariye (Punjabi poetry) Qataa Kalami (Urdu poetry) Ek Dareecha, Ek Chiragh (Urdu poetry) Shaakh-e-Tabassum (Essays on humorous poets) Darpesh (Humorous Poetry) Taqreeb (Anthology of essays presented in various ceremonies) Ghuncha Phir Laga Khilnay (Humorous poetry) Siddiqa Anwar ke naam (Collection of letters addressed to his wife) Saif-ul-Muluk (Urdu Translation in prose) Meli Meli Dhoop (Poetry on environment) Baat Se Baat (Compilation of radio talks) Bariyaab (Collection of Naats in Urdu, Punjabi and Persian) Kuch Urdu Kuch Punjabi (Urdu and Punjabi poetry) Payan Safar Neest (Persian poetry) Farsi Adab Ke Chand Goshay (Research work)