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Zehra Nigah

Zehra Nigah (Urdu: زہرا نگاہ) is a prominent Urdu poet and scriptwriter from Pakistan. She is fondly known as 'Zehra Apa' in the nation. Among the pioneers of poetry by women, Nigah was one of the first Urdu women poets to make their mark in the male dominated field. Nigah's accomplishments especially shone in the domain of mushaira, as she is considered the first female poet to fully participate and make a visible mark in such events. Zehra is an occasional songwriter and scriptwriter too.

Heavily revered in the literary fraternity for her mix of modern feminine and classic poetry, her expertise in the field, and her personality; she is often the presiding chair of literary events and sessions, including the chair of the presidium of the Aalmi Urdu Conference and Women Conference. Nigah has been awarded the Pride of Performance (2006), LLF Lifetime Achievement Award (2013), Allama Iqbal Award (2018), UBL Literary Lifetime Award (2019), and the Arts Council Lifetime Achievement Award (2021). Her books include Shaam Ka Pehla Tara, Warq, Firaq, and Gul Chandni. Her poetry compilation, Lafz, was recently published.

Personal life

Zehra was born in Hyderabad, British India. She was 10 years old when she and her family migrated to Pakistan after the 1947 partition of India. Her father was a civil servant with an interest in poetry. Zehra's elder sister, Fatima Surayya Bajia, was also a writer. One of her brothers, Anwar Maqsood, is a writer, satirist and a television host and another brother, Ahmad Maqsood was Secretary to the Government of Sindh. Zehra married Majid Ali, who was a civil servant and had interest in Sufi poetry.

Career

Zehra Nigah began her writing career during her childhood. When she was 14 years old, she learned the poetry of prominent poets by heart. She is inspired by classical tradition of Urdu poetry.

Front Line magazine states:

Around 1922, the living room in Zehra's family home used to serve as the centre stage for historic meetings of poets of the stature of Iqbal, Firaq, Makhdoom, Faiz Ahmad Faiz and Majaz. "Academics, poetry and music completed my home", she says, adding, "My mother used to learn music from her ustaad [teacher] from behind a purdah. My maternal grandfather used to encourage us children to revise tough poets like Haali and Iqbal with correct meanings, pronunciations and reading style. He would tempt us by saying, 'If you memorise Iqbal's Jawab-e-Shikwa or Musaddas-e-Hali, you will get five rupees.' And we would wield all our energies to memorise them. Such was my training that at four I had learnt the correct recitation style and pronunciation and by the time I was 14, I had learnt the masterpieces of most big poets by heart.

In 2012, an event was held by the fellow writers at the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi to launch a CD of Zehra Nigah's poetry in her own voice. The event was presided over by the writer Intizar Hussain and also included the famous humorist Mushtaq Ahmed Yousufi.

Awards and recognition

She received the Pride of Performance Award from the President of Pakistan in 2006. According to a major newspaper of India, "Zehra Nigah is a much loved and highly respected poet in Pakistan."